West Lafayette, Ind.— Quarterback Riley Leonard gave Notre Dame’s offense the spark it needed on Saturday, and he did it primarily with his legs.
Leonard, along with Jeremiyah Love, dominated the first half on the ground, leading No. 18 Notre Dame to a resounding 66-7 victory over Purdue — the most lopsided defeat in the Boilermakers’ 137-year history.
The numbers weren’t what mattered most to Leonard, though. After last week’s stunning loss to Northern Illinois, he was focused on setting things right.
“I was just itching to get back on the field to prove myself,” Leonard said. He finished with 100 rushing yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half, tying his career high. “This game was huge not just for me but for the whole team. I wanted another opportunity to get back out there.”
Leonard’s performance was so commanding that he was able to rest during the second half.
Notre Dame (2-1) racked up 278 of its 362 rushing yards in the first half alone. With Leonard and Love leading the charge, the Irish posted their highest point total and largest margin of victory in their 88-game rivalry with Purdue. It was also their most points in a game since a 66-14 win over New Mexico in 2019.
Love carried the ball 11 times for a career-high 109 yards, highlighted by a 48-yard touchdown run — the longest of his career.
Purdue (1-1) suffered its ninth consecutive defeat in the battle for the Shillelagh Trophy.
This game was a blowout from the start.
“Obviously, the performance reflects the preparation,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said. “We can’t assume anyone’s going to make that choice [to prepare]. As a coach, I have to keep delivering this message, but it’s ultimately up to our players to embrace that mentality. That’s what I took away from last week.”
The rout began early when Love dashed down the sideline for a 48-yard touchdown on Notre Dame’s fifth play. Leonard followed up with three touchdowns of his own, scoring on runs of 3, 34, and 13 yards. The Irish capped off the half with two more touchdowns in the final 92 seconds: a 34-yard interception return by Boubacar Traore and a 70-yard touchdown run by Jadarian Price, making it 42-0 at halftime.
This matched Purdue’s largest halftime deficit since 2013, when Ohio State also led 42-0. Freeman was a member of the Buckeyes’ staff that season as well.
Purdue coach Ryan Walters expressed his frustration: “It was a lack of physicality, undisciplined eyes, undisciplined technique, missed tackles — you name it, every mistake we made, they capitalized on. I’ve never seen us perform like this. I’m angry, I’m embarrassed. We need to fix it, and I will.”
Notre Dame’s backup quarterback, Steve Angeli, was one of four signal-callers to see action. He threw two touchdown passes in the second half, the first passing touchdowns of the season for the Irish.
Leonard finished the game completing 11 of 16 passes for 112 yards.
Purdue struggled offensively, managing only 162 total yards. Quarterback Hudson Card completed 11 of 24 passes for 124 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
NEXT UP:
Notre Dame will host Miami (Ohio) from the Mid-American Conference next Saturday.
