After so many close games, not coming down to the wire had to feel good for Charlie Weis and Notre Dame.
Playing in front of a prime time audience on NBC from San Antonio, Texas, the #23 ranked Irish viciously tore through Washington State, dominating both sides of the ball, and marching on to a 40-14 victory. No one is under the illusion that we're talking about USC here but the Irish are a talented team that needed to be reminded of just how effective they can be when they play up to form.
Jimmy Clausen was his normal elite-self, displaying pinpoint accuracy (22/27) and posting 268 yards and two touchdowns. Because of the blowout situation, sophomore Dayne Crist saw some field time, going 2/6 for 69 yards and a touchdown. Golden Tate once again led the receiving core with a modest (for him) four catches for 61 yards a touchdown. Clausen spread the ball around on Saturday, even more so than usual, hitting sophomore receiver John Goodman with two catches for 73 and a score and wrecking-ball TE Kyle Rudolph with six catches for 59 yards.
But most of the damage the Irish inflicted on this night was done — in the traditional way — on the ground. Robert Hughes was the unquestioned star of the game, rumbling and slamming his way to 131 yards and a touchdown. Even Golden Tate got in on the ground attack, handling the ball four times while netting an impressive 61 yards (15.3 a carry) and a touchdown. In all, 255 of the 592 total yards the Irish posted Saturday night were gained on the ground, a good sign for a team that has struggled at times mightily in this respect.
Most importantly, the Irish defense finally put on a dominating show (regardless of the quality of the opponent). Giving up only 14 points (seven coming on garbage time in the fourth quarter) the Irish D forced two interceptions and held Washington State to a measly 206 total yards including only 104 yards through the air, finally containing the big play, as the secondary has been the focal point of Notre Dame's defensive struggles.
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