Notre Dame–Purdue Football Rivalry

The Notre Dame–Purdue football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame and Purdue Boilermakers football of Purdue University.

Trophy

The Shillelagh Trophy is a trophy exchanged between Notre Dame and Purdue, being held by the winner of the game. The two in-state rivals first played each other in 1896. The game occurred annually from 1946 to 2014. The trophy, first presented in 1957, is a shillelagh donated by Joe McLaughlin, a merchant seaman and a Fighting Irish supporter who brought it from Ireland.

Notable games

Notable games since 1946 include:

;1950 – Purdue 28, Notre Dame 14: Notre Dame's 39-game unbeaten string came to an end at the hands of the Boilermakers. Future NFL QB Dale Samuels threw two touchdowns to defeat the Irish. The Irish finished 4–4–1, easily the worst season for head coach Frank Leahy.

;1954 – #19 Purdue 27, #1 Notre Dame 14: The top-ranked Irish were done in by their intrastate rival as their 13-game unbeaten streak ended. It was their only loss of the year as they finished 9–1 under new coach Terry Brennan.

;1957 – Notre Dame 12, Purdue 0: A psychological ploy enabled the Irish, coming off their worst season in history at that point, to start off on the right foot. Purdue coach Jack Mollenkopf heard that Terry Brennan had installed the single wing after spending some time in Knoxville, and wasn't sure how to prepare for Notre Dame. As it turned out, the single wing was not used against the tentative Boilermakers.

;1960 – Purdue 51, Notre Dame 19: Purdue set two records for Notre Dame opponents in this game that still stand: most points ever scored against the Fighting Irish in the second quarter (31) and the most points ever by an opponent in Notre Dame Stadium. To date, it is the only time the Irish have ever given up 50 points in a game at Notre Dame Stadium. It was the worst defeat for the Fighting Irish under coach Joe Kuharich and at the time, it was only the fourth time in which the Fighting Irish had ever given up 50 points in a game.

;1964 – Notre Dame 34, Purdue 15: The Fighting Irish made a statement under new coach Ara Parseghian as they throttled the Boilermakers. Alan Page blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown and defensive back Nick Rassas caught a touchdown pass late in the game.

;1965 – Purdue 25, Notre Dame 21: In a seesaw battle, Purdue scored the winning touchdown late in the game. Bob Griese set a Notre Dame opponent record by completing 19 of 22 passes, a record that stood until 1991.

;1966 – Notre Dame 26, Purdue 14: This game is best remembered for the debut of one of Notre Dame's greatest passing combinations – Terry Hanratty to Jim Seymour. Hanratty completed 16 of 24 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns, all to Seymour, who had 13 receptions. The teams traded quick touchdowns early on when Purdue's Leroy Keyes grabbed an errant pitch out of the air and returned it 95 yards for a score, only to have Fighting Irish halfback Nick Eddy return the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for the equalizer. Notre Dame finished 9–0–1 and win the national championship while Purdue made its first trip to the Rose Bowl a memorable one, beating USC, 14–13. Purdue was allowed to go to the Rose Bowl because Michigan State's 9-0-1 record prevented the Spartans from repeating as Big Ten Champions and the Rose Bowl berth.

;1967 – Purdue 28, Notre Dame 21: Once again, the top-ranked and defending national champion Fighting Irish were done in by the Boilermakers despite the efforts of Terry Hanratty, who completed 29 out of a still-standing record 63 attempts. The loss snapped a 12-game unbeaten streak by the Fighting Irish.

;1968 – Purdue 37, Notre Dame 22: In the only #1 vs #2 matchup in the history of this rivalry, the top-ranked Boilermakers and quarterback Mike Phipps walloped the #2 Fighting Irish.

;1970 – Notre Dame 48, Purdue 0: After three years of frustration, the Irish exploded all at once against the Boilermakers, holding them to 144 total yards and six first downs. Joe Theismann threw three touchdown passes to Tom Gatewood and Ara Parseghian was carried off the field after the game.

;1971 – Notre Dame 8, Purdue 7: In a game played in the rain, the Fighting Irish, trailing 7–0, took advantage of a botched snap on a punt to score a touchdown late in the game, then executed a successful two-point conversion to win. It was their first win in West Lafayette since 1961.

;1974 – Purdue 31, Notre Dame 20: A four-touchdown underdog, Purdue once again broke a Notre Dame winning streak and derailed any hope for the Fighting Irish to repeat as national champions by jumping out to a 24–0 lead in the first quarter, setting a record for most points scored against Notre Dame in the opening stanza. Boilermaker coach Alex Agase finally notched a victory against his close friend, Ara Parseghian.

;1975 – Notre Dame 17, Purdue 0: Notre Dame led, 3–0 in the fourth quarter when Purdue threatened to take the lead. Luther Bradley's 99-yard interception return for a touchdown on a halfback-to-quarterback pass attempt broke the game open, and the Fighting Irish, who had played five days earlier and won, improved to 2–0 under new coach Dan Devine.

;1977 – Notre Dame 31, Purdue 24: Notre Dame trailed, 24–14 in the fourth quarter when Joe Montana entered the game. Montana, who had not played since 1975, engineered a comeback victory and nailed down the starting quarterback job for the remainder of his Notre Dame career. The Fighting Irish, coming off a 20–13 loss to Ole Miss, did not lose the rest of the way and won the national championship.

