Notre Dame vs. Purdue Recap: 35-0 at Halftime and an Easy Cover

Notre Dame beat Purdue 49-10, and it was over by halftime. CJ Carr hit Micah Gilbert for a 27-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and Notre Dame scored four more times in the second, including a 15-yard fumble return by Drayk Bowen off a strip-sack of Ryan Browne. It was 35-0 at the break. Purdue's only points after that were a third-quarter field goal and a touchdown with 6 seconds left. One DARIMARKET play cashed on this game: the alt Notre Dame -17.5, posted before kickoff.

What cashed

ALT: Notre Dame -17.5 (alt, targeted -170 to -200): CASHED

• Our read: Purdue's run defense ranked 136th nationally, and it had not faced a top-50 defense yet. Notre Dame's defense was 6th in SP+. The main line was -27.5, so this gave us ten points of cushion.
• What happened: Notre Dame won by 39 and covered -17.5 by 21.5. The main -27.5 would have covered too, by 11.5. Notre Dame ran 32 times for 177 yards, and Purdue ran 31 times for 40. The cover was effectively locked by halftime at 35-0.
• Worth watching: The cushion wasn't needed, but both parts of the read showed up: Notre Dame ran well, and Purdue couldn't. A top defense against an offense that can't run is the profile we like for an alt spread on the favorite.

How the game played out

Carr completed 14 of 22 passes for 237 yards with 3 touchdowns and an interception. Gilbert caught 2 passes for 83 yards, and Aneyas Williams ran 14 times for 80 yards and a 22-yard score. Jonaz Walton added 61 yards on 7 carries. Notre Dame had just one penalty all game.

Purdue held the ball for 35:16 but did little with it. It finished with 218 total yards, turned it over on downs twice before the fourth quarter, and gave up the Bowen touchdown on a drive that lost 10 yards. Notre Dame gained 444 yards on 24:44 of possession.

Trends to watch

• Notre Dame's defense held Purdue to 218 total yards and 40 rushing yards. Alt spreads on Notre Dame against weak offenses are worth a look.
• Notre Dame's 177 rushing yards were spread across Williams, Walton and Nolan James Jr., so no single back carried the load. That matters for individual rushing props.
• Carr averaged 10.8 yards per attempt on 22 throws. In blowouts his volume stays low, but his efficiency is worth tracking.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. New to these terms? Read up on the alt line, the point spread and our college football hub.