Stanford rallies from 10 points down, beats Notre Dame 17-10

Nothing seemed to be going right for Stanford until cornerback Quenton Meeks changed the momentum when he intercepted a pass by Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown.

Wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside recovered a fumble in the end zone after Bryce Love fumbled on the goal line to cap the comeback in a 17-10 victory Saturday night as Stanford rallied back from a 10-point deficit.

Stanford coach David Shaw said the interception by Meeks was key.

"Quenton Meeks is a ball hawk. We saw that last year," Shaw said. "He's got great instincts on top of his physical tools. He's long, he's physical, he's smart, and he's got a feel for the ball."

The Irish defense, which had forced three previous turnovers in their own territory, had a chance to recover the fumble but linebacker Nyles Morgan tried to scoop up the ball. When he failed to pick it up, Arcega-White recovered it. Stanford, playing without injured Christian McCaffrey, added a 2-point conversion on a pitch to Love, who ran in untouched.

Shaw said the Cardinal never stopped fighting.

"For us, the second-half mantra that we continued to say was keep playing hard, good things happen. Just keep playing hard. Don't worry about the last play, don't worry about the mistake you just made, just keep playing hard, and we started to feel it on the sidelines," Stanford coach David Shaw said.

It was the opposite for the Irish, who couldn't do much right in the second half.

"We made some mistakes and we couldn't get the momentum back," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said.

Stanford (4-2), which started the season ranked No. 8, averted losing three straight for the first time since 2007. The Irish (2-5) ranked No. 10 in the preseason, lost a third straight home game for the first time since 2007.

Notre Dame had a chance to tie it in the closing seconds. But DeShone Kizer couldn't get a pass off on fourth-and-10 from the 14. He was about to be sacked and he appeared to try to pitch the ball to left guard Quenton Nelson, but the officials ruled it a fumble and blew the ball dead. It was the fourth time this season where the Irish had a chance to tie or win the game on the final possession and couldn't do it.

Shaw said the play of the defense was key.

Meeks, who missed the previous two games with an injury, picked off Kizer on the first possession of the second half to cut the score to 10-7. "Once the ball was in the air, I felt it was mine," he said. "I just didn't regard him (the receiver) and just went and got the ball, and my next thought was the end zone."

Malik Zaire replaced Kizer for three possessions but couldn't get anything going and the Irish gave up a safety when a snap from center Sam Mustipher, who had three bad snaps in the hurricane last week against North Carolina State, snapped the ball through the end zone.

Kelly said Kizer wasn't injured, he was just looking for a spark.

"I just felt like it was important to try to get some energy back," he said. "I thought going to Malik would do that."

THE TAKEAWAY

Stanford: The Cardinal, who had one offensive touchdown in each of their last three games, continued to struggle offensively but came up with the big play when it needed it. Stanford drove 47 yards on 12 plays on its opening possession, but Conrad Ukropina's 45-yard field goal attempt bounced off the upright.

Notre Dame: The Irish defense, which had given up at least 30 points to the first four Power 5 opponents it faced this season, held an opponent to 17 points or less for a second week.

MCCAFFREY INJURY

Shaw said McCaffrey wasn't close to be ready to play. "Now, there's a good shot next week. There's a chance next week. Just couldn't go today," Shaw said.

KELLY ANNOYED

Kelly became annoyed at something a Stanford strength coach said to him after the game. Asked what he said, Kelly said: "Bye-bye." Asked if that was all, Kelly said: "Yeah, bye-bye."

UP NEXT

Stanford: The Cardinal return to Pac-12 play with a home game against Colorado next Saturday, a team it has beaten five straight times.

Notre Dame: The Irish get the week off before hosting No. 16 Miami on Oct. 29.

NC State beats Notre Dame 10-3 as Matthew churns through NC

One by one, the North Carolina State players took off running after the game ended, heading straight for the puddle at the 25-yard line.

