Everett Golson passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, accounting for 315 of Notre Dame’s 398 total yards in a hard fought 30-14 win over Purdue. The senior quarterback connected on 25 of 40 throws for 259 yards with no interceptions and 56 rushing yards as he willed a sputtering offense down the field. Meanwhile, Purdue’s Danny Etling’s quick, short passes confounded the Irish defense in the first half before Brian VanGorder’s depleted troops pitched a second half shutout.

The Irish were set up at the Purdue 45 yard line after a great return on the opening kickoff by Amir Carlisle. A few plays later, Golson hit a wide open Will Fuller on a short slant for a 7-0 lead. The game would not become a blowout, however, as the Irish defenders were lethargic at the outset and struggled to match the intensity of the Boilermakers, who dominated the next 25 minutes of the contest. Coach Danny Hazell negated Notre Dame’s pass rush and maximized the efficiency of his embattled quarterback by asking him to get the ball out immediately with safe outlet throws. Poor tackling by Notre Dame made this strategy even more effective, and the Boilermaker running game followed suit with quick hitters and counter plays.

When Etling hit DeAngelo Yancey with a 19 yard pass just three minutes befor halftime, Purdue put the Irish behind on the scoreboard for the first time this season by a 14-10 margin. Golson then took over at his 30 with three minutes on the clock, and later hit Corey Robinson on a 33-yard strike to put Notre Dame in scoring territory. With the clock ticking down, Golson took off from the pocket and beat the Purdue defense to the corner of the end zone for a 17-14 halftime lead.

This score seemed to steady the Irish, who during the previous 30 minutes had lost safety Max Redfield for the game due to a flagrant hit, along with cornerback Cole Luke, wide receiver Carlisle and backup safety Nicky Baratti to injuries. Offensive guard Christian Lombard and defensive end Andrew Trumbetti were already sidelined from injuries suffered last week, and four other pre-season starters remain out of the lineup due to injury or suspension. Adding it up, Notre Dame limped into the locker room minus nine first teamers and a key reserve.

The Irish defense played better in the third quarter after giving up an alarming amount of real estate before intermission. Good special teams play and long punts by Brindza tilted field position toward Notre Dame by the midpoint of the period, and Golson again found Robinson for a 15 yard touchdown that provided a bit of breathing room at 24-14 with 19 minutes to go in the game.

VanGorder’s halftime adjustments to tighten up his coverage despite a depleted secondary slowed down the Purdue attack, and the Irish made a key stop on fourth down in their own territory on the next series to turn away the last real Boilermaker threat with the outcome still in doubt. Two fourth quarter field goals by Brindza stretched the lead into comfortable territory and two late interceptions by Notre Dame put the game on ice.

Despite a frustrating night from an offensive standpoint for most everyone not named Golson and the loss of several notable defenders, the Irish held together. Alhough they did not win as easily as expected, other teams who recorded big wins last week such as Virginia Tech and USC found themselves at the wrong end of the scoreboard against unranked competition. Standing at 3-0, the team will enjoy and early season bye week at a very opportune time. None of the aforementioned injuries appeared to be serious, although Baratti’s shoulder has been a chronic problem.

Until they essentially ran out of gas, Purdue played at a high emotional level for much of the night and took the fight to Notre Dame. Golson was the difference in the game even though his passes were not as sharp and on target as in previous weeks, and he was also sacked four times.

Let’s review the pregame questions for additional insights on the outcome.

Can Purdue stay out of third and long situations? The Boilermakers did an excellent job of controlling down and distance. Many short passes on first down set up manageable plays leter in the series, and they moved the ball quite well in the first half. Coach Hazell put together a good plan and his players followed it well.

Will Notre Dame rejuvenate its rushing attack and lessen the reliance on Golson? The running game was not much to write home about, as the tailbacks gained only 83 yards in 24 attempts.

Can The Boilermaker secondary stay with the Irish receivers? With only a few exceptions, Purdue’s defensive backs stuck with Notre Dame receivers throughout the night and contested most every throw.

Which team will commit costly turnovers? Both teams commited a costly error in the first half, while the two second half interceptions by Etling halted any chance of a Purdue comeback.

Can the Irish special teams maintain their dominance? Notre Dame started well with a long kickoff return and got the better of the field position battle with long punts and deep kickoffs. Brindza hit three of four field goal attempts. The only negative was that his missed field goal from 50 yards jump-started Purdue’s first touchdown drive.

Will Purdue’s quick running backs find creases in the Notre Dame defense? Yes, especially in the first half. The Irish had trouble with the quick hitters until they tightened it up.

Can the Irish defense score a touchdown that is not called back by Big-10 referees? Credit Purdue’s game plan for the low risk approach that did not give Notre Dame much opportunity to apply pressure until late in the game, when two sacks and two interceptions helped seal the deal.

As Brian Kelly stated after the game, Notre Dame has plenty to work on in order to become a better and more efficient team. The offensive line needs to improve its run blocking and there were some pass protection breakdowns as well. Kelly, who insisted on chucking the ball at the point in the game when prudence dictated running down the clock, could stand to do some improving himself. Defensively the team regressed in its tackling and really needs to get back some of its key players. The Irish may find themselves among the Top Ten teams in the upcoming polls, but that is very much a precarious position at this stage of the season.