Notre Dame rallies to drop Purdue, 24-21

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — A hobbled Jimmy Clausen completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph with 24.8 seconds to play, and Notre Dame rallied for a 24-21 win over Purdue on Saturday night.

Clausen, slowed by a turf toe injury on his right foot, split time with Dayne Crist but returned to the game when it got tight in the fourth quarter.

Clausen and the Irish took over trailing 21-17 with 3:41 to go.

He completed a 22-yard pass to Rudolph to move the ball to the Purdue 32, but a sack forced Notre Dame into a third-and-14. Clausen completed a 15-yard pass to Robby Parris for a first down.

A 17-yarder to Golden Tate set up a first-and-goal at the 4. After three plays netted two yards, Clausen found Rudolph in the end zone for the winner.

Clausen, the nation’s No. 2 passer, wasn’t himself. He completed 15 of 26 for 171 yards, and he threw his first interception of the season.

He found his rhythm in the final minutes.

“I think I just needed to stay loose,” he said. “Coach [Charlie Weis] told me if he needed me to go I was going to go. I’m just so proud of this team for fighting back.

“Every time we’re down we’re fighting back. That’s what I love about this team.”

It was the third straight Notre Dame game decided in the final minute. Mooney High graduate Kyle McCarthy had an interception at the 4-yard line with 57 seconds to seal Notre Dame’s 33-30 win over Michigan State last week.

A week earlier, Michigan’s Tate Forcier threw a 5-yard touchdown pass with 11 seconds to beat the Irish 38-34.

Notre Dame played without its leading rusher and receiver. Running back Armando Allen sat out with an injured right ankle and Michael Floyd was knocked out for the season last week with a broken collarbone.