;1979 – Purdue 28, Notre Dame 22: Notre Dame, rotating three quarterbacks in place of the injured Rusty Lisch, took a 20–7 lead in the third quarter before Boilermaker quarterback Mark Herrmann came alive. Purdue took an intentional safety late in the game, downing the ball in its own end zone out of punt formation rather than risking a blocked punt.

;1980 – Notre Dame 31, Purdue 10: The Irish opened Dan Devine's final season with an impressive win over the Boilermakers in a game that was moved up to September 6 to accommodate national television. Purdue quarterback Mark Herrmann did not play, having injured his throwing hand earlier in the week, and freshman Scott Campbell took his place. The Irish finished 9–2–1, losing to eventual national champion Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

;1981 – Purdue 15, Notre Dame 14: Purdue pulled this one out late in the game after the Fighting Irish had taken a 14–7 lead. It was the start of a pattern under new coach Gerry Faust, whose teams developed a knack for losing games in the closing moments.

;1983 – Notre Dame 52, Purdue 6: Notre Dame could do no wrong as they rang up the highest point total by a Purdue opponent in Ross-Ade Stadium. Despite the impressive start, the Fighting Irish lost their last three games of the season to finish 6–5 before holding off Boston College in the Liberty Bowl.

;1984 - Purdue 23, notre dame 21: Jim Everett clinched his first victory as the Purdue Quarterback over the Irish at the Hoosier Dome; the win marked the first season Purdue defeated notre dame, michigan and ohio state in the same season.

;1986 – Notre Dame 41, Purdue 9: Lou Holtz notched his first victory as head coach of the Fighting Irish and the first of eleven straight wins against the Boilermakers.

;1988 – Notre Dame 52, Purdue 7: En route to a national championship, Notre Dame took a 42–0 halftime lead and coasted the rest of the way. Irish coach Lou Holtz cleared the bench in the second half.

;1997 – Purdue 28, Notre Dame 17: The Boilermakers ended their 11-game losing streak against the Fighting Irish in a matchup of new head coaches, Purdue's Joe Tiller and Notre Dame's Bob Davie. Tiller's predecessor, Jim Colletto, was now the offensive coordinator for the Fighting Irish.

;1998 – Notre Dame 31, Purdue 30: Tony Driver's two interceptions late in the game enabled the Fighting Irish to squeak by Purdue. His first interception set up a game-winning field goal while the second moments later sealed the victory.

;1999 – Purdue 28, Notre Dame 23: For the second week in a row, Notre Dame came up short as Fighting Irish quarterback Jarious Jackson was sacked on the game's final play with the Fighting Irish at the Purdue nine-yard line.

;2000 – Notre Dame 23, Purdue 21: Nick Setta's field goal as time ran out lifted the Fighting Irish to a come-from-behind victory. Fighting Irish quarterback Gary Godsey, making his first start in place of the injured Arnaz Battle, outdueled Drew Brees.

;2001 – Notre Dame 24, Purdue 18: This game was played on December 1, having been rescheduled after the September 11 attacks. The Fighting Irish finished a dismal season with a 5–6 record. It was Bob Davie's last game as head coach; he was fired the next day.

;2002 – Notre Dame 24, Purdue 17: Notre Dame's defense and special teams accounted for all three touchdowns.

;2004 – Purdue 41, Notre Dame 16: The Boilermakers notched their first win at Notre Dame Stadium since 1974 despite the efforts of Fighting Irish quarterback Brady Quinn, who set a stadium record by passing for 432 yards because they were playing from behind the entire game.

;2009 – Notre Dame 24, Purdue 21: Fighting Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen's touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph with 24 seconds left lifted the Fighting Irish to a come-from-behind victory.

;2010 – Notre Dame 23, Purdue 12: Coach Brian Kelly notched his first win as Notre Dame's coach by incorporating the spread offense and 3–4 defense. Dayne Crist makes his first start as Notre Dame's quarterback, throwing for 205 yards and 1 TD. On the other side of the ball, quarterback Robert Marve makes his debut for the Boilermakers after transferring from Miami (FL) throwing for 220 yards, 0 TDs, and 2 INTs.

;2013 – Notre Dame 31, Purdue 24: The #21-ranked Irish came in to West Lafayette a 3-touchdown favorite over Purdue. Purdue took the ball to start the game and drove it 75 yards to score first. Purdue had a 10–0 lead before the Irish were able to make it 10–3 at halftime. The game went back and forth until up 24–17, Notre Dame picked off quarterback Rob Henry and took it to the house to go up 31–17 with 8 minutes left. The Boilermakers drove down the field and scored to get the game within 7. Purdue forced a Notre Dame fumble on the next drive, but could not take advantage of it as Notre Dame went on to win 31–24.

After the 2014 game, the annual series ended. The rivalry resumed in 2021 and will be an annual game from 2024 until at least 2028.

Game results

See also

* List of NCAA college football rivalry games

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Notre Dame-Purdue football rivalry
College football rivalries in the United States
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Purdue Boilermakers football
1896 establishments in Indiana