After loss to Stanford, Notre Dame’s mission incomplete

Saturday proved to be the date fate dealt the Irish out of the College Football Playoff discussion for good, thanks to a 45-yard field goal as time expired on one team’s dream and a game – Stanford ‘s 38-36 victory. He started Notre Dame’s final 10 games after starting QB Malik Zaire broke his ankle in Notre Dame’s second game of the season.

“Where else would you rather be right now?”

“It meant the world”, Hogan said. “We were all excited”. Notre Dame made more big plays – a 93-yard kick return for a touchdown and a 73-yard touchdown pass from DeShone Kizer to Will Fuller – but Stanford was more consistent throughout the game, particularly on third down.

In the last set of rankings before the conference championship games, Iowa maintained its spot at No. 4 in the College Football Playoff poll, removing all doubt that the Big Ten will be included in the playoffs when the time comes. But they’re going to need either Alabama or Clemson to lose in their conference title game, and then they’re going to need to win arguments to get two Big Ten teams into the four-team field. The moment Ukropina’s 45-yard field goal sailed through the uprights, Cardinal students and fans flooded the field, players of the Fighting Irish dropped to their knees, and Notre Dame’s playoff hopes were sent reeling.

Before all of his kicks, Ukropina likes to say a few words to his holder, senior safety Dallas Lloyd.

But for Stanford, that overtime loss in South Bend was the difference between playing in the Rose Bowl and playing in the BCS National Championship, taking Notre Dame’s spot.

Four years of highs and some lows – and an offseason of his father passing away – were balled into one Saturday of emotion for Hogan. Hogan notched his 34th win as a starter, the best mark in program history.

All season long, we have heard Brian Kelly and this team (team #127 if you please) talk about completing the mission. “It’s awesome to just kind of put it all together. No one can tell me there’s a guy that’s doing more for his team than Christian is doing for us in college football”. “I’m still smiling from it”.

“There’s no better way to finish your career than a completion to set up the winning (score)”, Hogan said. He helped put it away with 19 runs in the fourth quarter, then extended his school-record streak of games with a rushing touchdown to 17 in the final minute.

It doesn’t matter when it ACTUALLY happened, all that matters is that the finale nail was delivered on the last game of the season with the last play.

In the first meeting, USC played into Stanford’s ball-control hands by giving its running backs only five carries after halftime. Cajuste is coming off his biggest game of the season against Notre Dame.

Kizer threw for 234 yards and ran for 128 more for the Irish.

There’s plenty of credit to go around, as the offensive line, anchored by Ronnie Stanley and Nick Martin, remained relatively healthy and consistently paved wide running lanes for the backs. Smith was able to not only take on those blocks, but to then shed them and make plays.

The first-down play could not have gone much worse.

Watson passed for 279 yards and ran for 114 overall. Cajuste finished with five catches for 125 yards.

And even when the offense stalled late in the game, the defense, which had one of its roughest outings of the year, bailed the Cardinal out with some huge stops.

“I could feel it”, he said. The victor of next Saturday night’s game is going to get a spot in the playoff, whether it’s an undefeated Iowa or a one-loss Michigan State that would own wins over Iowa, Oregon, Ohio State and Michigan.

Bowl officials have an understandable aversion to teams that lose conference title games, because there’s a letdown component that leads to fan apathy – and apathetic fans don’t buy tickets or book hotel rooms.