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SOUTH BEND, Indiana (Ticker) -- On a day Notre Dame put its faith in Godsey, Nick Setta answered the prayer with a 38-yard field goal as time expired to give the 23rd-ranked Fighting Irish a 23-21 win over No. 12 Purdue. Gary Godsey, a 6-7 sophomore who made his first collegiate start in place of the injured Arnaz Battle, completed 4-of-6 passes for 38 yards on Notre Dame's final drive. The march was kept alive by an eight-yard run by Julius Jones on 3rd-and-3 that gave the Irish a first down at the Purdue 22. That set the stage for Setta, a sophomore who connected earlier from 47 and 32 yards out. Purdue used a timeout to put added pressure on Setta, but it did not matter as his kick sailed just inside the right upright. "You dream about times like this," Setta said. "You want to take advantage of it and be positive. That is what you come here for." The Boilermakers had taken a 21-20 lead on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Vinny Sutherland with 3:39 left. But the day ultimately belonged to Notre Dame (2-1), which defeated Purdue (2-1) for the 12th straight time in South Bend dating to 1974. It was the third consecutive game in the once-lopsided rivalry that was decided in the final minute. Godsey completed 14-of-25 passes for 158 yards and one interception and scored on a nine-yard run. A converted tight end and the brother of Georgia Tech quarterback George Godsey, Gary Godsey chose the Irish over Purdue after graduating from high school in Tampa, Florida. "The first play I was a little nervous. But after a couple of plays, I got into a rhythm," Godsey said. "I slowed everything down and everyone was playing well, so that helped." Godsey became the 11th of the last 12 Notre Dame quarterbacks to win his first start. Brees was 13-of-22 for 221 yards and a pair of TDs to Sutherland but had his lone interception returned 60 yards for a score by cornerback Shane Walton. "I've come to learn that every game is determined by one or two plays," Brees said. "That's the story today." Sutherland caught four passes for 112 yards. Despite having a Heisman Trophy candidate in Brees, the Boilermakers attemped just 23 passes and ran the ball 43 times. "It's a surprise that (Drew) only threw (23) times," Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. "We ran the ball too much today." At Notre Dame, it is taught that God helps those that help themselves, and the Irish -- who lost to top-ranked Nebraska in overtime last week -- did that today by turning three Purdue mistakes into 17 points. A blocked punt by safety Glenn Earl following Purdue's first possession led to the TD run by Godsey just 2:39 into the contest. Later in the opening quarter, Walton picked off Brees and raced to the end zone. The Boilermakers cut the deficit to 14-7 in the second quarter when Brees connected with Sutherland on a 54-yard pass that led to a six-yard TD run by Montrell Lowe, who carried 20 times for 82 yards. Setta's 47-yard field goal increased Notre Dame's lead before Purdue cut it to 17-14 on a 19-yard TD toss from Brees to Sutherland. A 32-yard field goal by Setta late in third quarter made it 20-14 and followed a botched fake punt by Purdue. Travis Dorsch called for a fake, but Sutherland never turned for the pass and Notre Dame took over. "I am delighted with our special teams play," Irish coach Bob Davie said. "We baited them into throwing that pass on that punt." Notre Dame, which defeated Texas A&M two weeks ago, concluded a season-opening three-game homestand and visits Michigan State next week.
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