By Staff
Washington State looked dominant early in Saturday's season opener for the Notre Dame football team. But an Irish rally forced overtime and the host team walked away with a 29-26 victory.
The Cougars ran off 12 unanswered points in the first quarter then tacked on a touchdown and extra point to start the second quarter with a 19-0 lead.
Then things started happening on offense for the Irish. Notre Dame went on a 26-0 run that lasted until the last minute of the game.
Four field goals by Nicholas Setta and a touchdown each from Rhema McKnight and Julius Jones gave Notre Dame a 26-19 lead with 3:03 left in regulation.
The Cougars scored on a 34-yard passing play with 53 seconds left on the clock to tie the game at 29 apiece.
In the overtime period the Irish won the coin toss and deferred to let Washington State have the first possession.
The Cougars moved the ball from the 25-yard line to the 22-yard line and settled for a field goal, but the kick was wide.
On Notre Dame's possession Setta came through again, booting a 40-yard field goal for the decisive score.
Notre Dame covered a total of 163 yards on the ground and 149 in the air. Ryan Grant was Notre Dame's leading rusher with 98 yards on 17 carries. Jones added 72 yards on 11 carries. Carlye Holiday completed 21-of-34 passes with one interception for 149 yards.
Notre Dame travels to Ann Arbor for a meeting with Michigan next Saturday.