September 14, 1996
By Fred LaBreque, The Scholastic 1996 Football Review
“Purdue has won the toss and elected to defer to the second half.”
Bad idea.
Purdue’s fateful decision paved the way for a dramatic opening of the newly expanded (but not yet filled) Notre Dame Stadium. Allen Rossum fielded the kickoff at his 0wn one-yard line, burst through a huge hole in the middle of the Boilermaker coverage and dashed almost untouched to the end zone. What a way to christen the new home of the Irish.
Rossum’s return foreshadowed what was to come the rest of the afternoon as the Irish rolled to a 35-0 victory over the gutsy but outmanned Boilermakers. This was an important game for Lou Holtz on this day, he set the record for most games coached at Notre Dame, surpassing Knute Rockne’s mark of 122 games. Chasing Rockne would grow in importance to Holtz as he moved closer to the legendary coach’s record for career wins.
The win was also an important confidence booster for the Irish players. Expectations were sky-high as usual before the season began, but reporters and fans alike had expressed their doubts about Notre Dame’s prospects after its less-than-convincing win over lowly Vanderbilt the week before. The Purdue game, while it did not erase those doubts, showed that the Irish could manhandle an inferior foe.
Autry Denson was one player who exemplified the day that Notre Dame had. The sophomore tailback was the work horse for the Irish, running 15 times for 66 yards and a pair of touchdowns and catching three passes for 61 yards and another score. But in the end, he wanted no credit at all.
Instead, he deferred to the men in the trenches, the offensive line, who had totally dominated Purdue’s defense.
“The line did it for me,” Denson said after the game. “They made great blocks so that I could have huge holes to run through. We played hard as a team, and we accomplished this as a team.”
Notre Dame controlled the game from start to finish. The Irish wasted little time adding to their lead following Rossum’s opening kickoff re turn. After swapping punts with the Boilermakers, the Irish were forced to start their next drive inside their 10-yard line. No problem. They methodically marched 92 yards in 13 plays for their second score of the game.
Though quarterback Ron Powlus looked shaky in the first few offensive series, he soon settled in and enjoyed a successful game through the air. He finished the day 19 of 32 for 238 yards. Like Denson, Powlus gave credit to his offensive line.
“I have a great group of guys this year that I feel comfortable with,” he said. “I know that these guys will do whatever they have to do to protect me and I know that they will always give everything they have.”
The Irish continued to put points on the board, but any additional scoring was just icing on the cake. The offense could have taken the day off because the Irish defense was relentless and nearly impenetrable. The Boilermakers gained only 44 yards on the ground and squeaked out just over 200 yards of total offense. The longest play the Notre Dame defense yielded was 22 yards. In fact, the Boilermakers were lucky if they made it out of the backfield; Purdue players were tackled for a loss 10 times during the after noon.
The defense put forth a strong group effort as six different Irish defenders recorded sacks and nine different defensemen stopped Purdue players in their own backfield.
“It’s great playing with all these guys. It’s like playing with a family that will support you,” Lyron Cobbins said. “We always look for something to happen and when some thing happens we do our best to capitalize.”
“They are a good defensive team. Their defense from last year is a year older and stronger,” added Purdue Head Coach Jim Colletto. “They are a physical bunch of guys. You need a veteran offensive line to deal with the things that they do. A lot of our younger players didn’t have the experience to handle it.”
Notre Dame’s defense controlled the game despite a gutsy performance by Purdue quarterback Billy Dicken. He overcame six sacks and constant harassment to complete 14 of 31 passes.
“We didn’t block well and Billy Dicken played as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” Colletta said. “The offensive line was no help. We have a lot of problems and need to find some solutions.”
While the Notre Dame defense needed no help stopping the Boilermakers, the one thing that was finally able to slow the Irish onslaught was the wet conditions. The Irish scored no points after Denson’s third touchdown of the game, which came with 4:20 remaining in the third quarter. Play became sloppy on both sides of the ball in the fourth quarter as the rainy weather took its toll on the athletes and the playing field. But Holtz preferred to focus on what happened before the final stanza.
“Our offense played very well in the first three quarters,” he said. “In the first half we got to the 20-yard line and threw an interception and then missed a field goal, but other than that, we did some good things today. In the first three quarters, we had just one turnover, the kicking game was good and we had very few penalties.”
Inclement weather is nothing new in the Notre Dame-Purdue rivalry. Though pregame forecasts called for clear skies and little chance of rain, Holtz was not surprised when the rain began to fall just before kickoff. “I don’t care what the fore cast is, it rains every time we play Purdue,” he said. “I can’t remember the last time it didn’t rain when we played Purdue.”
Despite the Irish dominance, there was a bit of excitement in the stands as it became clear that the game would be a blowout. Whispers of, “Do you think Holtz will put him in?” and, “I’d love to see him run the option just once” ran through the crowd. And sure enough, just seconds into the fourth quarter, sophomore quarterback Jarious Jackson trotted onto the field to cheers of delight.
Jackson ran the Irish offense for three series and completed one of two passes for six yards, adding three carries for 24 yards. His short stint also included a botched exchange, a sack and a fumble that was recovered by Purdue. Despite a less-than spectacular day, Jackson did show glimpses of a bright Notre Dame future. The play on which he turned over the ball, he burst through the line on a simple quarterback draw and was dragging two defenders when the ball popped loose. Though obvious he was not ready quite yet, it appeared that Jackson might be the quarterback Notre Dame has been looking for to lead this team into the future.
Some say all that really matters is that the Irish got another early season victory under their belts. But this was not just a victory over a young but talented team; this was a thorough walloping – one that built up Notre Dame’s confidence. With its annual tough schedule, confidence is necessary for the team to be able to compete week in and week out. Though this confidence was sporadic throughout the season, it made its presence felt at the expense of Purdue.