BTN.com staff, September 8, 2012

Tommy Rees came off the bench to lead Notre Dame on a last-minute, winning drive Saturday as the No. 22 Irish got a 27-yard field goal from Kyle Brindza with seven seconds to go and beat Purdue 20-17. Rees, who was suspended for the opener after he was involved in a skirmish with police at a party in May, relieved starter Everett Golson late in the fourth quarter.

Purdue (1-1) had tied the game at 17-17 when Caleb TerBush threw a 15-yard TD pass to Antavian Edison with 2:12 left, the score set up by Josh Johnson's recovery of a Golson fumble. Golson was shaken up on the play and the Irish turned to Rees, who started 12 games last season.

Rees connected on key third down passes of 10 yards to John Goodman and 21 yards to Robby Toma to get Brindza in position for the game-winning kick. Notre Dame is 2-0 for the first time since 2008.

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FINAL: No. 22 Notre Dame took the lead in the fourth quarter and hung on for a 20-17 victory over Purdue on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. With seven seconds to go, Kyle Brindza made a 27-yard field goal to give the Fighting Irish a 20-17 lead.

Notre Dame's passing game looked unstoppable at times against the Boilermakers' defense. The Fighting Irish's air attack couldn't be contained, as they torched Purdue for 323 yards and one touchdown.

Home run plays keyed Notre Dame's scoring attack. The Boilermakers' defense gave up seven plays of at least 20 yards. With 7:15 to go in the second quarter, Everett Golson found DaVaris Daniels open for a 41-yard pass, the Fighting Irish's biggest gain of the game. The big play set up a 13-play drive that gave Notre Dame a 7-0 lead after Golson kept it himself for a three-yard touchdown run.

Golson picked apart Purdue's secondary, completing 21 of 31 passes for 288 yards and one touchdown on the day. Bennett Jackson showed good hands on defense for the Fighting Irish, picking off two Purdue passes. On a critical drive in the third quarter, he intercepted Caleb TerBush on second-and-2.

TerBush threw for 77 yards while going 7-19 for the Boilermakers. He threw one touchdown and two interceptions. TerBush also ran for 27 yards on four attempts. TerBush had a good connection with receiver Antavian Edison. He caught six passes for 50 yards and two touchdowns.

Purdue's offense finished the game having gained 282 yards, including 195 passing yards on 18 completions. The Boilermakers struggled to move the ball on the ground, earning 87 yards on 30 attempts.

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