Holtz Gets First Win as Irish Coach, 41-9

Before the Subway Alumni get too carried away, Lou Holtz has a note of caution.

Notre Dame showed a flash of its old domination while overwhelming Purdue, 41-9, Saturday at South Bend, Ind., to give Holtz his first victory as coach of the Fighting Irish.

“We proved that if we eliminate our mistakes we can be pretty competitive,” Holtz said. “Keep in mind this is only one game. It’s still only one victory.”

Quarterback Steve Beuerlein completed 10 of 14 passes for 174 yards and 1 touchdown, but the Irish won this game on the ground.

The Irish used 11 running backs to pile up 276 of their 438 total yards, a statistic that pleased Holtz. Notre Dame got two touchdowns from freshman tailback Anthony Johnson, who carried 8 times for 34 yards.

“We knew that we had to be able to run inside,” Holtz said. “I did not think that we would run this well.”

Notre Dame (1-2), bouncing back from narrow defeats to Michigan and Michigan State, built a 27-0 lead at the 4:02 mark in the third quarter on a 49-yard field goal by John Carney.

Purdue Coach Leon Burtnett said the muggy, 84-degree weather did not help his defense.

“The heat played a big part in the game,” he said. “Our defense was on the field for most of the first quarter and, after that, we were beat. They (his players) didn’t play as well as they thought they could.”

The Boilermakers (1-2) finally scored, at the 6:20 mark in the third quarter, on a three-yard run by tailback Jerry Chaney.

Notre Dame scored on its first possession, with Pernell Taylor diving in from the two-yard line to cap a 74-yard, 12-play drive.

Carney kicked a 42-yard field goal to make it 10-0, and Johnson powered over from a yard out a few minutes later. The Irish went to halftime with a 24-0 lead after Beuerlein hit split end Milt Jackson on a 35-yard pass with 4:52 left in the second quarter.

Purdue freshman Jeff George completed 28 of 43 passes for 241 yards, and was intercepted once.