Notre Dame holds Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor on fourth-and-1 at the goal line, winning its sixth straight game without a loss in its most promising season since 2002. (Photo: Jonathan Daniel)
Did we just witness another Notre Dame classic?
Notre Dame knew that Stanford was not going to be an easy win. But they never expected to be in an overtime situation trying to hold Stanford in a goal line stand.
A determined Notre Dame defense, whose vocabulary did not include the phrase “give up,” stopped running back Stepfan Taylor just inches from the goal line on fourth down in overtime. After a waterlogged 20-13 victory over the No. 17 Cardinal, the Fighting Irish move up to the number five spot in the AP poll and BCS standings this morning.
Taylor did everything within his power to get the ball across the goal line, and his knee did not appear to hit the ground before reaching the ball across the goal line. But the officials ruled that the ball crossed the line after the whistle was blown, and the play was stopped. Taylor finished the day with 102 yards on 28 carries. Unfortunately for the Cardinal, he came up one yard short of a victory.
The Notre Dame sideline spilled out onto the field but the celebration was halted in order to allow the officials to review the play. The call stood as is and the field was flooded by Irish fans from the stands. Notre Dame’s national title hopes stay alive for another week. The Irish are 6-0 for the first time since 2002. “Physically, we controlled the line of scrimmage,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said of the game’s last play. “Classic. Classic goal line stand.”
Read more at NoCoastBias ...
Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment