Sept. 25, 2010
Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery
This is just the third win in series history at Notre Dame Stadium (10-3) and first win in South Bend since 1992.It is also the first time Stanford has won in back-to-back meetings. The series is now 17-8 in Notre Dame's favor.
Coach Jim Harbaugh is now 21-20 at Stanford and the Cardinal are now 4-2 under Harbaugh as a ranked team. It is the first 4-0 start for Stanford since 1986 and just the sixth time since 1940 that Stanford has gone 4-0 to start a season. Owen Marecic scored 13 seconds a part on a rushing TD in the fourth (7:58) and his first career interception (7:45). He had his first career sack last week. It was the first time since Eric Weddle (now with the Chargers) ran two interceptions and scored a rushing TD for Utah against San Diego State on September 23, 2006 that a player has scored on offense and defense. It is the fourth time it has happened since 2003. Former Irish kicker and current Stanford senior Nate Whitaker has now made 13-straight field goals dating back to last season (a 21, 23, 29, 33 and 41 yarder in this game). The five field goals tied a single-game record, set by John Hopkins at Cal in 1990. It bests Whitaker's previous best of three he hit against Notre Dame last year. He is 8-for-8 against his former mates in two games. He transferred to Stanford in 2008. Stanford is perfect inside the Red Zone this season, converting on all seven possessions today and 26-of-26 for the season. Shayne Skov recorded his first two career sacks in the first quarter. Andrew Luck threw his first and second interceptions of the season in the second (1:21) and third quarters (6:20). Both tipped passes were the first time the third-year sophomore was intercepted since Cal in the second to last regular season game in 2009. He threw just four INTs last year. Lemont, IL native (just outside Chicago) and senior Coby Fleener caught his second career touchdown pass (3:37) in the first quarter. The 3-0 lead by the Irish in the first (8:11) was the first time Stanford had trailed all season.