Notre Dame's win in 'measuring stick' game builds confidence
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The ball hung in the air, suspended momentarily between a harrowing loss and a season-defining victory. It had just left Everett Golson's hand and already the Notre Dame quarterback was pleading with it. Get there faster.
"It felt like it was happening in slow motion," Golson said.
"The ball was in the air for about an hour," said Ben Koyack, the intended recipient.
"He was wide open; there was nobody on him," said Stanford coach David Shaw.
It had been fourth-and-11 on the Cardinal's 23-yard line, and Koyack had been left alone in the left corner of the end zone with a tick more than 60 seconds left on the clock. He knew he was wide open; he signaled to his quarterback and waited patiently. Golson, scrambling, noticed. A hush fell over the Notre Dame Stadium crowd, no one wanting to alert the Stanford defense of its gaping hole.
When the ball — finally — reached Koyack, the crowd erupted, and Irish players leaped up and down on the sideline. One minute later, the touchdown became the game-winner as the score became final: No. 8 Notre Dame 17, No. 13 Stanford 14.
"As a little kid, this is what you dream of," senior linebacker Joe Schmidt said. "It's raining, it's Stanford, it's the fourth quarter, you're on the field to win the game, and your offense gets a huge touchdown to win the game.
"I feel like I'm going to get pinched and wake up."
Perhaps the most important part of all of this — outside of a thrilling come-from-behind victory, of course — is what Schmidt haphazardly mentioned: That this is Stanford. This wasn't Rice, or even a Michigan team that's a shell of itself. This was and is a talented team, one that boasts the nation's top scoring defense and a traditionally strong rushing attack. Beating Stanford meant something to the Notre Dame players themselves and also to outside perception. The Irish's stylish 5-0 record now has some substance behind it.
"We wanted to prove ourselves," wide receiver Corey Robinson said. "The past couple of games, our opponent wasn't the No. 1 defense in the country. This was a great opportunity for us to prove ourselves on offense. We can drive 70, 60 yards in a two-minute situation and score."
Technically, it was a 65-yard drive and there were three minutes left. But no matter: It was essentially Golson's first two-minute drill of the season. And after two early turnovers (adding to the four turnovers from a week ago), leading a successful two-minute drill was the perfect way to cap an important victory.
"That's big-boy time," Golson said. "It was a great opportunity for us to really just showcase what we have in the kind of very exciting moment."
What Notre Dame has is an improved offense, significantly better than the one it had in 2012. That year the defense drove the Irish to the national championship game. Now, though the Notre Dame defense appeared stout against a physical Stanford offense not quite as powerful as it's been in recent years, the Irish seem like they can rely on Golson and their offense more than they have before.
When push (Notre Dame's potent offensive attack) came to shove (Stanford's vaunted defense), the Irish won the battle head on.
"It's a big confidence-booster to our offense," Robinson said. "We can make plays in big-time situations against a big-time team. … Our offense needs to know that we can make these plays."
It didn't matter that, on this rain-soaked evening, Golson had missed targets badly. Or that he'd thrown an interception and lost a fumble. Or even that Notre Dame had botched two field-goal attempts in the middle of the game.
What's important is the touchdown with the game on the line. That's what keeps Notre Dame in the hunt for a spot in the inaugural four-team College Football Playoff. That's what will give the Irish confidence as they likely ascend into the top five of both polls. That's what matters, coming out of what Schmidt called a "measuring stick" game for the Irish.
Just don't tell coach Brian Kelly that his team made a statement by beating Stanford after weeks of outsiders questioning the legitimacy of Notre Dame's top-10 ranking.
"I don't think we beat a top 10 team did we?" Kelly said. "They'll come up with something (else to criticize) next week — which is fine, you know."
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