After a sloppy day of belly-flops and splashdowns, it was time to turn the field at Carter-Finley Stadium into a slip-and-slide.

The Wolfpack beat Notre Dame 10-3 on Saturday in a game played in hurricane conditions and after the start of the second half was delayed because of lightning.

"This is a game to remember," N.C. State tight end Pharoah McKeever said. "I'll probably remember it until the day I die. Raining, playing in a hurricane, not knowing if we were going to play or not. Lightning delay, in the locker room for 30 more minutes. ... And then after the game, doing field slides in the mud. This was just something to remember."

A waterlogged field saturated by Hurricane Matthew's heavy rains and wind-whipped by its gusts rendered both offenses ineffective, so N.C. State (4-1) beat the Fighting Irish (2-4) with special teams and defense - with Dexter Wright returning a blocked punt for the go-ahead touchdown with 12:43 remaining.

That TD came after McKeever fought through a block fromNic Weishar up the middle to deflect Tyler Newsome's punt. All Wright had to do was scoop up the ball - not an easy task on a day like this - and head for the end zone.

"I didn't even have to see the block," Wright said. "I heard it."

Notre Dame put together a late drive into the N.C. State red zone, but a shotgun snap on fourth-and-8 squibbed past DeShone Kizer with 1:52 left and the Wolfpack ran out the clock.

The teams combined for five turnovers, had a total of 10 fumbles and lost four of them. In a sequence that perfectly captured the day, Notre Dame coughed the ball up with about 10 minutes left in the second quarter on a bad snap - only to get it right back when N.C. State fumbled on its next snap.

"Both teams turned the ball over in very difficult conditions," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. "Both teams had a hard time moving the football. Both field-goal kickers managed to eke one over the uprights in sloppy conditions. We give up a flippin' blocked punt for a touchdown, and that's the difference in this one."

THE TAKEAWAY

Notre Dame: The sloppy conditions helped the Fighting Irish's oft-criticized defense post its best numbers of the season. After allowing at least 489 total yards to every Power Five opponent they've faced, they gave up just 198 yards in this one.

But that went both ways. The potent Fighting Irish offense managed just 113 total yards on 64 offensive plays, and had just 41 yards through three quarters. Kizer was sacked five times and was just 9 of 26 for 54 yards - the worst game of his career, aside from a 0-for-1 day against Texas last year.

"We don't have any excuses," Kelly said. "We were atrocious offensively."

N.C. State: The weather also shackled the Wolfpack's potent offense, which hung at least 30 points on every other opponent. QB Ryan Finley - who completed nearly 73 percent of his passes in four games - was just 5 of 12 for 27 yards with a rating of 60.6. He entered with a passer rating of 171.43 - good for 11th nationally.

But for N.C. State, the bottom line was this: With games against No. 3 Clemson, No. 7 Louisville, No. 23 Florida State, No. 17 North Carolina and No. 10 Miami still ahead on the schedule, this was a game the Wolfpack had to have.

STAT LINE

N.C. State was 2 of 14 on third downs - and was still better than the Fighting Irish, who were 1 of 15.

HE SAID IT

"Summer day in Michigan, I guess," - N.C. State kicker and Wixom, Michigan, native Kyle Bambard on the conditions.

UP NEXT

Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish return home next week for their annual rivalry game with No. 15 Stanford.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack begin a brutal two-game Atlantic Division run on the road with a visit to Clemson next week, followed by a trip to Louisville.

Kizer covers for shaky D as Notre Dame beats Syracuse 50-33

DeShone Kizer threw for a career-best 465 yards to help Notre Dame overcome another shaky performance by its defense and special teams and beat Syracuse 50-33 Saturday.

The Irish snapped a two-game losing streak, but did not show much defensive improvement in the first game since Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly fired coordinator Brian VanGorder. The Irish (2-3) allowed more than 30 points for the fourth time this season.

