DE Boubacar Traore and No. 3 Notre Dame return to Purdue, aiming for 4-0

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Defensive end Boubacar Traore made an instant impression on Notre Dame fans the last time he played at Purdue.

Two years ago, an inexperienced Traore replaced the injured Jordan Botelho, then promptly returned his first career interception 34 yards for a touchdown. His play fueled a 21-0 onslaught in the final 2 1/2 minutes of the first half as the Fighting Irish handed their in-state rival a humiliating 66-7 loss.

On Saturday, the dynamic pass-rusher will return to Purdue still looking to fulfill his potential as No. 3 Notre Dame (3-0) tries to return to the playoffs.

“I really haven’t played my best yet,” Traore said Tuesday.

That's a scary thought for any of the opponents remaining on the Irish schedule.

The 6-foot-5, 253-pound fourth-year edge rusher has emerged as one of the defense's top playmakers.

He added a second career TD on a 14-yard fumble recovery just 14 seconds into the 52-0 rout of Rice in Week 2. And though he only has five tackles through Notre Dame's first three games, three of those tackles were for loss. He also has two sacks, one forced fumble and three quarterback hurries.

It's a stat line that makes NFL scouts salivate at the thought of drafting him in April.

But Traore sees it as just a start, something he can build upon when the Irish return to Purdue (1-2) on Saturday in the Battle for the Shillelagh.

“I feel like that game went really good for me,” Traore said of his first trip to Ross-Ade Stadium. “Just being able to go in and showcase what I could do. It was a blessing to be able to go in there and play for my teammates and my coaches. It was a special moment. I was able to score a touchdown, something I will never forget."

Two weeks after that game, though, Traore's career took a turn when he suffered a season-ending knee injury. He returned last season and made key contributions on defense even though he didn't feel he played up to his own expectations.

Now, though, he feels like he's playing at full throttle again, and it's made a difference.

“A good edge rusher just changes a team,” defensive lineman Francis Brewu said. “Especially having an edge rusher that can do everything: Rush the passer and stop the run. He changes the team and helps us on the interior get freed up from those (double) teams. That’s what every D-tackle dreams of, having a really good edge rusher like Boubacar.”

Traore has been key to one of the nation's top run defenses, which limited Wisconsin to 67 yards rushing and 2.2 yards per carry in the season-opening 41-13 victory. The Irish then held Rice to 128 yards of total offense and didn't allow any yards rushing in the second half of a 27-10 victory over Michigan State.

This week, though, Traore & Co. are likely to face more of an aerial assault from Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne, who is ranked in the top five nationally in yards passing. Naturally, Traore can't wait.

“I’m definitely excited to get after the passer,” Traore said.

Traore didn't just get to here by chance.

He's often leaned on his NFL-playing brother, Badara, for advice throughout his career. Badara Traore was an offensive lineman at LSU before playing for four NFL teams and last year with the UFL's DC Defenders.

“I still talk to him about certain things about what he sees, what he’s seen from other pass rushers in the league,” Traore said. “He’s always been by my side, helping me with this whole journey."

A college journey that essentially started at Purdue and now has come full circle for Boubacar Traore.

“That game definitely gave me confidence, and I was able to prove to myself that I am good enough to play at this level,” he said. “Obviously, going out there and getting meaningful snaps, it just felt good to go make some plays out there and show everybody that l can compete at this level.”

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Notre Dame defensive lineman Boubacar Traore (5) recovers a fumble and returns it for a touchdown against Rice during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Paul Barnick)

MILAN (AP) — The Prada model grips her full, pleated skirt into a rosette at the unfinished waist, evoking feminine beauty with a subversive twist.

Co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons kept the focus of their Spring-Summer 2027 collection firmly “waist down,” revisiting the subject of a traveling Prada exhibition staged two decades ago. That new show examined the place in contemporary wardrobes of one of humanity’s oldest garments: the skirt.

The collection arrived amid an uproar in Italy over remarks by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani suggesting that women who wear longer skirts are more faithful. Tajani later apologized, saying he had not intended to offend women. The coincidental timing of the controversy only gave resonance to a collection that treats the skirt as a way for women to express themselves — at any length.

For practicality and creativity, nothing surpasses the skirt, according to Prada, who favors skirts in her own wardrobe, including a pink silk one she wore for a backstage preview before the runway show that opened Milan Fashion Week on Tuesday.

“If you want to have a normal life, go wherever you want. It’s easy to camouflage even a beautiful skirt,’’ she said. “You need to camouflage the beauty so that you can live with people.”

The creative directors’ decision to keep trousers and dresses out of this collection was inspired by an old video interview of Prada likening the skirt to a T-shirt for men, as “the place where she can put all her ideas,” Simons said.

From the swath of material that ancient man wrapped around the waist, Prada used a rectangular piece of material as the collection’s starting point, which Prada said became the framework for creativity.

Reversing the runway convention of emphasizing the female bodice, black tops in varying styles provided a blank canvas for the first group of skirts.

Woolen numbers fastened with industrial Velcro to allow adjustable slits Sheer nylon formed feminine pleats, while short cotton skirts in naïve prints peeked from beneath coats and sheer crinoline overlaid crumpled silken skirts with flattened ruffles.

Bralettes, bandeaus and bustiers, tiny though they were, offered another outlet for expression. They included scoop-neck bralettes, bandeaus linked to arm bands and bustiers worn unhooked over homely knitwear.

Footwear ranged from silk slingbacks to industrial perforated-leather pumps, while handbags included canvas purses in bright colors.

Rather than proposing complete looks, the collection offered building blocks for self-expression.

“I think you can express complexity,” Prada said. “Everything is so complex — how can you be just one thing? When you express yourself, it is not that you are feminine, sexy, masculine; you are so many things together."

A model wears a creation part of the Prada women's Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).

A model wears a creation part of the Prada women's Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).

A model wears a creation part of the Prada women's Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).

A model wears a creation part of the Prada women's Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).

Models wear creations part of the Prada women's Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).