Notre Dame Football: Was Tommy Rees' Flawless Performance a Mirage?

For the first few games of the the season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been rocky and rough around the edges. They narrowly lost winnable games against Michigan and South Florida, and have featured an inconsistent offense with Tommy Rees under center.

On Saturday, this was not the case.

Quarterback Tommy Rees went 24-of-40 for 254 yards and three touchdowns, with the offense totaling 551 yards in their 38-10 win over the Purdue Boilermakers. Notre Dame finally showed the high-powered offense that all fans alike have been waiting to see in the Brian Kelly era. And to top it all of, they did it on the road.

It would appear after three-straight victories against the likes of Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Purdue that the Fighting Irish may be back on track after their rocky first two games, in which quarterback Rees had difficulty running the offense.

This all brings up a question: Is Rees for real this time?

Sure, he had a good game passing wise, especially with the three touchdown passes he threw. But seeing Notre Dame's margin of victory, Rees was never put under any kind of pressure to win the game and lead this team.

Rees has lacked an ability to lead Notre Dame in critical pressure situations, especially late in games. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have plenty of talent for Rees to work with, but there will be games where Rees will have to step up to carry this team.

In a low scoring affair, Rees would have to assume some kind of leadership role. Despite his great performance in Week 5, there is still concern over his abilities, especially in running an offense that has been largely inconsistent until now.

Is Rees for real this time? Only time will tell.