The tackling on punt coverage might have been even more concerning. Syracuse's Brisly Estime had a 74-yard return late in the first half that setup a touchdown for the Orange and left Kelly fuming on the sideline.

Kizer and the offense made it all OK. He connected on three touchdown passes - two to Equanimeous St. Brown - that covered at least 54 yards each and ran for a score. Dexter Williams reversed field on a 59-yard touchdown run that made it 47-27 midway through the third quarter.

Eric Dungey passed for 325 yards and two touchdowns and ran for three scores for Syracuse (2-3).

TAKEAWAY

Syracuse: The Orange defense has already been shredded by Lamar Jackson and Louisville and now Kizer and Notre Dame. An in-season fix seems unlikely. The middle of the field always seems to be open against the Orange secondary. FYI: Clemson and Deshaun Watson play the Orange on Nov. 5.

Notre Dame: Kelly elevated Greg Hudson from analyst to coordinator and got more involved in the defense this week. Kelly pledged to play more players and make a few tweaks, and the players said they would play with a renewed passion. There is still a long way to go. The Irish secondary still struggled to stop deep passes and the front got little pressure on the quarterback. Positives: The Orange ran for only 117 yards. The Irish allowed seven second-half points and did a decent job of tackling after the catch when Syracuse used quick, short passes.

UP NEXT

Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish make their first trip to North Carolina State.

Syracuse: The Orange play at Wake Forest.

Reed kicks game-winning field goal as Duke beats Notre Dame

AJ Reed kicked a 19-yard field goal with 84 seconds left as Duke rallied back from an early two-touchdown deficit to beat Notre Dame 38-35 on Saturday.

Reed had missed all three of his field goal attempts this season before kicking the game winner. Duke coach David Cutcliffe, who opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the 19 early in the fourth quarter and failed, said he didn't hesitate to let Reed attempt the field goal, saying the team had confidence in him.

"That unit there, they believe in him and he's got a lot of talent. I know when it came down there at the end - the field goal - there was no doubt in my mind he was going to make it," he said.

Reed said he knew his teammates were behind him.

"They were all telling me that they had my back and that they knew I was going to get it done for them," he said.

Daniel Jones threw for three touchdowns, including a 64-yard scoring pass to Anthony Nash midway through the fourth quarter to tie the score as Duke beat the Irish for just the second time. The first win was in their first meeting, a 9-7 victory in Durham, North Carolina, in 1958. Jones was 24 of 32 passing for 290 yards and Duke rushed for 208 yards.

"I think we were, as a team, executing at such a high level. We weren't perfect by any stretch, but overall, we were executing more consistently than we had been," Jones said.

With DeVon Edwards out with what likely is a season-ending knee injury sustained on Notre Dame's first kickoff,Shaun Wilson returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score to spark the Blue Devils (2-2) after they fell behind 14-0. The Duke defense set up the final touchdown when it sacked DeShone Kizer for a 7-yard loss at the 5-yard line andDeondre Singleton intercepted a pass at the Notre Dame 45.

The Irish defense continued to struggle, giving up 30 or more points against Power Five teams for the seventh time in their last nine games. The student section chanted "Fire VanGorder," referring to defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said the coaching of the defense is one of the few areas he wasn't disappointed in, saying he doesn't think it was a factor in the outcome. He said Duke was grittier and more determined than the Irish, who opened the season ranked No. 10.

"I told our guys, essentially, that we're going in the wrong direction. We're not going to continue to go in this direction. We'll have to reevaluate what we're doing, who we're doing it with, and how we're doing it," he said.

Nash had six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns and Jela Duncan ran for 121 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.

Kizer was 22 of 37 passing for 381 yards with two touchdowns, an interception and a fumble to lead the Irish (1-3). Kizer threw a 12-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter that put Notre Dame ahead for the first time since squandering a 14-0 lead, but the Irish couldn't hang on.

