(Notre Dame) — Notre Dame’s secondary collected four interceptions, while the Irish running game pounded out 200 yards in a 28-7 win over Boise State Saturday at the Stadium.

The win is Notre Dame’s third straight, after starting the season 0-2.

It wasn’t a pretty game, marred by missed opportunities by the Irish offense and a total of 24 penalties between the two teams.

“To think about how that defense was and how it felt after A&M and Purdue,” noted Irish head coach Marcus Freeman. “They worked tirelessly to come up with a better output. I’m proud of them.”

Notre Dame’s opening drive was thwarted when Jeremiyah Love was stopped on fourth-and-goal from the one. On the ensuing possession, Notre Dame marched 69 yards in six plays, capped by C.J. Carr’s touchdown pass to Will Pauling to make it 6-0, as the point after attempt was blocked.

Boise State grabbed a brief lead midway through the second quarter. Quarterback Maddux Madsen capped a 72-yard drive with a beautifully-executed naked bootleg run to make it 7-6 Broncos.

The Irish responded with a touchdown drive of their own. Love did most of the damage on the drive and finished it off with an untouched four-yard burst up the middle. The two-point pass from Carr to Pauling gave Notre Dame a 14-7 lead at the half.

“It was man coverage,” recalled Carr. “We had a run called that wasn’t good for the box we were facing. Normally that’s JG’s route (Jaden Greathouse) but we have confidence in Will. Gotta put it high and outside where he can get it and the DB can’t and Will made a heckuva play.”

The Irish defense turned up the pressure Madsen in the second half, and the secondary was the beneficiary, pilfering four passes. Two of those were from Leonard Moore, as the All-America cornerback returned to action for the first time since the Texas A&M game.

“It comes down to technique and practice reps and when the ball comes to me just attacking the ball,” said Moore. ‘It definitely feels good to see anybody get an interception. It ignites the team. It’s a huge step. We wanted two today, and we got four.”

Meanwhile, the offense was methodical. Carr worked the ball to Jordan Faison throughout the third,  then hit Malachi Fields on a fade route along the sideline of the end zone for a touchdown to make it 21-7.

In the fourth, Price uncorked the highlight of the day, zigzagging on a 49-yard run down the field that broke at least four tackles enroute to paydirt and the 28-7 margin.

“In the running back room, we’re all about yards after contact,” smiled Price, who had eight carries for 83 yards. “Sometimes we joke we should touch a guy to get yards after contact. It’s a credit to what we do in the off-season.”

But today belonged to Moore and the much-maligned Irish defense. “It felt like we just got our identity,” said the cornerback. “Playing fast and playing violent.”

It’s certainly an identity Irish fans recognize, and one they hope the team maintains when North Carolina State comes to the Stadium next Saturday.