Notre Dame back in the win column with a 66-7 over Purdue

 

West Lafayette, Ind -- Riley Leonard put his NIU performance in the rear view and found himself in the end zone three times at Ross-Ade Stadium.

The 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois didn't sit well with Notre Dame and their overall performance against Purdue is proof.

Notre Dame were eight-point favorites coming into week three, but their 57-point win says otherwise.

The Irish scored 42 points in the first half. More points than week one and two with a combined 37 points.

"So proud of guys you know. Enjoy this victory, as I told him, it's hard to win, as we saw last week, it's hard to win, and so enjoy it, and then we'll get back to work," Head Coach Marcus Freeman said.

The work started with Jeremiyah Love, earning 48 of his 109 rushing yards on a trip to the endzone on the first drive.

From that point on, it was all Riley Leonard.

"I was just itching to get out to the field again and be able to prove myself right. It's a long time, Saturday to Saturday," Leonard said.

He made a complete 180 from week two becoming the first player with 100 or more passing yards, 100 or more rushing yards, and 3 or more rushing touchdowns since Lamar Jackson in 2016.

"I was just sitting around and, you know, thinking about the last game, and you're like, Man, I just wanted another opportunity to get back out there," Leonard added.

Leonard would sit the second half with a 42-point lead after going 11/16 for 112 passing yards. That decision gave backup Steve Angeli the reigns. Angeli finished the night 6/9 for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw Notre Dame's first passing touchdown of the season to Cooper Flanagan on a 28-yard reception.

"I'm happy we went out and performed the way we did and so as I told the players, we have to celebrate and enjoy victory, and we'll get back to work tomorrow and make sure we're handling success," Freeman mentioned.

Ultimately all four quarterbacks saw the field, including Kenny Minchey earning his first touchdown of the season on a five yard run.

Next on the list for the Irish is Miami of Ohio at Notre Dame Stadium.