Irish send UW to bitter defeat
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Washington’s fourth trip to Notre Dame turned into a classic college football game Saturday, featuring seven lead changes and a heart-stopping finish, leaving the 80,795 in attendance and millions watching on TV hoarse with excitement.
The result, however, left Washington quarterback Jake Locker speechless, the most vivid evidence that Washington’s 37-30 overtime loss to Notre Dame was a game the Huskies felt they should have won.
After it was over, Locker asked not to speak to reporters and apparently didn’t say much to anyone else along the way.
“I haven’t seen him this bad,” tailback Chris Polk said. “This was like the absolute worst I’ve seen him.”
Amplifying the pain is that the Huskies might have won it for want of 1 measly yard in a game in which the teams combined for 987 of them.
Twice in the second half, the Huskies were stopped a yard short of a touchdown, each time allowing Notre Dame to stay in the game.
“You know, the bottom line is this game came down to we had two opportunities to score touchdowns from the 1-yard line, two separate occasions, and we came away with three total points,” coach Steve Sarkisian said.
The first opportunity came late in the third quarter when Locker was stopped short on two sneaks from the 1-yard line on third and fourth downs and UW ahead 24-19.
The second failure was even more galling.
With just more than seven minutes left, Polk initially was ruled to have scored on a 6-yard run that could have put UW ahead 31-22. Instead, after a replay review, the play was overturned and the ball placed at the 1-yard line, first-and-goal for the Huskies.
That seemed like no big deal, the way the Huskies were moving the ball. But Polk lost 1 yard on a run, then a Locker to D’Andre Goodwin pass was incomplete and a Locker run went for no gain. The Huskies kicked a field goal, but then caught what looked to be a huge break when Notre Dame was called for roughing the snapper, giving UW another first-and-goal at the Irish 1-yard line.
But again UW couldn’t get it in. A Polk run went for no gain, then after a false-start penalty move the ball back 5 yards, a Locker pass to Paul Homer fell just a foot or so short.
On third down, Locker was stopped. Finally, with 3:04 left in the game, Erik Folk kicked a 24-yard field goal to put UW ahead 27-22, ending a 19-play, 69-yard drive.
Notre Dame then drove 63 yards for a TD and a two-point conversion to go ahead 30-27 with 1:20 left. Typical of UW’s efforts, the Huskies came right back to tie the game with 6 seconds left on a 37-yard field goal by Folk.
Notre Dame scored on its first overtime possession to take a 37-30 lead and UW’s OT possession never really got going, especially after Locker was sacked for a 9-yard loss on second down. On fourth-and-19 from the 34, Locker threw right at the goal line to a leaping Goodwin, who was sandwiched by Notre Dame safeties Harrison Smith and Kyle McCarthy.
“It was almost one of the greatest catches of all time,” Sarkisian said.
Instead, it left the Huskies 2-3 on the season, 0-8 against Notre Dame, and wondering what hit them.
“We can’t stand it,” linebacker Cort Dennison said. “I mean, last year it was all right to be close. But this year, we are all sick to our stomachs. None of us are talking in the locker room. It’s not a good feeling. It’s heartbreaking because we were so close.”
Notre Dame 37, Washington 30 (OT)
| Washington | 7 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 0 | — | 30 |
| Notre Dame | 3 | 13 | 3 | 11 | 7 | — | 37 |
Wash—Locker 5 run (Folk kick)
ND—FG Tausch 34
ND—FG Tausch 40
ND—FG Tausch 34
Wash—Trufant 17 fumble return (Folk kick)
ND—Tate 67 pass from Clausen (Tausch kick)
Wash—FG Folk 40
ND—FG Tausch 21
Wash—Kearse 8 pass from Locker (Folk kick)
ND—FG Tausch 24
Wash—FG Folk 24
ND—Rudolph 12 pass from Clausen (Hughes run)
Wash—FG Folk 37
ND—Hughes 1 run (Tausch kick)
| Wash | ND | |
| First downs | 25 | 23 |
| Rushes-yards | 39-176 | 29-108 |
| Passing | 281 | 422 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 22-40-0 | 23-31-1 |
| Return Yards | 10 | 0 |
| Punts-Avg. | 4-40.5 | 2-39.5 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-1 | 1-1 |
| Penalties-Yards | 13-82 | 6-43 |
| Time of Possession | 32:29 | 27:31 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Washington, C.Polk 22-136, Locker 16-33, Fogerson 1-7.
Notre Dame, Hughes 8-70, Allen 12-39, Tate 1-31, Clausen 8-(minus 32).
PASSING—Washington, Locker 22-40-0-281. Notre Dame,
Clausen 23-31-1-422.
RECEIVING—Washington, Kearse 8-94, Middleton 4-33, Goodwin 3-65,
J.Johnson 2-59, Fogerson 2-16, C.Polk 2-9, Homer 1-5. Notre Dame,
Tate 9-244, Rudolph 4-53, Evans 4-34, Allen 3-20, Parris 2-46, Hughes 1-25.