Notre Dame Ends Season On Winning Note

21-14 Victory Over Stanford Concludes A Disappointing Season

By John Mooney

Robert Hughes ran for 136 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 6-yard burst with just 6:06 left in the game to lead Notre Dame over Stanford 21-14 on Saturday. The winning drive featured a 44-yard run down to the Stanford 8 yard line before he plunged in for the touchdown two plays later.

The victory helped the Fighting Irish (3-9) end the season with consecutive wins for the first time in 15 years, but it wasn't pretty. The game featured six turnovers, five missed field goals, four plays overturned by instant replay and numerous penalties.

Stanford's Derek Belch missed four field goals, including a 49-yard try in the fourth quarter that would have put the Cardinals in the lead. After Notre Dame scored, Stanford's Doug Baldwin returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards to the Cardinals' 48 yard line. Stanford drove to the Notre Dame 7 yard line, but Evan Moore dropped a pass from back-up quarterback T.C. Ostrander in the end zone. On the next play on fourth down, Richard Sherman was unable to catch a last-chance pass, and Notre Dame took over on downs.

In the third period, Notre Dame had a three-and-out drive that lost 16 yards, but Stanford was called for roughing the punter. The Irish moved the ball down the field, but Brandon Walker missed a 44-yard field goal. Later, Stanford caught a break when an apparent fumble by Tavita Prichard was overturned by a replay. Ostrander took over for the injured QB and drove Stanford down the field for a 30-yard field goal attempt that would have put them in front, but Belch missed for the eighth time in his last 10 attempts.

Replay reviews went against the Irish other times. One negated a 29-yard diving touchdown catch by David Grimes. Another gave Stanford's Anthony Kimble a 1-yard touchdown after he appeared to be stopped short of the goal line in the first quarter. The Irish had one ruling in their favor when an interception by Stanford's Nick Sanchez was overturned in the second quarter.

Notre Dame lost three fumbles, and was stopped on a fourth-and-1 from its own 36 early in the game. However, the Cardinals played an equally sloppy game. In addition to Belch's missed field goals, Pritchard threw an interception deep in his own territory to set up Notre Dame's first touchdown, a 2-yard quarterback sneak by Jimmy Clausen. On the day, the freshman QB was 19 of 32 with one INT and no touchdown passes. He was sacked five times.

The Cardinals then put up 14 points with 1-yard and 11-yard touchdowns by Kimble. Notre Dame's Travis Thomas capped a 7-play, 75-yard drive with 1-yard run with 48 seconds left in the first half to tie the score at halftime.

Pritchard's desperation throw at the end the first half recalled one of the most memorable events in college football history: "The Play", 25 years ago when California stunned Stanford with a succession of laterals with the marching band on the field. The Irish intercepted the ball and returned it with a series of laterals, including one to Tommy Zbikowski, who ran the final 30 yards into the end zone. The play was negated by a lateral from Darrin Walls personal foul.