(Photo: Joseph Weiser/Fighting Irish Preview)
Notre Dame entered Saturday undefeated. It left West Lafayette looking complete.
The Irish demolished Purdue 49-10, building a 35-0 halftime lead and answering some of the biggest questions that remained after the first three games.
The running game finally produced explosive plays. The pass rush overwhelmed Purdue. CJ Carr had weapons everywhere. And for long stretches, Notre Dame simply looked too talented and too physical for the Boilermakers.
For the first time this season, Notre Dame looked like the complete team everyone expected it to be.
THE PASS RUSH MADE A STATEMENT
Notre Dame’s pass rush has become one of the strengths of this football team.
Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne entered Saturday with three straight 300-yard passing performances. Against Notre Dame, he finished with 111 yards.
The Irish didn’t just slow him down. They overwhelmed him.
Notre Dame made Browne uncomfortable all afternoon. Bryce Young finished with two sacks, including one that forced a fumble and led to a Drayk Bowen touchdown. Armel Mukam added a sack, while Boubacar Traore and Joey O’Brien combined for another.
The Irish recorded six sacks, but the sacks don’t tell the entire story.
Notre Dame consistently generated pressure without needing to blitz everyone. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Jaiden Ausberry and others also made Browne move around and get rid of the ball before he wanted to.
This defensive front is becoming a major problem for opposing offenses.
The defense already looked elite through three games. Against Purdue, it looked even better.
THE RUN GAME HAS ARRIVED
This was the biggest question coming into Purdue.
Where were the explosive runs?
Notre Dame finally found them.
Aneyas Williams broke off a 22-yard touchdown run, while Jonaz Walton later ripped off a 44-yard run. The difference started up front.
The offensive line gave Notre Dame’s backs actual space to work with. When the holes were there, the backs hit them.
That’s what this offense needed.
Nolan James Jr. showed against Michigan State that he can handle a bigger workload. Williams showed Saturday that he can still be a major part of this offense. Walton showed why his explosiveness matters.
Williams led the Irish in rushing with 80 yards on 14 carries. Walton had 61 yards, while James Jr. had 28. The Irish averaged 5.5 yards per carry.
Notre Dame doesn’t need one running back to carry the entire room. It needs all three of them to give defenses different problems.
Maybe the answer isn’t choosing one of them. Maybe the answer is all three.
Saturday was the first time this season the Irish running game looked capable of changing a game.
CARR DOESN’T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING
CJ Carr threw three touchdown passes, ran for another and threw his first interception of the season.
And Notre Dame still completely controlled the game.
Carr didn’t have to throw 40 times. He didn’t have to make a ridiculous play every drive. He didn’t have to carry the offense by himself.
The running game was working. The defense was dominating. Micah Gilbert continued making big plays. Jordan Faison remained highly involved.
That’s the kind of offense Irish fans want to see around Carr.
He’s good enough to carry Notre Dame when it needs him to. But he shouldn’t have to do it every week.
There are still things Notre Dame can improve. But four games into the season, the questions are starting to disappear.
The Notre Dame team everyone expected to see is starting to show up.