Lambert Reaps Honors

It’s been quite a couple of days for Notre Dame defensive back Terrail Lambert. First he took a couple of big hits after being burned for a pair of Mario Manningham touchdowns in the loss to Michigan, although, to be fair, a lot of defensive backs will take a lot of hits from Manningham.

Was he shaken? Perhaps. Was he ticked off? Certainly. Did he respond the way you need a key player to respond? Absolutely.

Lambert’s two fourth quarter interceptions against Michigan State -- the first he returned for the winning touchdown, the second clinched the victory with 14 seconds left -- was enough to earn him Bronko Nagurski defensive player of the week honors by the Football Writer’s Association of America.

That’s big, but now Lambert and the rest of the secondary will be tested again by pass-happy Purdue, which would like nothing better than to stun the Irish at Notre Dame Stadium for the second straight time.

Don’t be surprised if Lambert gets matched up with former Harding standout Selwyn Lymon, who has caught nine passes and is starting to get acclimated to the Boiler way. It should make for an interesting matchup.