Freshmen lift Notre Dame over Duke

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame’s freshmen made sure the Fighting Irish seniors wouldn’t go their final season without a victory at home.

Jimmy Clausen threw for 194 yards and three touchdowns, Robert Hughes ran for 110 yards and a touchdown, Duval Kamara had a touchdown catch and the Notre Dame defense came within 72 seconds of its first shutout in five years as the Irish beat Duke, 28-7, Saturday.

“It’s like a weight has been lifted,” Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis said. “I feel happy, especially for the seniors.”

The Irish (2-9), who had lost six straight at home, broke the game open by forcing two fumbles late in the second quarter that led to a pair of 25-yard touchdown passes by Clausen 73 seconds apart in a mistake-filled first half by both teams.

“It’s very disappointing,” Duke Coach Ted Roof said. “It’s 0-0 and what did they get, 14 points in the last minute in the first half? You were talking about a one-play game that could go either way. What happened, happened. It was certainly a great opportunity for us that didn’t work out.”

The victory allowed the Irish to avoid becoming the first Notre Dame team in 74 years to go a season winless at home. Weis said it was important to send the seniors off with a victory.

“It’s not just the fact that they’re 0-6 at home going into this game. It was the fact it was their last game ever in the stadium,” he said.