Notre Dame Takes Advantage of Stanford’s Miscues, 23-15

Tyrone Willingham found a way to beat his former Stanford team for a third consecutive time. This one, though, was nowhere near as easy.

Notre Dame looked as if it was in trouble until a muffed punt by Stanford set up a go-ahead touchdown by Ryan Grant from three yards out early in the fourth quarter. The Irish added another score on quarterback Brady Quinn’s two-yard run to defeat Stanford, 23-15, Saturday at South Bend, Ind.

“It was a barnburner,” Willingham said. “We weren’t trying to burn down the barn. It was hard for me because I didn’t think we were playing the way I know we can.”

Stanford (3-2), which lost to the Irish (4-2) by 24 and 50 points the last two seasons, looked as though it might finally beat its former coach.

The Cardinal were leading, 15-10, until punter Jay Ottovegio dropped the snap late in the third quarter despite no pressure by the Irish.

“I just dropped it,” Ottovegio said. “It was an unfortunate time of the game.”

Ottovegio picked the ball up and tried to get the punt off, but was tackled by Corey Mays as he released the ball and fanned on the kick. Stanford’s David Bergeron recovered the ball on the 27, but the Irish took over on downs.

It marked the second consecutive year a punt play left players and fans buzzing. In last year’s 57-7 victory, the Irish (4-2) ran a fake punt late in the game.

Stanford players said they were motivated by that play as they prepared for Saturday’s game.

“It was an insult to our whole program,” defensive tackle Julian Jenkins said.

Stanford players said they felt they had lost the game more than Notre Dame won it.

“It’s like having a mouse in your trap and you let him out for a little bit and he escapes,” Jenkins said.

Oregon 41, Washington State 38 -- Kellen Clemens completed 36 of 55 passes for a career-high 437 yards and three touchdowns and ran for three more scores at Pullman, Wash., to help the Ducks rally from a 27-14 deficit entering the fourth quarter.

Clemens’ 13-yard touchdown run with 1:21 remaining gave Oregon (2-3, 1-1) its first lead. The Ducks, who scored 27 points in the fourth quarter, finished with 646 yards of offense.

Josh Swogger threw three touchdown passes for Washington State (3-2, 1-1), which led, 38-34, with five minutes remaining. But Clemens directed a seven-play, 60-yard drive for the winning score.

Oregon’s Tim Day had eight catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns.

“This is the craziest [game] I’ve been in, we went back and forth,” the junior tight end said.

Washington 21, San Jose State 6 -- Kenny James ran for a career-high 189 yards and two touchdowns at Seattle as the Huskies got their first victory.

Reserve quarterback Casey Paus led two second-half scoring drives and Washington (1-4) held San Jose State (2-3) in check a week after its 70-63 victory over Rice in the highest-scoring regulation game in NCAA history.