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that if you want to take that next step in terms of success, you've got to win at home," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. He pointed to Oklahoma's 77-3 record ✦ TOP STORYLINES: NOTRE DAME VS. WFU THE ARA PARSEGHIAN during head coach Bob Stoops' first 13 seasons with the Sooners, before losing to Notre Dame and Kansas State this year. "We want to have that kind of legacy," Kelly said. "We want to build that kind of dominance at home. The first step is win- ning all your games at home, which hasn't happened a long time. … Our guys know that as a real goal." It wasn't until former Notre Dame head coach Frank Leahy's final season in 1953 that the Irish regularly began playing at least four home games each season. In the 60 football campaigns since 1953, this Fighting Irish team is attempting to be- come the 11th to finish unblemished — unbeaten and untied — at home. Only one of the other 10 did not finish in the top 10: 1955 (5-0) — No. 9 finish in the Associ- ated Press poll. 1964 (5-0) — No. 3 in AP poll, awarded MacArthur Bowl, emblematic of a na- tional title. 1966 (5-0) — Consensus national champs. 1970 (5-0) — No. 2 in final polls. 1973 (5-0) — Consensus national champs. 1980 (6-0) — Lost to No. 1 Georgia in Sugar Bowl to finish No. 9. 1987 (5-0) — First AP top-20 finish (No. 17) in seven years. 1988 (7-0) — Consensus national champs. 1989 (5-0) — No. 2 in final AP poll. 1993 (6-0) — No. 2 in final polls despite defeating national champ Florida State at home (31-24). 2012 (5-0 so far) — ? A victory against Wake Forest won't resonate nationally, but at Notre Dame it would be another benchmark achievement in 2012 under Kelly. OF WAKE FOREST This point was made last year and will be repeated: Few coaches in America have done more with fewer resources than 60-year-old Jim Grobe, who is in his 12th season with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. His career record of 73-72 might not elicit much publicity, but it's comparable to the 36-35-1 record produced by Ara Parseghian when he was at Northwestern from 1956-63 prior to accepting the Notre Dame post. Grobe has worked miracles at a football program that is the smallest school among BCS teams (4,775 enrollment), saw its 11 previous head football coaches finish with losing records and ranked among the five programs with the worst winning percent- age after having played at least 800 games. Grobe has taken the Demon Deacons to five bowl games, highlighted by the 2006 Orange Bowl after winning the ACC title with a school-record 11 victories. Last year's 24-17 loss to Notre Dame was another example of a Grobe-coached team possessing nowhere near the depth and talent of the Irish, but maximizing its abilities. Wake Forest held a 17-10-half- time lead before the Irish rallied. Even then, the Demon Deacons twice had the ball at or inside the Irish 10 before coming away with zero points. "You've got to win games like this where it's just a gritty, tough perfor- mance," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said afterwards. That's been the case with each of the first five games in Notre Dame Stadium this year, with none of them won by more than seven points. Maybe Kelly's crew might be due to romp in the finale. Against a well-coached team like Wake Forest, though, it cannot be taken for granted. ✦ Jim Grobe has a career mark of 73-72 at Wake Forest. The school's previous 11 head coaches ended their ten- ures with losing records. ✦ PAGE 10 PHOTO COURTESY WAKE FOREST