Irish Play a Near-Perfect Game

At long last, Bob Davie recognized the team he was coaching. It looked like Notre Dame once again.

Looking like the Fighting Irish team Davie expected to have all season, Notre Dame clobbered No. 11 Louisiana State, 24-6, Saturday at Baton Rouge, La.

“It was an opportunity just to show people across the country the kind of improvement we have made,” Davie said.

Clement Stokes, a senior backup tailback who was academically ineligible last season, ran for 92 yards and two touchdowns as the Irish (5-5) outrushed LSU, 279-153.

“Stokes is a tough, physical football player,” Davie said. “He is another guy that has paid the price to play. He has been on the scout squad for a long time. He earned the right to play.”

The Irish so dominated that they only punted once, with 1:22 left in the third quarter. LSU (7-3) didn’t get inside the Irish 20 until the final eight minutes, when a 26-yard pass from Herb Tyler set up Kevin Faulk’s two-yard touchdown run.

“Their first-down offense was, I guess, about 75% efficient,” LSU Coach Gerry DiNardo said. “I thought that was the worst thing our defense did. We never got them into situational football.”

Notre Dame had no turnovers and no penalties in the game.

If Notre Dame had played last week, instead of having an off week, Davie said 21 players would have been sidelined.

“They had a week off and were ready,” Tyler said. “Everybody was back healthy again. They had a good defensive scheme. They didn’t change anything that we practiced against. They just ran their base defense and outplayed us.”

LSU, which entered the game averaging 276 rushing yards per game, was stalled despite Faulk’s 105 yards.

“We kind of contained him a little bit,” Notre Dame safety Benny Guilbeaux said. “He got his yards here and there, but we did enough to force him to pass. That’s something they really didn’t want to do.”

Allen Rossum returned the opening kickoff 43 yards and the Irish needed six plays to go the remaining 57 yards, ending with by Autry Denson’s nine-yard run 2:30 into the game. Denson also gained 92 yards rushing.

On Notre Dame’s next possession, Scott Cengia kicked a 23-yard field goal. A’Jani Sanders intercepted a pass by Tyler and returned it 26 yards to set up a six-yard touchdown run by Stokes to make it 17-0.

“It was a big win for us,” Davie said. “It was a big win for these players. We certainly do not have our problems solved. But I think it was our best game.”