Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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We���ve got to do a better job ��� an oversight that can���t happen,��� Kelly said the following day. Lucky for him, the referees made just as big of a mistake. The play went unnoticed. Notre Dame breathed a deep sigh of relief and moved on to the next week. Back On Top Nov. 17 The drama on Notre Dame���s Senior Day happened in front of a television screen. The Irish left no doubt on the field. They built a 21-0 lead in the first quarter on their way to a comfortable 38-0 blowout against Wake Forest. Finally, Notre Dame found a way to post some much-discussed style points ��� a point that would become moot a few hours later. After the game Kelly gathered with friends and neighbors to watch the two undefeated teams ahead of his, Kansas State and Oregon, play in prime time. ���We probably had about 12-15 people cheering quite loudly,��� Kelly said. They had plenty to cheer about. A middling Baylor team handled No.�� 1 Kansas State easily, winning 52���24 and opening a spot for the Irish in the national championship game. Prior to Kansas State���s loss it looked as if even a 12-0 season wouldn���t be enough to give Notre Dame a shot at a championship. Thirty minutes later on the West Coast, Stanford tied Oregon and sent the undefeated No. 2 Ducks to overtime. Oregon kicker Alejandro Maldonado clanked a field goal off the upright, which allowed the Cardinal to pull of an upset and launch Notre Dame to the top of the BCS standings. For the first time in 19 years, the Irish had a No. 1 in front of their names. Impromptu celebrations materialized across campus and inside the Kelly household. Was the normally reserved head coach pumped enough to lead the cheers? ���Heck yeah,��� he said. Riddick Runs Wild Nov. 24 Theo Riddick was dead in the water. USC defenders Josh Shaw and Morgan Breslin locked in on the Irish senior in the backfield with a chance to finally drag down the running back who had eluded them all night. Riddick spun and the Trojans duo tackled air. He picked up another 15 yards on the play adding to his career-high 146 rushing yards on the night. Riddick pounded No. 1 Notre Dame into a national title game by exhibiting the type of hard-nosed running that surprised Irish faithful all season. He started the year by running for 107 yards in Dublin, announcing himself as a legitimate between-the-tackles threat and setting the tone for an Irish team that averaged 202.5 yards per game on the ground this season. Riddick evolved into Notre Dame���s grinder during the season while leading the team in carries (180) and yards (880). That last spin move put the Irish into field goal range and gave them a comfortable 22-13 cushion. The converted wide receiver also scored Notre Dame���s lone touchdown earlier in the