[dropcap]D[/dropcap]espite facing cold and wet weather conditions as well as the top-rated defense in the nation, Notre Dame managed to get by the team’s first true test of the season in the Stanford Cardinal. And it took all four quarters of play to get the job done.
With 1:01 left in the game, the No. 9 Irish faced a 4th-and-11 situation on the Stanford 23. Down 14-10, quarterback Everett Golson launched a pass into the endzone where tight end Ben Koyack was without coverage. The two connected to put Notre Dame up 17-14 over No. 14 Stanford.
“I had a corner route and I was just running,” Koyack said of his game winning touchdown following the game. “I broke off my route. I saw I didn’t have anyone playing me inside-out, I saw a safety inside (and) I didn’t see anyone underneath me. I had confidence Everett would see me and he did.”
The nine-play, 65-yard drive followed a scoring drive of Stanford. The Stanford drive began with 7:32 left in the game and would last 4:31 with the Cardinal down 10-7. Remound Wright scored on an 11-yard rush that forced Notre Dame into a situation where they needed the touchdown.
Notre Dame would start their game-winning drive with 3:01 left in the contest.
“It’s great (and) they’re a great football team,” Koyack said. “It all means that much more. They fight for four quarters. They’re a team that come out hitting you in the mouth every single play.”
Koyack said that the catch may be the biggest of his career but it was catch he or anyone else needed to make.
The game was a hard-fought battle to the end, with both teams tied at 7-7 entering the fourth quarter. Stanford struck first late in the opening quarter. Quarterback Kevin Hogan kept the ball and rushed 10 yards to go up 7-0.
Notre Dame would even the tally with just over three minutes remaining in the half. Golson connected with receiver Chris Brown for a 17-yard touchdown pass. Golson’s two touchdown passes on the day put him at 13 for the year, one over his total for the 2012 season.
Golson finished the game going 20-for-43 with the two passing scores. Golson also rushed for 34 yards, including a career-high with a 33-yard running gain.
The score should have been a lot different in Notre Dame’s favor, however. Both teams had trouble coping with the weather conditions but two botched field goal attempts nearly cost the Irish the game.
In both the second and fourth quarters, holder Hunter Smith failed to secure the ball on the snap due to the wet conditions. The first attempt sent the ball very wide right, denying the Irish their first score of the game. The second botched attempt saw Kyle Brindza kick the ball directly into the hands of Stanford’s AJ Tarpley who returned the ball for 39 yards.
Notre Dame was finally successful on the field goal nearly four minutes later when Smith was able to secure the snap for Brindza and give Notre Dame their first lead of the game at 10-7.
The answer for the special teams miscues: putting gloves on the holder.
“But we found a revolutionary idea that will probably be now the biggest thing in college football,” Kelly joked post-game. “We’re going to put gloves on the holder and that seemed to be the way to accomplish greatness in this game. Unbelievable. I’ve been in this thing for 25 years and we’re coming up with new things every day.”
Kelly added: “I said, ‘how about we try gloves on the holder, has anybody figured that one out?’ They thought, ‘we’ll get into it later.”
Despite Stanford’s top-rated defense, Notre Dame had no problems knocking them around a bit. The Irish finished with 370 yards of total offense, and only allowed 205. At the half, Notre Dame had already gained 192 yards, just six shy of Stanford’s average for the year.
Both teams had two turnovers. Hogan threw two interceptions while Golson threw an interception and lost the ball on a fumble.
With the win, Notre Dame advances to 5-0 on the season as they move ahead to face North Carolina next weekend. Stanford falls to 3-2 on the year.
“Feels pretty good just knowing where we are in our progression (but) we’ve still got a long way to go,” Golson said about being undefeated. “Still got to be better all around the board really.”
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