South Bend, IN (Sports Network) - Tommy Rees came off the bench to throw a 7-
yard touchdown pass to TJ Jones in overtime, while the Notre Dame defense
followed with a goal-line stand to keep the No. 7 Fighting Irish unbeaten with
a thrilling 20-13 victory over 17th-ranked Stanford on a soggy Saturday in
South Bend.
Rees also helped engineer a 12-play, 79-yard drive capped by Kyle Brindza's
22-yard field goal near the end of regulation after taking over midway through
the series for injured starter Everett Golson. He finished 4-for-4 for 43
yards as the Irish moved to 6-0 for the first time since 2002.
Golson, who exited with a possible concussion on an illegal hit with just over
three minutes left in the fourth quarter, went 12-of-24 for 141 yards and
fired a 24-yard touchdown strike to Tyler Eifert that aided Notre Dame's
comeback from a 10-3 halftime deficit.
Stepfan Taylor rushed for 102 yards on 28 carries for Stanford (4-2), but was
stuffed four times from within the Irish 4-yard line on the Cardinal's only
possession in overtime. Josh Nunes threw for 125 yards on 12-of-25 passing and
was intercepted twice in defeat.
Stanford's only touchdown against the Irish, who entered the contest second
nationally in scoring defense and had kept their last three opponents out of
the end zone, came on a fumble recovery in the end zone by Chase Thomas after
Ben Gardner's sack of Golson in the second quarter.
The Sports Network