The Blue Devils, who managed a total of 27 points in losses to Wake Forest and Duke, scored 28 in the first half against the Irish. Duke scored three straight touchdowns after falling behind 14-0.

THE TAKEAWAY

Duke: The Blue Devils defense continued to struggle to stop big plays, allowing 10 passes of 20 yards or more. But they came up with the big plays when they had to, forcing three turnovers while allowing one.

Notre Dame: The Irish came out with the sense of urgency coach Brian Kelly preached all week after falling behind by double digits in losses to Texas and Michigan State, jumping to a 14-0 lead. But they couldn't keep the momentum going, and struggled to do anything consistently well.

UP NEXT

Duke: After back-to-back trips to the Midwest, the Blue Devils return home to face Virginia, a team it has beaten in six of their last eight meetings.

Notre Dame: The Irish travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey, to play Syracuse, the first of three neutral-site games they will play this season.

No. 12 Spartans hold on for 36-28 win over No. 18 Irish

Twelfth-ranked Michigan State didn't panic when No. 18 Notre Dame scored three straight touchdowns to cut a 29-point lead to 36-28 with just over six minutes left.

The Irish didn't get any closer after Kizer was sacked for a 5-yard loss byRaequan Williams on third-and-2 and Notre Dame punted with 3:37 left in the game and the Spartans (2-0) ran out the clock.

"I thought our guys played very confidently," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. "I'm not sure at the end if their coach was confident, totally. But we found a way and our guys kept playing."

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said the Irish would have had a chance if not for missed tackles, a problem that's plagued them in both losses this season.

"We had great situation there late to make a couple tackles, and we just simply didn't make it," he said.

Tyler O'Connor, a fifth-year senior making his third career start, was 19 of 26 passing for 241 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on a deflected pass. He said beating the Irish, the team he grew up cheering for was a "dream come true."

"I didn't even dream about it, it was so surreal, to come in here and play and start in a game, and then take a knee in Notre Dame Stadium, and throw up your hands and realize you've won. It's a tremendous feeling," he said.

Gerald Holmes ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns, including a 73-yard score, saying he was inspired by the death of his grandmother.

"I was in the middle of meetings and I broke out in tears and ran out. But I knew I had a game today and I got the motivation from her to come out here and ball," he said.

He credited the offensive line for his big run.

"They probably blocked the best they ever have since I've been here," he said.

Dantonio said he couldn't recall the last time the Spartans dominated as they had late in the second quarter and early in the third.

"It got tougher and tougher in the fourth quarter running the football. ... They kept playing and fought their way back into the football game right there at the end."

Kelly said the mistakes were too much.

"We got too far behind. When you get into that kind of hole it's hard to dig out of," he said.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

MICHIGAN STATE: The Spartans record streak of being ranked will stretch to 45 straight weeks, dating back to Oct. 27, 2013 with the win over the Irish and they are likely to move up in the AP poll.

NOTRE DAME: With two losses in the first three games for the first time since 2011, the Irish could fall out of the poll for the first time since the end of the 2014 season.

THE TAKEAWAY

MICHIGAN STATE: Michigan State's offense showed there was no need for concern after an unimpressive opening-game victory over FCS Furman, beating Notre Dame to end a three-game losing streak to the Irish. Good pressure by Michigan State's front seven and good coverage by the secondary kept Kizer scrambling at times and the Irish couldn't get their running game going.

NOTRE DAME: Mistakes hurt the Irish from the start, with an opening kickoff return for a touchdown by C.J. Sandersbeing called back on a holding penalty by Jalen Elliott. A bouncing punt hit Notre Dame's Miles Boykins and was recovered by Michigan State long snapper Collin Caflisch at the Notre Dame 38 early, and Sanders fumbled at the end of 19-yard catch that Michigan State linebacker Jon Reschke recovered. Fans booed Notre Dame with 5 minutes left in the third quarter following a pair of runs for no gain.

