No. 18 Notre Dame at Purdue live updates, game score

Notre Dame begins a must-win game at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Follow along below for live updates and a running game score as the Irish take on the Purdue Boilermakers.

First quarter

• Purdue has won the toss and elected to defer. Riley Leonard and the Notre Dame offense will have the opening drive.

• Touchdown, Irish. Sophomore and absolute freak of a running back Jeremiyah Love turned the corner on an outside run and went 48 yards to the house. It’s a dream start for head coach Marcus Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s squad. Notre Dame 7, Purdue 0

• The Irish forced a punt on their first defensive drive. Jordan Clark didn’t play much last week due to NIU’s personnel decisions, but he had a couple big third-down stops and he picked up another one early in this game. He blanketed a Boilermaker receiver and made an open-field tackle short of the sticks to force a punt, which went for a touchback.

• Notre Dame went three-and-out on its second offensive drive. The mistake was a missed read from Leonard on first down, as he should have looked for senior tight end Mitchell Evans in the flat. Purdue takes over with great field position at its own 43-yard line.

• Purdue went three-and-out as well, with the Boilermakers’ drive being spoiled by a holding penalty drawn by graduate student Vyper Jordan Botelho. The Irish will take over at their own 18.

• Touchdown, Notre Dame. After Love stole a man’s soul with a wicked jump cut to put the Irish in Boilermaker territory, Leonard finished off the drive with two designed QB runs to punch it in. He scored from 3 yards out, putting his team up by two scores. Notre Dame 14, Purdue 0

• Purdue went three-and-out again, this time after pressure from sophomore Vyper Boubacar Traore forced an errant throw from Card. With 31 seconds left in the first quarter, the Boilermakers punted and the Irish will take over at their own 18-yard line.

Second quarter

• Notre Dame went three-and-out, as Leonard ran once on a designed carry and scrambled once more. He’s looked hesitant again so far, not trusting his reads, his receivers or perhaps himself. But the defense and run game have backed him up and produced an early lead, as Purdue will take over at its own 38-yard line.

• Another three-and-out for Purdue, as Botelho screamed around the edge for a 13-yard sack on third-and-4. A shout-out for graduate student linebacker Jack Kiser is necessary here, as No. 24 has been all over the field. Most recently, he pressured Purdue QB Hudson Card to force a quick throw on second down. The Irish take over at their own 32.

• Touchdown, Notre Dame. That’s one heck of a run by Riley Leonard, who danced and sprinted his way for thirty-four yards down the left sideline. This is why the Irish are sticking with him as he works through his struggles as a passer. He’s an explosive-play machine with his legs. Notre Dame 21, Purdue 0

• Purdue punted on its ensuing drive, but the bigger concern for the Irish is Botelho. He caused a sack, but as it happened, he went down with an injury and had to be carted off the field. When the trainers lifted him onto the cart, Botelho was surrounded by his defensive coaches and teammates. Really tough for a player who was just hitting his stride.

• Touchdown, Notre Dame. It’s Leonard again, making multiple defenders miss for his third rushing touchdown of the day. This time, he scored from 13 yards out.

The passing game isn’t there yet for the Irish, but it’s not going to matter today. Notre Dame 28, Purdue 0

• Touchdown, Notre Dame. Card had his Will Levis moment, with a feeble left-handed pass attempt with Rylie Mills draped all over him. The ball went right into the hands of Traore, who took it the distance for a pick six. The route is on in West Lafayette. Notre Dame 35, Purdue 0

With the game in a blowout, this story will update every scoring play, as opposed to every possession.

• Touchdown, Notre Dame. Dillon Thieneman is one of the best safeties in the country, and Jadarian Price just juked him out of his shoes. He goes 70 yards for the score, and this is getting hilarious. Notre Dame 42, Purdue 0

Third quarter

• Touchdown, Notre Dame. Steve Angeli entered the game for Leonard, and he found sophomore tight end Cooper Flanagan wide open over the middle for a 28-yard score. The Purdue defense kind of forgot about him, for some reason. And it’s a seven-score game. Notre Dame 49, Purdue 0

• Touchdown, Purdue. The Boilermakers crossed midfield for the first time, scoring shortly after that. Notre Dame 49, Purdue 7

• Mitch Jeter’s 42-yard field goal is good. Notre Dame 52, Purdue 7

Fourth quarter

• Welcome back, Kevin Bauman. His first catch after returning from season-ending leg injuries the past two years goes for six, on a nifty cross-body throw from Angeli. Notre Dame 59, Purdue 7

• It’s a sixty burger for the Irish, with sophomore quarterback Kenny Minchey’s touchdown run. Notre Dame 66, Purdue 7