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WATCH: Notre Dame trolls Purdue, drum following win

photos -jpgby:Ashton Pollard•09/18/21•

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Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It wouldn’t be an in-state rivalry without a little bit of petty taunting. 

On Saturday afternoon, Notre Dame and Purdue renewed their rivalry after a seven-year hiatus. The Irish came out on top 27-13, and the team’s Twitter account fired off a shot involving Purdue’s beloved drum, which was a national storyline this week.

The video shows Irish players Jayden Thomas, Xavier Watts and Giovanni Ghilotti celebrating on the sideline with Todd Rundgren’s hit 1982 song “Bang The Drum All Day” added to the clip. 

For the first time since 1979, the Purdue band’s drum was not in the stadium with the Boilermakers for a game. The World’s Largest Drum was too small to fit through the visitor’s tunnel at Notre Dame Stadium after new renovations, so the drum remained outside of the stadium for the duration of the game.

Irish defense holds steady in win

While Notre Dame’s offense has struggled at time this season, particularly on the offensive line, the more disturbing aspect of their 2021 performance thus far was the defense.

First-year coordinator Marcus Freeman took over for Clark Lea following his departure to Vanderbilt, but the defense was not expected to take a huge step back.

The Irish gave up 67 points in their first two outings against Florida State and Toledo, including blowing two leads late in the games. Before today, Notre Dame’s defense led the country in plays of 60+ yards with four.

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On Saturday, the defense looked much more like its old self, allowing just 13 points and one touchdown. The longest play of the day was a 32-yard pass to wide receiver David Bell. Notre Dame held the Boilermakers to just 57 yards on the ground, and they allowed a season-low 348 total yards.

Likely first-round draft selection safety Kyle Hamilton had 10 tackles and notched his third interception of the season. DJ Brown had the other pick. They came on Purdue’s two final drives of the game.

Linebacker JD Bertrand, who stepped into his role following the injury to Marist Liufau, led the Irish in tackles for the third straight game. He had 12 tackles, one tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry.

Notre Dame faces No. 18 Wisconsin at Soldier Field on Saturday. If the Irish defense that showed up today shows up next weekend, the game will likely be a low-scoring, defensive battle.