Irish second-string linebacker Joe Brockington started in place of Travis Thomas Saturday.
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said Thomas was injured during the last play of the Michigan State game and it was a game-time decision to sit him out. Weis said an MRI on Thomas' ribs was negative but he kept Thomas out of the game for precautionary reasons.
"We felt that the safest thing to do would be we would wait until game-time with him, but you know he just didn't feel right," Weis said.
Lymon has record day
Selwyn Lymon's 238 receiving yards was the most ever by an Irish opponent and the second most in Purdue history, behind only former Boilermakers receiver Chris Daniels. Daniels caught 22 passes for 301 yards against Michigan State in 1999.
"Selywn had a nice game," Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. "He was not featured going into the game [but] he was open and he caught the ball."
Grimes out with injury
Irish sophomore receiver and kick returner David Grimes missed the game with an injury suffered in practice and was replaced by Chase Anastasio as the No. 3 receiver and Darrin Walls as the kick returner.
Weis said Grimes was questionable all week and, like the call with Thomas, came down to a game-time decision. Filling in, Anastasio had one catch for 15 yards and Walls returned two kickoffs for 44 yards.
Anastasio's 15-yard reception in the second quarter was his first in the 2006 season and his first reception since Oct. 2, 2004, also against Purdue.
"I think two balls went in Chase's direction yesterday," Weis said. "I think that it all depends on how the coverage goes to where the ball ends up going. But I don't think you noticed him in a negative vein either."
But Weis said he is sticking with Grimes as the kick returner and No. 3 receiver.
"I told [Grimes] I would go with him, that he deserves to be a No. 3 receiver and an elite kick returner," Weis said.
Burkhart makes debut
Freshman kicker Ryan Burkhart made his Notre Dame debut on the kickoff following Notre Dame's first score of the game. Filling in for kickoff specialist Bobby Renkes, who strained a muscle in his leg during practice this week, Burkhart kicked off every time the Irish were kicking with the wind, and senior Carl Gioia kicked off the one time Notre Dame went into the breeze.
McKnight moves up all-time reception list
Rhema McKnight's 10 catches Sunday give him 135 for his career, good for fourth all-time for the Irish. He moved past Ken MacAfee, Derrick Mayes and Maurice Stovall on the all-time catch list for Notre Dame.
Tom Gatewood tops the list with 157 career receptions.
1966 team honored
Notre Dame officially honored the 1966 National Championship team before the game.
The 1966 Irish team finished with a 9-0-1 record that year with the only tie coming against Michigan State Nov. 19. The team gave up just 38 points in 10 games while averaging 36 points per game on offense.
