WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Quarterback Riley Leonard finally got Notre Dame’s offense off the ground Saturday.

He did it with his feet.

Leonard and Jeremiyah Love dominated the first half with strong rushing performances, helping No. 18 Notre Dame pound Purdue 66-7 for the most lopsided loss in the Boilermakers’ 137-year history.

The big numbers weren’t nearly as important to Leonard as simply fixing what went so wrong in last weekend’s shocking loss to Northern Illinois.

“I was just itching to get on the field again, to prove myself,” said Leonard, who finished with 100 yards rushing and three TDs on the ground — all in the first half and matching a career high. “I just wanted another opportunity to get back out there, so this game was not only big for me, but big for the whole team.”

Whatever the difference, it was such a smashing success that Leonard rested in the second half.

Notre Dame (2-1) collected 278 of its 362 yards rushing in the first two quarters. Led by Leonard and Love, the Irish rolled to their highest point total and biggest victory margin of the 88-game series. It also was Notre Dame’s highest point total since a 66-14 victory against New Mexico in 2019.

Love had 11 carries for a career-best 109 yards, including a career-long 48-yard TD run.

Purdue (1-1) lost its ninth straight in the battle for the Shillelagh Trophy.

This one was never close.

“Obviously, the performance is a reflection of the preparation,” Irish coach Marcus Freeman said. “We can’t assume that anybody is going to make that choice (to prepare). As a coach, I have to continue to preach this message. It’s up to our players to make that decision. I believe it’s a mentality. That’s the thing I took away from last week.”

The onslaught began on the fifth play when Love sprinted down the sideline for a 48-yard TD. Leonard made it 28-0 with TD runs of 3, 34 and 13 yards and Notre Dame capped the half with two TDs in the final 92 seconds — a 34-yard interception return from Boubacar Traore and a 70-yard TD run from Jadarian Price that made it 42-0 at the break.

It matched Purdue’s largest halftime deficit since 2013 when Ohio State led 42-0. Freeman worked on the Buckeyes staff that season, too.

“It was a lack of physicality, undisciplined eyes, undisciplined technique, missed tackles — you name it, every mistake we made they capitalized on it,” Purdue coach Ryan Walters said. “That style, that’s not really something I’ve seen. I’m angry, I’m embarrassed. We’ve got to get it fixed and I will.”

Steve Angeli was the second of four quarterback to play for Notre Dame. He threw two TD passes in the second half, the first of this season by the Irish.

Leonard was 11 of 16 with 112 yards through the air.

Purdue finished with 162 yards in total offense. Hudson Card was 11-of-24 passing for 124 yards and one TD, to go along with two interceptions.

Hoosiers ruin UCLA’s Big Ten debut: Kurtis Rourke passed for 307 yards and four touchdowns as Indiana spoiled UCLA’s Big Ten debut 42-13 on Saturday.

Rourke completed 25 of 33 passes for Indiana (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) as Curt Cignetti became the first Hoosiers coach to begin his tenure with three straight wins since Bill Lynch in 2007.

It is the 10th 300-yard game of Rourke’s career, with the previous nine coming at Ohio University, where he was the Mid-American Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. It was also Rourke’s fourth game with at least four touchdown passes.

The 29-point victory is the Hoosiers’ largest in the Big Ten since they beat Northwestern 34-3 in 2019.

UCLA (1-1, 0-1) struggled for the second straight game under first-year coach DeShaun Foster. After rallying for a 16-13 win at Hawaii on Aug. 31, the Bruins again found themselves in a double-digit hole in the first half, but this time couldn’t recover.

Senior quarterback Ethan Garbers was 14 of 23 for 137 yards and a pair of turnovers (one fumble, one interception).

Lausch, Wildcats pull away from Eastern Illinois: New quarterback Jack Lausch got rolling after a slow start, passing for 227 yards and tossing his first two collegiate touchdowns, and Northwestern pulled away from Eastern Illinois 31-7 on Saturday night at Martin Stadium.

Lausch, a former Brother Rice standout and redshirt sophomore, finished with 20 of 31 passing after connecting on only four of his first 13 throws. He hit A.J Henning with 3-yard toss late in the third quarter for Northwestern’s first passing TD this season, then found Marshall Lang with a 9-yard toss midway through the fourth.

Lausch also rushed for 62 years, all in the first half.

Joseph Himon II ran for a touchdown to put Northwestern (2-1) ahead, 14-7, with 14 seconds left in the first half on a quick drive engineered by Lausch after a blocked Eastern Illinois field goal attempt.

Cam Porter rushed for 77 yards and his third TD of the season. Jack Olsen booted a 46-yard field goal as Northwestern dominated in total yards, 450 to 207.