INDIANAPOLIS — After a pair of lopsided wins, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly had a feeling that his team would encounter adversity sooner than later.

On Saturday, Kelly’s hunch proved correct. And No. 11 Notre Dame proved ready.

“Now, it’s behind us,” Kelly said. “We know what the standard is.”

Notre Dame overcame an early deficit, a player’s ejection and a slew of injuries Saturday to beat Purdue, 30-14, at Lucas Oil Stadium as part of the annual “Shamrock Series.” The No. 11 Fighting Irish (3-0) scored the final 20 points of the game to rally from a 14-10 deficit against Purdue (1-2), which was held scoreless and managed only 121 total yards of offense in the second half.

Quarterback Everett Golson led Notre Dame with 259 passing yards and two touchdowns to go along with 56 rushing yards and another score on the ground. Meanwhile, Purdue quarterback Danny Etling led the Boilermakers with 234 passing yards and a pair of first-half touchdowns but was sacked three times.

The bruising, in-state rivalry game proved costly for the Fighting Irish.

Already depleted by injuries and suspensions, Notre Dame lost a key member of its secondary when safety Max Redfield was ejected for targeting in the second quarter. Redfield jogged toward the locker room after his 15-yard penalty and ejection, which followed his helmet-to-helmet blow against Etling at the end of a scramble with 9:14 remaining in the second quarter.

Backup safety Nicky Baratti replaced Redfield, who will not miss the Irish’s next game because his ejection came in the first half. But Baratti injured his shoulder and left the game, adding to a postgame injury list that included wide receiver Amir Carlisle (knee), cornerback Cole Luke (neck) and defensive tackle Andrew Trumbetti (neck).

Despite those losses, Notre Dame seemed to get stronger as the game continued. Golson increased a 3-point lead to double digits when he fired a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Corey Robinson with 4:05 remaining in the third quarter.

“This was a very physical game,” Robinson said. “Purdue always comes out ready to play, and they are a very physical bunch. So we’re just trying to bang a little bit, and that’s when we had to step up and make some plays.”

Purdue coach Darrell Hazell said his team was prepared emotionally for a hard-fought game.

“There is no going back, playing at that intensity level,” Hazell said.

Kicker Kyle Brindza extended Notre Dame’s lead to 27-14 on a 48-yard field goal with 9:31 remaining. Brindza ricocheted a 39-yard attempt off the right upright and through the goal posts to make it 30-14 with 5:30 remaining.

Meanwhile, Purdue struggled. Etling remained in the game after Redfield’s hit and finished 27 of 40 for 234 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Kelly said his team had no choice but to turn to inexperienced second- and third-stringers in the secondary such as freshman Drue Tranquill.

“He did great,” Kelly said with a smile. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing, but he’s awesome. … I say that kiddingly because he does know what he’s doing. But we’re trying to really keep it simple for him out there.”

Notre Dame seized an early lead before running into trouble.

After Amir Carlisle returned the opening kickoff 47 yards, Notre Dame marched downfield with an efficient six-play, 45-yard scoring drive that culminated with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Golson to wide receiver Will Fuller with 12:23 remaining in the first quarter. Purdue answered late in the first quarter to tie the game on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Etling to fullback Brandon Cottom.

Notre Dame regained a 10-7 lead on a 19-yard field goal by Kyle Brindza with 11:57 remaining in the second quarter before Purdue rallied again. Purdue cornerback Antoine Lewis punched the ball loose from Notre Dame tight end Ben Koyack for the Fighting Irish’s first turnover of the season, and the Boilermakers capitalized three plays later on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Etling to DeAngelo Yancey to take a 14-10 lead with three minutes remaining in the half.

Notre Dame regained a 17-14 lead on Golson’s 15-yard run with 13 seconds remaining in the half. Golson dropped back and scanned the field before tucking the ball and sprinting toward the right pylon.

Although Notre Dame and Michigan drew national headlines last week for playing the final scheduled game in their longtime rivalry, the Fighting Irish and Purdue have played more. The teams met for the 86th time overall and for the 69th consecutive season, with the Irish increasing their all-time series lead to 58-26-2.

However, the in-state rivalry will go on hiatus starting next season. The schools will take a five-year break until home-and-home meetings slated for 2020 and 2021.

NOTES: Notre Dame remained without five players amid an academic fraud investigation. … Notre Dame S Austin Collinsworth (knee), WR Torii Hunter Jr. (groin) and LB Jarrett Grace (leg) did not play. … Purdue LB Jimmy Herman (thumb) did not play but is expected to return next week against Southern Illinois.