Purdue has history of being Irish ‘Spoilermakers’

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Another week, another Notre Dame rivalry fading away.

This week, it’s in-state rival Purdue, a team the Fighting Irish have faced more than twice as often as Michigan. But the ending of the game played every year since 1946 likely will receive less attention than last week’s game against the Wolverines, in part because they still have plans to play again. It just won’t be annually.

Coach Brian Kelly is doing his best to sell the Boilermakers as a team capable of pulling the upset despite Notre Dame’s dominating 31-0 victory over the Wolverines last week and Purdue’s embarrassing 38-17 loss to Central Michigan.

“It’s an in-state rival. Just throw out all that’s happened before. They just play very well and with great enthusiasm,” Kelly said.

Sure, it sounds like typical coachspeak. But Kelly has history on his side. The Boilermakers (1-1) have given the 11th-ranked Irish (2-0) scares the past two seasons. In 2012, backup quarterback Tommy Rees needed to drive the Irish 55 yards to set up a 27-yard field goal by Kyle Brindza with seven seconds left for a 20-17 win. Last season, the Irish didn’t take the lead until early in fourth quarter in a 31-24 victory.

Purdue also has some big upsets over the Irish. It earned the nickname of “Spoilermakers” by beating top-ranked Notre Dame teams four times between 1950 and 1967. The first upset, in 1950, was a true shocker at the time because the Irish hadn’t lost since 1945, hadn’t lost at home since 1942, had won three of the previous four national championships and had a 39-game unbeaten streak.

The Boilermakers cost the Irish a shot at a national championship in 1954 when Len Dawson threw for four touchdowns in a 27-14 victory that ended a 13-game winning streak. It was the only loss for that season for the Irish (9-1), who finished the season ranked No. 4.

The circumstances are that the Irish agreed to play five games a season against opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference, which Notre Dame is a member of in most sports other than football.

Notre Dame has won eight of the last nine games. The game Saturday in Indianapolis will be Purdue’s last chance for a win until 2020.