Game Balls: 5 Notre Dame football figures who stepped up in win over Purdue
For the first time this season, Notre Dame won a football game by more than three points.
There were plenty of key performers in the Fighting Irish's 27-13 victory over Purdue. There were the five most important ones.
WR Avery Davis
The senior team captain went into the game with three catches for 29 yards. He turned in the best performance of his career with five catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. Graduate senior quarterback Jack Coan fit the ball into tight coverage in connecting with Davis multiple times, and Davis beat his man on a post route for a 62-yard touchdown.
S Kyle Hamilton
Is there anything Hamilton can’t do? The junior safety totaled 10 tackles for the second time in his career, and he also recorded his third interception of the season with less than three minutes remaining. Purdue was on the move, but Hamilton came across the back of the end zone and picked off a deflected pass to all but seal Notre Dame’s victory.
RB Kyren Williams
Williams walked into the media room for his postgame press conference with a big smile on his face. It was easy to discern why. The junior scored two touchdowns, the first on a 39-yard reception on fourth and short and the second on a 51-yard rush on the first play of a fourth quarter drive. Williams had 138 yards from scrimmage.
LB JD Bertrand
The junior linebacker has become a permanent fixture in the game balls section. For the third time in as many games to start the season, Bertrand led the team in tackles. He had 12. His biggest tackle was a three-yard tackle for loss on third and one in the second quarter. He also tallied a quarterback hurry.
DC Marcus Freeman
The stat sheet will say Purdue gained more yards than Notre Dame — 348 to 343. The Boilermakers, though, only averaged 4.4 yards per play to the Irish’s 5.2. Defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman’s unit held Purdue to 57 rushing yards and forced starting quarterback Jack Plummer to the bench because of ineffectiveness, too. It was the kind of performance Freeman needed to right the ship.
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