Take That
The 1992 Notre Dame vs. Purdue football game was a pivotal moment in the Fighting Irish’s season, showcasing both offensive dominance and defensive resurgence. Coming into the game, Notre Dame’s defense was ranked 96th nationally, a far cry from the program’s proud tradition. With criticism swirling, head coach Lou Holtz and his staff challenged the defense to step up, and they did so in spectacular fashion. In a rain-soaked contest that presented challenges for both teams, Notre Dame adjusted its strategy and leaned on the ground game to power through. The efforts of Reggie Brooks and Jerome Bettis, combined with an inspired defense, turned the game into a blowout victory. This contest not only solidified the Irish’s standing but also restored confidence in a defense that had much to prove.
I remember this game quite vividly. It was my senior year, and our seats were under the cover of the press box. Seats that we only sat in once that year … this game … because it kept us out of the rain. For some reason, it always seemed to rain when we played the Purdue Boilermakers! Watching the Irish dominate Purdue while staying dry felt like a small victory in itself. It was the perfect spot to witness one of the most dominant performances of the season.
The following excerpt is from the Scholastic 1992 Football Review, written by Nik Mathews.
Take That
DuBose, McDonald and company took it upon themselves to shut, out the upstart crew from Purdue
by Nik Mathews
It had been a long day for the Boilermaker offense.
Purdue had managed to gain only 226 total yards on the Notre Dame defense. Moreover, both of its quarterbacks, Eric Hunter and Matt Pike, had been limited to a combined 124 yards through the air. The Boilermaker rushing attack, led by the heralded Jeff Hill, who gained only 19 yards on 13 carries, had been completely squashed.
The scoreboard, which read 42-0, indicated exactly how dismal and unproductive the Boilermakers’ nationally televised afternoon in college football’s mecca had been. As they marched down the field with under six minutes remaining, Purdue was well aware that the game was out of reach. What they were struggling for then, however, was a little respect. But the Notre Dame defense was on its own mission for respect.
Ranked 96th nationally out of 107 Division I-A teams in total defense as a result of surrendering 423 yards per game, the motivated defensive unit had manhandled Purdue’s offense all afternoon. Ten astounding third-down stops in 13 tries were particularly impressive and encouraging.
The Boilers, who now threatened from the Notre Dame 1-yard line, stood between a good day and an exceptional day for the Irish defense. In the words of defensive end Devon McDonald, “We worked so hard, getting the shutout was principal.”
When Purdue quarterback Matt Pike mishandled the second-down snap, he conceded the victory in the battle for respect to the Irish. Although the fumble recovery by Brian Hamilton that preserved the shutout meant nothing for the outcome of the game, it was imperative for the confidence of the once much-maligned Irish defensive unit. Defensive lineman Bryant Young commented on the inspired play of the defense: “This game will go a long way in helping our defense believe in itself.”
While the Irish defense stopped the Boilermaker offensive attack, the Purdue defense was unable to stop Notre Dame. Neither team was able to sustain a successful passing game. With torrential downpours, the quarterbacks had a difficult time holding onto the ball. But the rain did not stifle the Notre Dame ground attack. When senior quarterback Rick Mirer could not hold onto the ball, completing only 6 passes out of 16 attempts, the Irish changed their strategy to a running game. Boilermaker quarterbacks Matt Pike and Eric Hunter only completed 8 passes out of 26 attempts, and neither could get the running game moving.
“It was difficult to throw the ball. I talked to Rick Mirer, and he agreed. We just couldn’t get a grip on it,” remarked Pike.
At first, Notre Dame had a difficult time adjusting to the rain factor. The Irish only led by a score of 13-0 at halftime due to a series of incomplete passes. But the third quarter marked a change of pace when the Irish came tearing out of the locker room to score three touchdowns in just eight minutes. Tailback Reggie Brooks scored two touchdowns, while fullback Jerome Bettis was credited with one touchdown.
Bettis summed up the day by saying, “Today I was the ‘other’ back. I learned some tips from Reggie.”
Bettis, who himself had an excellent day with 93 yards rushing, was referring to the exceptional play of Brooks, who rushed for 205 yards on just 15 carries with touchdown runs of 63, 20, and 80 yards.
Brooks’ phenomenal outing made him the first Notre Dame back in the Holtz era, and the sixth ever, to run for over 200 yards in a game. In fact, it was the first time since Allan Pinkett rushed for 217 yards in a 1983 loss to Penn State that a Notre Dame player had rushed for over 200 yards.