UP NEXT

MICHIGAN STATE: The Spartans begin Big Ten play hosting Wisconsin, which they haven't faced since a 16-13 overtime victory in 2012 to end the Badgers' 21-game home winning streak.

NOTRE DAME: The Irish begin a stretch of three straight games against Atlantic Coast Conference teams, which Notre Dame is a member in for most sports aside from football, when it plays Duke. Notre Dame is 3-1 all-time against the Blue Devils.

Kizer leads No. 18 Notre Dame to 39-10 win over Nevada

Notre Dame's defense got going after stuffing Nevada on a fourth-and-1 from the 17 on Nevada's first possession. The offense didn't get going until the second quarter.

Nevada (1-1) was no match for the 18th-ranked Fighting Irish once they got both sides going, overpowering the Wolf Pack 39-10 on Saturday. DeShone Kizer threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, Josh Adamsrushed for 106 yards on 10 carries and Notre Dame's defense rebounded from a disappointing performance a week ago at Texas.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly was pleased with the defensive effort.

"We needed some confidence, so that fourth down was definitely a confidence-builder for our defense. I think that gave us some momentum going into the next couple of drives," he said.

Linebacker James Onwualu said it was a stop the Irish (1-1) desperately needed.

"We never had a drive where the defense had any momentum in the Texas game," he said.

Defensive lineman Jarron Jones also set up a touchdown with an interception at the 8-yard line.

Kizer was 15 of 18 for 156 yards with one interception and Equanimeous St. Brown led Irish receivers with six catches for 85 yards with Torii Hunter Jr. out with a concussion sustained against Texas.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said Kizer showed more patience looking for receivers.

"The other thing is he's taking what's available to him instead of trying to do too much," Kelly said.

Nevada coach Brian Polian, a former Notre Dame assistant under Charlie Weis, said he had no doubt about going for it on fourth down.

"Because field goals were not going to keep us in this game," he said.

The Wolf Pack avoided the shutout when Wyatt Demps caught a 44-yard pass from Stewart in the third quarter to set up a 27-yard field goal by Brent Zuzo. Jaxson Kincaide added a 6-yard TD run against Notre Dame's reserves late in the fourth quarter. Stewart was 10 of 23 passing for 113 yards and James Butler, who rushed for 1,342 yards last season, was held to 50 yards on 17 carries.

"I had a little bit of an off day and you can't afford to have those," Stewart said.

BIG QUARTER

The Irish took control with a 25-point second quarter - the most points in the quarter for Notre Dame since scoring 28 points against Pittsburgh in Weis' debut as coach in 2005.

KNUCKLEHEAD MISTAKES

Both teams struggled with mental errors, highlighted by a safety by Nevada's Ahki Muhammad being called for a safety when he caught a kickoff and carried it out of the end zone, then stepped back into the end zone and kneeled.

"There were some points in the game where, frankly, we made some knuckleheaded mistakes," Polian said.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

NOTRE DAME: The easy win over Nevada won't do much to help the Fighting Irish in The Associated Press poll, but it also won't hurt.

THE TAKEAWAY

NEVADA: The Wolf Pack, who lost to the Irish 35-0 in 2009, managed to avoid being shut out again, and picked up a $1 million guarantee.

NOTRE DAME: The defensive performance should help allay the panic among Irish fans for at least a week after giving up 50 to Texas, but they won't truly feel good until Notre Dame shows it can slow a quality opponent.

UP NEXT

NEVADA: After barely beating FCS Cal Poly and being dominated by Notre Dame, the Wolf Pack will finally play another mid-major conference opponent next week in Buffalo (0-1), which is off this week, before returning to Indiana to play another Power Five foe in Purdue in two weeks.

NOTRE DAME: Faces Michigan State, marking its first game against a Big Ten school since a 43-40 overtime loss to Northwestern on Nov. 15. 2014. Before last season the last time the Irish didn't play a school now in the Big Ten was 1914.

