Nov. 27, 1999
By ROB GLOSTER
AP Sports Writer
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Right down to the final seconds of their firstlosing season since 1986, the Fighting Irish were ruined by the mistakes thathave haunted them all year.
There were just too many turnovers and too many defensive breakdowns asNotre Dame lost 40-37 to Rose Bowl-bound Stanford on the final play Saturdaynight.
"I doubt we've ever given up as many big plays as we've given up thisyear," Notre Dame coach Bob Davie said. "When you can't cover and youself-destruct and turn the ball over, you can't win."
Mike Biselli kicked a 22-yard field goal, his fourth of the game, as theclock expired. It completed a 68-yard drive that included a roughing the passerpenalty on Notre Dame's Anthony Denman and a 21-yard pass from Todd Husak toDeRonnie Pitts that got the ball to the Irish 5.
Notre Dame tied it at 37 with 1:32 left on a 5-yard scoring pass fromJarious Jackson to Jabari Holloway and a two-point conversion by JoeyGetherall.
Troy Walters caught scoring passes of 62 and 38 yards from Husak, and AaronFocht returned a fumble 37 yards for a touchdown as Stanford (8-3) built anearly lead and then had to rally to defeat Notre Dame (5-7).
"The game was sort of like our season - a lot of ups and downs," Husaksaid. "I like the way it ended with the two-minute drive. I thought they hadmade a mistake giving us a minute and a half. Any time you have receivers likewe do, it puts a lot of pressure on the defensive backs."
Tony Fisher scored three times for the Irish, who fell behind 14-0 in theopening 88 seconds, but battled back to lead twice before ending up with sevenlosses in a season for the first time since 1963.
"It's unfortunate to go 5-7. I never want to be in this situation again,and I never want this football team to be in this situation again," Daviesaid. "I feel bad that we're a 5-7 team and the seniors have to leave likethat, but I'm not embarrassed by this football team."
Stanford, playing in the Rose Bowl for the first time in 28 years, probablyavoided the embarrassment of going unranked into that Jan. 1 showdown againstNo. 4 Wisconsin. The Cardinal, unranked all season, were on the cusp of the Top25 last week.
Walters, who broke the Pac-10 record for yards receiving in a season with183 yards on eight catches against the Irish, gave Stanford a 30-29 lead latein the third period with his 38-yard TD reception.
Backup quarterback Joe Borchard added a 2-yard scoring run with 8:13remaining to give Stanford a 37-29 lead. Stanford, which won a non-conferencegame for the first time in three attempts this season, handed Notre Dame itsfourth straight loss and its seventh straight on the road.
"We were up, we were down, but it showed the character of this team bycoming out on top. We had nothing to play for, but we hung in there and keptplaying," Walters said. "Now we take momentum into the Rose Bowl."
Biselli added field goals of 47, 34 and 31 yards for Stanford, which lostdefensive leader Willie Howard with a strained right knee in the first quarter.The defensive tackle's availability for the Rose Bowl was not immediatelyclear.
Fisher scored on runs of 9 and 1 yards and caught a 42-yard scoring passfrom Jackson. Julius Jones added a 24-yard scoring run.
Walters set a Pac-10 record with 1,456 yards receiving this season, breakingthe mark of 1,373 yards set by Johnnie Morton of Southern California in 1993.
Walters already holds Pac-10 career records for receptions (245) and yardsreceiving (3,995). He broke Morton's record on a 15-yard catch in the secondperiod.
Jackson, who split the playing time with sophomore Arnaz Battle in his finalgame for the Irish, set school records for completions (184) and attempts (316)in a season and added to his record for yards passing (2,753) in a season.
The first 88 seconds of the game seemed to epitomize everything that hasgone wrong for Notre Dame this season.
On Stanford's second play, Walters got behind the defense for the 62-yardscoring bomb from Husak. And two plays later, Notre Dame's Dan O'Leary fumbledafter catching a short pass and the loose ball was returned 37 yards by Fochtfor a 14-0 Stanford lead with 13:32 left in the first quarter.
Jones fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the teams then traded interceptionsbefore Biselli made it 17-0 with his 31-yard field goal.
With Battle at quarterback, Notre Dame drove 72 yards, scoring on Fisher's1-yard run. And Jackson passed to a wide-open Fisher early in the secondquarter to pull the Irish within 17-14.
After Biselli kicked his 47-yarder, Fisher got his third touchdown on a9-yard run to give the Irish their first lead at 21-20. But Biselli kicked a34-yard field goal as the clock ran out in the first half to give Stanford a23-21 halftime lead.
Jones scored early in the third period and Fisher ran for the two-pointconversion to give Notre Dame a 29-23 lead, capping a drive on which the Irishconverted a fourth-and-1 on their own 43.