Notre Dame left West Lafayette with more than a 49-10 win over Purdue. It walked out with a real offensive step forward.
The Irish rolled up 444 total yards, including 267 through the air and 177 on the ground, and the rushing total stood as a season high. After a start to the year that left some real questions hanging over Mike Denbrock’s offense, this was the kind of performance that at least starts to answer a few of them. The test now is whether it sticks with North Carolina, Stanford and BYU coming next.
The biggest development came on the ground. Notre Dame had not been averaging more than 3.7 yards per carry or 161 rushing yards through its first three games, but against Purdue it finished at 5.5 yards per carry and kept hammering away.
That mattered, even against a Boilermakers defense that came in ranked No. 125 against the run. The Irish had to show they could punish that weakness, and they did.
Junior Aneyas Williams led the way with 80 yards on 14 carries and broke off several chunk gains. Freshman Jonaz Walton added 67 yards on seven carries, highlighted by a 44-yard run that stood as the team’s longest. Sophomore Nolan James Jr. had a quieter day on the ground, but the New Jersey native still found the end zone for his second receiving touchdown of the season.
The receiving conversation got louder, too, because Micah Gilbert keeps making his case. The junior had been one of the names floating around all offseason as Notre Dame tried to sort out who would emerge beside senior Jordan Faison in the wide receiver room. Jaden Greathouse and Ohio State transfers Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter are still part of that picture, but Gilbert is forcing his way into the discussion.
Over the last two weeks, he has 10 catches for 253 yards and one touchdown. Against Purdue, he delivered the kind of plays that change a game: a 56-yard catch and run that set up the Irish in scoring position and a post-route touchdown from the slot. For quarterback CJ Carr, that gives him another dangerous option, and Gilbert’s early-season surge is turning into a true breakout.
Big plays were a major part of the rebound, too. Notre Dame had produced 15 scrimmage plays of 20 yards or more through its first three games, which ranked No. 59 nationally. In its first true road game of the season, the Irish doubled down on explosiveness and ripped off eight plays of at least 20 yards while piling up those 444 total yards - all despite losing a possession to a defensive scoop-and-score touchdown.
That’s the part that will matter most moving forward. Notre Dame showed it can be balanced, it showed it can hit explosive plays, and it showed its ground game has some life.
The question now is whether Denbrock’s group can carry that version of itself into the rest of the season. If it does, the ceiling gets a lot more interesting.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Just Got A Huge Edge In UNCs Biggest Weakness
North Carolinas quarterback situation is still pointing toward Billy Edwards when the Tar Heels line up against Notre Dame, with Bill Belichick saying Edwards will keep the job despite the recent sluggishness in the passing game. Belichick pushed the broader offense into the conversation, noting that passing is a complicated part of the sport and that the problems have not been isolated to one player.
For Notre Dame, that adds another layer to a matchup that already looked favorable on paper. Edwards has completed 56.4% of his passes this season, and with North Carolina entering as a three-touchdown underdog, the Irish are facing a Tar Heels offense that still has to prove it can consistently threaten through the air. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Heads To Chapel Hill With One Offense Issue Still Lingering
Marcus Freeman liked what he saw from Notre Dames rushing attack last week, and that part of the offense will matter again when the third-ranked Irish head to Chapel Hill. North Carolina is bracing for the matchup the way you would expect against a top-3 opponent, with Bill Belichick spending part of the buildup talking through the challenges Notre Dame presents and the attention needed to slow it down.
On the Irish side, though, there is still one issue that has lingered even as the ground game has shown progress. Notre Dame can lean on its defense and improved run production, but the offense has not fully settled into the kind of rhythm Freeman would like before a road test like this, and that leaves a little more pressure on how the rest of the unit handles the trip. North Carolina will stick with Billy Edwards Jr. at quarterback, and it has also cleared kicker Rece Verhoff to play again after his eligibility issue, so there is at least some stability on the other sideline as the game approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Could Land A Recruiting Win Oklahoma Fans Would Hate
A busy fall recruiting stretch could bring Notre Dame a meaningful early victory with Kamieon Compton-Nero, one of the more sought-after athletes in the 2028 class. The four-star has trimmed his list to five schools - Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Alabama and SMU - after piling up nearly 20 scholarship offers, and the Irish are firmly in the mix after making a strong impression on him. He has spoken positively about Notre Dames coaching staff and the program, which gives the trip to South Bend some real weight.
Compton-Nero is set to visit Notre Dame on Nov. 7, when the Irish host Miami, giving him a chance to see the atmosphere at one of the seasons bigger home dates. For Notre Dame, landing an early foothold with a national recruit like this would be the kind of head-to-head win that resonates beyond the immediate class, especially with Oklahoma and the rest of the finalists still in the chase. The visit is still ahead, so the next step in this one figures to matter. [Read more 🡒]