Texas beats No. 10 Notre Dame 50-47 in 2OT thriller

After two losing seasons and with the pressure of an entire program bearing down, Charlie Strong turned his team over to a freshman quarterback for Texas' opener, something no Longhorns coach had done in more than 70 years.

He even called Shane Buechele's mom the night before to say her son would start against No. 10 Notre Dame. She started crying.

"I told him don't let her down," Strong said.

Buechele didn't, and instead delivered big time with 280 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns before Tyrone Swoopes, the senior he beat out for the job, punched in a lunging 6-yard touchdown in the second overtime for a thrilling 50-47 win Sunday night.

"I said a year ago we probably would have lost that football game because we didn't know how to finish," Strong said.

Buechele was the first freshman quarterback to start a season-opener at Texas since Bobby Layne in 1944.

"You knew (Buechele) could handle it. You knew the stage wouldn't be too big," Strong said.

Yet it was Swoopes who won it in the end. Disappointed not to start, Swoopes still played a huge role in the offense with three touchdowns and big runs that punished Notre Dame tacklers who struggled to bring him down.

On the winning score, Swoopes broke a tackle, burst up the middle and stretched the ball across the line. Swoopes has been booed by Texas fans the last two seasons and was treated to a chorus of "Swooooooopes" from the Texas-record crowd of 102,315.

"With that chant and booing, I can't really tell the difference," Swoopes said.

Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer rallied the Irish from a 31-14 deficit in the third quarter and finished with 215 yards passing and five touchdowns.

Texas went ahead 37-35 on D'Onte Foreman's 18-yard touchdown run before Notre Dame blocked the extra point and Shaun Crawford returned it for a 2-point score that tied it at 37 with just under four minutes left.

Strong, and Longhorn fans, had seen Texas collapse and lose games late the previous two seasons.

"This is a great start for us," Strong said. "Our fans really needed that. We've been down for so long. ... It was a night for us to just make it right."

THE TAKEAWAY

Notre Dame: Coach Brian Kelly will have to consider scrapping the quarterback rotation between Kizer and Malik Zairethat sapped momentum and helped dig the Irish into a big hole.

"No final decision has been made," Kelly said. "It's never easy playing two quarterbacks."

Texas: A huge win for Strong, who is trying to avoid being the first Texas coach with three consecutive losing seasons since the 1930s. It's been said time and again in recent years, but the Longhorns sure look as if they've got their quarterback, despite some sputters in the second half.

"We needed tonight to get this program back in the spotlight," Strong said. "I know one game does not make a season. We have many more to go. But it's a great start."

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Notre Dame: A loss means a drop, but how far? The Irish sure didn't look like a top-10 team when the Longhorns were pushing them around early.

Texas: Texas hasn't been ranked since late 2013 when Mack Brown was coach. Beating a top-10 opponent with big plays, tough running and late moxie probably earns a return to the Top 25.

18-WHEELER

Swoopes ran the "18-wheeler" package - so-named because he wears No. 18 - to near perfection, moving the chains and punishing Notre Dame tacklers in the process. He finished with 53 yards on 13 carries and was a dynamic change of pace when he came on for Buechele.

"He's 260 pounds and runs big," said Notre Dame defensive lineman Isaac Rochell.

INJURY REPORT

Notre Dame: Wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. was knocked out of the game in the third quarter on a ferocious hit fromDeShon Elliott in the end zone that broke up an Irish touchdown.

Kelly said he had "heated" discussions with game officials asking why the play wasn't reviewed for a possible penalty.

TEXAS: Safety Dylan Haines left the game in the second quarter with a head injury.

UP NEXT

Notre Dame: The Irish play their home opener against Nevada on Saturday. The Wolf Pack beat Cal-Poly 30-27 in overtime in their first game.

Texas: Texas hosts Texas-El Paso, which beat New Mexico State 38-22.