Sept. 7, 2002

Recap | Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery

• For just the second time in the 114-year history of Notre Dame football, the Irish are selecting captains on a game-by-game basis. The only other time Notre Dame chose captains in this fashion was 1946 under legendary head coach Frank Leahy. Today’s Irish captains were: PK Nicholas Setta, SS Gerome Sapp, NG Cedric Hilliard and TE Gary Godsey.

• Notre Dame won the toss and deferred its choice to the second half. Purdue elected to receive, while the Irish chose to defend the South goal.

• Today’s game marked the 162nd consecutive sellout at Notre Dame Stadium (the first 130 at the old 59,075 capacity). The Purdue game also marks the 210th home sellout in the last 211 games (dating back to 1964), and the 139th sellout in the last 162 games involving Notre Dame.

• Counting postseason play, Notre Dame has now had its last 113 games televised on one of four networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN), a stretch going back more than nine full seasons. The last time the Irish didn’t appear on one of those four networks was Oct. 31, 1992, when they defeated Navy, 38-7, at Giants Stadium. That game was only shown locally in South Bend on WNDU-TV.

• Notre Dame earned its 15th win over Purdue in their last 17 meetings, and its 13th consecutive win over the Boilers at Notre Dame Stadium.

• The Irish win their home opener for the sixth time in the last seven years.

• Notre Dame opened a season 2-0 for the first time since it won three in a row to start the 1996 campaign (second win in that season also was a victory over Purdue).

• PK Nicholas Setta booted a 19-yard field goal in the second quarter, stretching his school-record streak of consecutive games with at least one field goal to 15 regular-season games.

• PK Nicholas Setta had his streak of field goals in four consecutive quarters snapped when he did not kick one in the first period today. Setta is the first Irish player to convert field goals in four straight quarters since John Carney did the same in the 1984 Aloha Bowl vs. SMU (4th quarter) and the 1985 season opener at Michigan (1st-3rd quarters).

• PK Nicholas Setta missed two field goals today and has missed three for the season, more than he missed all of last season (two).

• With two PAT today, PK Nicholas Setta extended his streak of consecutive PAT made to 58, the third-longest streak in school history. The last time Setta missed an extra point was Oct. 7, 2000 vs. Stanford.

• By shutting out Purdue in the first quarter today, the Notre Dame defense blanked opponents in five consecutive quarters for the first time since it pitched six straight scoreless periods from Oct. 2-16, 1993. The Irish shut out Stanford in the fourth quarter of a 48-20 win, followed that with a 44-0 victory over Pittsburgh a week later, then held BYU scoreless in the first quarter of a 45-20 win the week after.

• SS Gerome Sapp had a 54-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the second quarter. It was the second consecutive home game in which Sapp had picked up a loose ball and brought it back for a TD < he=”” had=”” a=”” 39-yard=”” fumble=”” return=”” for=”” a=”” score=”” vs.=”” navy=”” on=”” nov.=”” 17,=””>

• Notre Dame had two fumble returns for touchdowns for the first time since Tony Driver brought two fumbles back for scores vs. Navy on Oct. 14, 2000, in a 45-14 Irish win at the Citrus Bowl. Today’s second TD was a four-yard runback by CB Lionel Bolen and it was the first score of Bolen’s career.

• Notre Dame has scored defensive touchdowns in its last three games vs. Purdue (Shane Walton in 2000, Jason Beckstrom in 2001, Gerome Sapp and Vontez Duff in 2002). Also, the Irish have registered a defensive AND special teams touchdown in their last two games against the Boilermakers.

• The Irish have scored four touchdowns so far in 2002, and all four have been logged by defensive backs (CB Vontez Duff vs. Maryland & Purdue, SS Gerome Sapp and CB Lionel Bolen vs. Purdue).

• Purdue’s Anthony Chambers had a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter, the third-longest runback in school history. It also was the first punt return for a TD by the Boilermakers since Vinny Sutherland had a 66-yard punt runback for a score at Indiana on Nov. 20, 1999. In addition, it was the first punt return for a TD by a Notre Dame opponent since Oregon State registered a 45-yard punt return for a score in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1, 2001).

• RB Ryan Grant had 96 yards rushing today, giving him (173) in two career games vs. Purdue. Grant has 99 yards rushing in his career against every other opponent.

• QB Carlyle Holiday’s third-quarter fumble was the first turnover for Notre Dame this season. However, the Irish forced four Purdue turnovers today and now have a +6 turnover margin in 2002.

• TE Gary Godsey caught a career-high four passes today, the most by a Notre Dame tight end since Jabari Holloway had four catches vs. Purdue on Sept. 26, 1998.

• The last time Notre Dame gave up a 17-point lead was Oct. 28, 2000, when Air Force rallied from a 28-10 deficit before the Irish won 34-31 in overtime.

• Notre Dame scored two touchdowns 11 seconds apart in the second quarter, the fastest two TDs by the Irish in more than two decades. The quickest two-touchdown burst in recent years came on Sept. 16, 1995 vs. Vanderbilt, when Notre Dame got second-quarter TDs 12 seconds apart from Autry Denson (12-yard run at 6:39) and Jarvis Edison (8-yard fumble return at 6:27).