Hogan, Cajuste have tremendous Senior Night as Stanford stuns Notre Dame in

A win against the No. 9 Cardinal would not have guaranteed a spot in the four-team playoff, but it would have boosted Notre Dame’s resume. 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. “I was unable to find them until we were nearly back in the locker room”.

Hogan threw for 269 yards and led the winning drive in the final 30 seconds for the Cardinal.

Timeout Stanford with 10 seconds left.

“I turned out of my break, and the ball was there waiting for me”, Cajuste said. “Oh, wait, yeah. Sorry, I’m blanking out, I did”. Kizer’s play isn’t the explanation for any disappointment; the redshirt freshman quarterback is the major reason that this team even had a chance at what it almost achieved. But it didn’t matter to Notre Dame in a strong effort that ultimately went for naught. It hasn’t been pretty, just effective. “Just belief in the work that we put in, belief in our preparation, belief in our struggles”.

Ukropina has had a breakthrough season for the Cardinal.

That belief, and those 45 yards, helped to propel then-No. “And he nailed it”.

Shaw said: “We saw some seam lanes inside”.

That has helped him become an even bigger leader. “And he was 100 percent over the summer”.

When it looked like the defenses were finally bearing down to win the game in the fourth quarter, Kizer stepped up. “They’ve earned it, they all worked so hard and have really built this program around senior leadership”.

Hogan is coming off perhaps his signature performance in his final home game. His late father, Jerry, attended Notre Dame, as did numerous family members.

Northwestern has risen once again in Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings, but remains behind Notre Dame, Baylor and Florida State. “Before he even broke, I knew where he was going to be”.

“Thanks Coach”, Hogan said. “But when you play in the same year, you guard against [thinking] the same thing that worked the last time will work this time”. More Information For more on college football, follow Tom Davis on Twitter at Tom101010.

The much-maligned (at least in South Bend) Stanford band plays Free’s “All Right Now” as its de facto fight song throughout the game. “Just because he’s injured, he’s there on the sideline coaching us up”.

For Hogan, the game was personal.

Hogan began his career on The Farm with 10 wins in as many starts under center.

Irish junior receiver Will Fuller catches his 73-yard touchdown reception Saturday at Stanford. The others? John Elway and Andrew Luck, eventual No. 1 overall picks in the National Football League draft.

Perfection was the theme of the night for Hogan as he was 4-for-4 on passes in the red zone, all scores.

“Kevin is a great competitor, and he’s a class act”, Kelly said. He threw the ball effectively and hit us with big plays down the field. “That’s what we expect when we play Kevin Hogan”. But Stanford kept its composure and drove 45 yards in five plays to set up a 45-yard field goal attempt by Conrad Ukoprina.

Notre Dame had taken the lead the previous possession when Adams burst through the line for a 62-yard touchdown run as the offenses dominated. The committee thought so last week, placing Oklahoma third and Notre Dame sixth.

A Notre Dame facemask penalty on a short gain by Hogan proved crucial in stopping the clock and allowing the Cardinal to move into field-goal position if it could make a single play, and that’s what happened.

And while Kelly is right about one series or one play, there were a couple Saturday that left Kizer, defensive lineman Sheldon Day and many others in white and navy and gold, in disbelief.

Having an exciting team like Stanford in the playoffs would only be a good thing. He finished with 94 yards on 27 carries. However, on the next Stanford drive, Hogan threw another touchdown pass, this one to Devon Cajuste to put Stanford up 14-7. His ability to step into the box and bash the Stanford lead blockers was the most surprising part of his game.

Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey runs against Notre Dame during the first half on Saturday in Stanford. Stanford’s next game is the Pac 12 Championship Game on December 5th against the USC Trojans.

“We had talked about letting them score”, Shaw said. We’re 10-2 with a really tough schedule – no 1-AA teams on there.

Saturday’s Big Ten championship will go a long way in lending the Hawkeye’s season authenticity. What the national chatter is, that’s not up to me, that’s not up to us.

“I don’t know a better quarterback in college football in the two-minute drill”, Shaw said.

Admittedly, a few dominoes must fall to make the case for the Irish – the first being a USC victory over Stanford in the Pac-12 title game. “I love the guys and all our focus is on the next one, as it should be”.

Shaw reluctantly admitted that the first matchup served as a much-needed confidence boost for his players, a return to basics that set the tone for the rest of the season. (Consider his Heisman Trophy candidacy on hold for a week.).

Notre Dame trailed 14-7 with 1:54 remaining in the opening quarter when the Irish had their first play from scrimmage.