WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — In its 38-10 win over Purdue, Notre Dame totaled 551 yards of offense, the most since gaining 592 against Washington State on Oct. 31, 2009. Of the 551 yards, 185 came in the first quarter.
"I think on the road, it's really important [to get off to a fast start]," Irish coach Brian Kelly said. "You take the crowd out of it and you want to be the first one on the board and dictate the tempo of the game."
The Irish picked up 34 first downs, two shy of the school record set against Army in 1974. It was the most they garnered since moving the chains 34 times against Michigan State on Sept. 21, 1991.
Notre Dame's 289 rushing yards were the most since accumulating 320 at Stanford on Nov, 29, 2003.
"Our running game set up everything we did today," Kelly said. "When you run the ball effectively, you can play well."
Floyd sets another record
Irish senior receiver Michael Floyd took possession of another Notre Dame career receiving mark with the 16th 100-yard receiving game of his career. Golden Tate held the previous mark with 15.
"We made a more concerted effort to make him part of the game plan," Kelly said. "He has to touch the ball and the offense has to come to him."
Rees strikes again
Irish sophomore quarterback Tommy Rees threw a touchdown in his 10th consecutive game, the third-most in Notre Dame history. Brady Quinn holds the all-time mark, dating back to the 2004-05 seasons when he recorded a touchdown pass in 16 consecutive games. The strike came on the second offensive play of the game, a 35-yard touchdown pass to Floyd, silencing the home crowd.
"It's great getting out to an early lead," Rees said. "Getting the first strike kind of killed some of the momentum they had coming into the game — a lively night game with a home crowd and getting an early strike kind of helps pushing away some of that momentum."