The combination of Bettis and Brooks was responsible for almost 300 of the 458 yards on the ground, the most by a Lou Holtz team in his seven years as head coach at Notre Dame. All told, the offense compiled a whopping 580 yards on the day for the 3-0-1 Irish.
Purdue head coach Jim Colletto commented, “Their backs are very good. We played hard up until 13-0, but Bettis and Brooks are so good that they took over.”
Bettis and Brooks, however, were not the only reasons for the offensive onslaught. Another contributing factor in the Irish success was the dominating effect that field position had on Purdue all afternoon. The Boilers spent most of the day pinned deep in their own territory. Of their 14 series, 11 began inside their own 29-yard line, including possessions on the 1, 4, 8, 9, 13 (twice), and 15-yard lines.
While the offense proved that it was among the nation’s best, the defense showed, with an inspired performance, that it should be taken more seriously.
“Coach Holtz took us aside and said, ‘Hey, this is the situation.’ He told us we’re the number 96 defense in the country, and that’s not the way it is around here,” explained linebacker Demetrius DuBose. “That appealed to our pride. We knew we were going to win the game, but we knew our defense had to play well.”
By holding Purdue to nine yards of total offense in the first quarter, not allowing a first down until 18 minutes into the game, and allowing only 64 by halftime, the Notre Dame defense showed that it deserved a higher ranking than 96th out of 107 teams.
“If we played like we did, it takes a lot of pressure off the offense,” explained DuBose. “They don’t have to worry about scoring too many points. That’s how we want to play. We don’t want to put our offense in a bad situation. It was nice to help them for a change.”
The Boilers were only able to cross midfield four times. One of those drives ended in a punt, another was fumbled on the Irish 1-yard line, and two were misfired passes that ended in interceptions.
The Notre Dame defense was in the process of reorganizing after adjusting to three different defensive coordinators in the past year. Gary Darnell is now at Texas, Holtz took over for the remainder of last season, and finally, Rick Minter has settled in at the position. But now things are beginning to change. The Irish have begun to take a more simplified approach to the defensive strategy.
“We kept it simple. We played good, aggressive, hard-hitting football. It was great,” remarked McDonald.
Added defensive lineman Bryant Young, “I thought we played outstanding. This is definitely what we needed to establish ourselves for the rest of the season.” Praised Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz, “I thought we played excellent defense. Let’s give credit to our defensive coaches and to our defensive football team. They have taken a lot of heat, and I thought it was an outstanding performance. It wasn’t the way we played, but the intensity with which we played, the physicalness with which we played. I thought it was an outstanding performance.”
The only memorable Irish mistake was the end of Craig Hentrich’s amazing string of 130 consecutive PAT kicks. Notre Dame’s remarkably consistent kicker missed a point-after attempt when the snap by Lance Johnson bounced on the ground before reaching the hands of holder Matt Johnson. Hentrich’s kick went wide right. Early in the second quarter, Hentrich also missed a 31-yard field goal attempt. Another attempted extra point was blocked by backup kicker Kevin Pendergast. On the whole, it was not a great day for the kicking game, primarily because the slippery field conditions made setting the ball difficult.
The Purdue game was, by Holtz’s account, the most complete game the Irish had played up until that point. It proved to be one of the most complete and dominant games of the entire season. In addition to being Brooks’ step into stardom, it will be remembered as a turning point for the Notre Dame defense, which amassed a significant amount of confidence and began a trend of drastic improvement that would take root against Brigham Young three weeks later. The Irish defense was also rewarded a respectable 32nd overall defensive ranking the following week.
By the end of the game, it was clear that this wasn’t just another win for Notre Dame—it was a statement. The Irish had accumulated 580 total yards, with Brooks and Bettis leading a relentless ground attack, while the defense held Purdue to only nine first-half yards. Perhaps most importantly, the defense regained its swagger, building momentum for the rest of the season. The shutout was a symbol of the unit’s grit and determination, and it laid the foundation for a much-improved performance in the weeks that followed. As Brooks made his mark on the field with his record-setting day, the defense began its climb from the depths of national rankings to become a unit that could be trusted. The 48-0 victory was more than a scoreline—it was a turning point for Notre Dame’s 1992 campaign, both on offense and defense.
Cheers & GO IRISH!