Blue and Gold Illustrated

January 2013

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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Brown Delivers in Norman Oct. 27 Golson faked a hand-off at the 35yard line, stepped up in the pocket and released a 50-yard bomb down the middle of the field to freshman wide receiver Chris Brown. The first catch of Brown���s career ripped the momentum away from No.��8 Oklahoma in a raucous Memorial Stadium. Golson scored on a oneyard run five plays later and No.�� 5 Notre Dame went on to a 30���13 signature victory. The win that legitimized the 8-0 Irish team in the eyes of the rest of the country would not have happened without the two rookies finally connecting on a home run ball. Oklahoma had just tied the game at 13-13 with a Blake Bell touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The Sooners, who were 79-4 on their home turf under head coach Bob Stoops entering the game, were making their move when the Irish offense stopped them in their tracks with the pass from Golson to Brown. Kelly tried several times during the season to get Brown, his fastest wide receiver, behind the opposing defense. He came close on other attempts, but was never able to reel in the deep passes. Against Oklahoma, Golson���s fake held the Sooners safety in place and gave the speedy freshman time to break free on his post route. ���We saw the man-to-man coverage and I think the play-action kind of set it up. Brown ended up winning and made a great move. I just stepped up in the pocket and gave it a little bit of air,��� Golson said. Golson completed only 13 of 25 passes that night, but he was on the money when it counted most. Notre Dame���s Big Break Nov. 3 No undefeated season is bereft of a little luck, and Notre Dame got its share against Pittsburgh on the first weekend in November. The medley of mistakes from Kelly���s team created a perfect recipe for an upset. Turnovers, big plays and mental mistakes put Notre Dame in a two-touchdown hole heading into the fourth quarter. A gutsy performance from Golson guided the Irish to overtime, where he would need three extra frames and a major assist from Touchdown Jesus to stay unbeaten as a college starter. A fumble by senior running back Cierre Wood at the goal line gave Pitt the chance for an upset win in double overtime. Pitt running back Ray Graham set up senior kicker Kevin Harper for a 33-yard field goal to win the game. Harper left the kick to the right and Golson scored in the next overtime to give the Irish a 29���26 win. The big break, though, didn���t come to light until the following day when more watchful eyes spotted that in a desperate move to block the field goal Notre Dame put athletic leapers Chris Brown and Bennett Jackson on the field. Both were wearing No. 2 on their jerseys, which should have been a five-yard penalty and a fresh set of down for the Panthers. ���It was a coaching mistake. We had put our ���desperado��� team out there and Chris Brown is part of desperado.

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