It was sloppy, ugly, and difficult to watch. Notre Dame’s sputtering offensive performance against rival Stanford created a frustrating and stressful 60 minutes. Fighting Irish quarterback Everett Golson struggled against Stanford’s No. 1 ranked defense, completing only 48 percent of his passes as well as being responsible for a lost fumble and an interception. Nine of Notre Dame’s 14 offensive possessions went for 30 yards or less, and two field goals were missed when placeholder Hunter Smith failed to adequately grip the football.
But winning teams find a way to overcome miscues when it matters the most, which is why it came as no surprise when Stanford – a program that has won 11 or more games in four straight seasons – was at its best when the game was on the line. Despite failing to break through defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder’s Irish wall throughout most of the contest, the Stanford Cardinal strung together a 9-play, 58-yard drive to score a go-ahead touchdown with less than five minutes on the clock. Quarterback Kevin Hogan saved his best passes for last on a drive that would be capped off by running back Remound Wright cutting through Notre Dame’s defense, untouched, for an 11-yard touchdown.
If winning programs find a way to come through in the clutch despite the odds, then Notre Dame announced its presence nationally in a very dramatic way.
With only 3:01 remaining on the clock, Everett Golson led the Fighting Irish 65-yards in only two minutes for the final score that put Stanford away for good. Facing 4th and 11 at the Stanford 23, Golson spun out of pressure to his left and, throwing across his body, found senior tight end Ben Koyack wide open at the back of the end zone, marking the most significant reception in the Oil City, PA native’s career.
In an unsightly game, Notre Dame out-Stanforded Stanford by overcoming mistakes and misfires to punch through when it mattered the most. And Notre Dame did it during a weekend when eleven ranked programs were unable to do the same, including half of the programs within the top ten.
No. 2 Oregon lost at home to an unranked, 24-point underdog Arizona team even though the Ducks possessed a double digit lead in the 4th quarter. The third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide – now boasting a 4-3 record in their last seven games – was defeated by Ole Miss despite having a 17-10 lead in the middle of the 4th quarter, unable to prevent Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace’s two late touchdown passes to capture victory. The No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners were tied 31-31 with TCU in the 4th quarter before linebacker Paul Dawson intercepted Oklahoma’s Trevor Knight and returned it 41-yards for the game-winning touchdown. Texas A&M, ranked No. 6 in the nation, was blown off the field by Mississippi State, and at one point trailed 41-17 in the 4th quarter. And No. 8 UCLA, who had jumped Notre Dame in last week’s AP poll, lost to an unranked Utah program, and trailed throughout nearly the entire contest.
The programs ranked ahead of Notre Dame that lost during a sink-or-swim weekend of college football either blew a late lead, crumbled when the score was tied in the 4th quarter, trailed the entire game to an unranked opponent or were simply blown out. When taken in context, Notre Dame coming out on top in an ugly match against Stanford and its No. 1 rated defense was truly a thing of beauty, and the Fighting Irish accomplished something many of the nation’s best programs were unable to do: make a play when it mattered the most.
After weathering the weekend’s upset storm, Notre Dame finds itself at No. 6 in the AP poll as they prepare for a home match against the North Carolina Tar Heels. With a contest against No. 1 Florida State less than two weeks away, North Carolina will be the quintessential trap game as the Fighting Irish come off an emotional win over Stanford to host a struggling North Carolina squad.
The Tar Heels will arrive in South Bend with a 2-3 record, with victories over Liberty and San Diego State. North Carolina is currently enduring a three-game losing skid, having lost to East Carolina, Clemson and Virginia Tech by margins of 29, 15 and 17-points respectively. The initial opening line has Notre Dame as 17-point favorites.
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly will have the difficult task of keeping his young team focused on North Carolina as an undefeated showdown with Florida State suddenly appears within reach just over the horizon. But if the Fighting Irish play against North Carolina with the resolve displayed against Stanford – and one that half the AP top ten failed to produce – a marquee matchup in primetime at Tallahassee is in the making.
Scott Janssen is a blogger for the Huffington Post and has authored severally nationally-featured articles, including an appearance on MSNBC as a sports contributor. He talks football 24 hours a day, much to the chagrin of his wife and those around him. Scott can be reached at scottjanssenhp “AT” gmail.com.
Hate to bring it up, BUT, any news/rumor about the Frozen 5?
The Stanford game was a thing of beauty in the conditions and their defense.
It was a field position type game and for the most part we won that battle.
I think it’s also worth noting that Auburn and Miss. St. play each other this weekend as well as Ole Miss v. Texas A&M as well as TCU v. Baylor. If ND beats UNC and then pulls it out against FSU in Tallahassee, we might be looking at a mid-year #1 ranked Irish. This sure has been a fun season so far.
One of the things I’ve learned in watching college football for 20+ years is – these are kids. They are emotional. They are not professionals. Upsets happen, and emotional highs and lows can wreak havoc.
The ND fan in me wants to look ahead and imagine being ranked #1 after the FSU game. But history has taught me to take it one game at a time.
Whilst I’d love to se Baylor (who’s played absolutely NO ONE) go down vs TCU, with the way pollsters have been, it’d probably be a wash for ND. TCU will jump us to top 5.
And whilst FSU is the key, gotta keep laser-focused on Heels first, or FSU will be moot point. GO IRISH!!!
‘…..overcoming mistakes and misfires…..’ You never mentioned once the driving rain as a potential factor for the ‘sloppy, ugly’ performance for both teams.