The mood on campus before the game resembled that of a funeral, and that may turn out to be the end result.
For the second straight season, Notre Dame’s last home game ended in spirit-crushing fashion, as Andre Dixon’s 4-yard touchdown run in the second overtime sent the Irish to a 33-30 defeat at the hands of a Connecticut team that had not won a game in more than a month.
Notre Dame began the day by taking an early 14-0 lead, but the Huskies, whose five losses had come by a combined 15 points, kept their composure, eventually tying the game twice in the second half and forcing overtime with a late field goal.
Tate's nine catches for 123 yards helped him establish single-season school records for receptions (83) and yards(1,295).
Junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen connected on 30 of 45 passes for 329 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His two favorite targets, junior Golden Tate and sophomore Michael Floyd, combined for 227 yards on 17 receptions, and junior tailback Armando Allen added 170 total yards (106 rushing, 64 receiving).
First Quarter: Notre Dame, 7-0
Notre Dame’s defense forced a Connecticut three-and-out to open the game, and the Irish offense took over at its 31-yard line. Allen opened the drive by picking up a first down, then added a 10-yard run to move the ball across midfield to the UConn 45. Clausen followed with throws of 14 and 18 yards to Tate, who would haul in an 8-yard touchdown catch three plays later to put Notre Dame on top with 10:59 left in the quarter. Junior kicker David Ruffer, making his second start in place of injured freshman Nick Tausch, added the extra point to make it a 7-0 game.
The two squads exchanged punts on their next possessions, with UConn moving the ball out to its 42 on a 31-yard punt return by Robert McClain at the six-minute mark. A 21-yard pass from Zach Frazer to Ryan Griffin moved the ball into Irish territory at the 37, but the Huskies could not advance beyond that point and the ensuing punt rolled into the end zone.
Facing third-and-inches at the 29-yard line, Tate came out of the backfield and took a swing pass from Clausen for a 39-yard gain to the Huskies’ 32, breaking the single-season school records for receptions and receiving yards in the process. On the next set of downs, Clausen found Tate again on third-and-seven for a 15-yard gain to the 14. The quarter ended three plays later with Notre Dame facing second-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
The Big Moment: The Irish had shown a tendency to start slowly in recent home finales, but a quick defensive stop, followed by a nine-play, 69-yard scoring drive, set the proper mood in the opening minutes.
By The Numbers: Notre Dame asserted itself from the opening kickoff, finishing the period with advantages in rushing yards (34-14), passing yards (135-37) and total offense (169-51)...Time of possession favored the Irish, 9:53 to 5:07...Tate had six catches for 96 yards.
Second Quarter: Notre Dame, 14-10
Allen was stuffed at the goal line on second down, but Clausen was able to dive in on the next play to give the Irish a two-score advantage just 28 seconds into the period.
A third-down penalty for a personal foul against senior safety Sergio Brown gave UConn a new set of downs at its 41-yard line, and Frazer moved the Huskies across midfield to the Irish 42 with a 13-yard strike to Griffin on third-and-11. Two plays later, the visitors cashed in on the miscue when Jordan Todman broke a couple of tackles and then broke loose for a 43-yard scoring run with 11:51 to go in the half.
The Huskies forced a Notre Dame punt, then picked up a couple of first downs to advance to their 48-yard line. On third-and-eight from the 50, Frazer escaped pressure and dumped off to Andre Dixon for a 14-yard gain to the Irish 36, and Dixon followed with two 6-yard runs that set up another first down at the 24. This time, the defense was able to come up with a third-down stop, but David Teggart was able to convert a 39-yard field goal that brought Connecticut within four points with 3:14 remaining.
Each team punted again, and Notre Dame got the ball back at its 15-yard line with 1:25 on the clock and no timeouts left. Clausen completed a third-down pass to senior Robby Parris, but the Irish then opted to let time run out as they ambled into the locker room.
The Big Moment: The personal-foul flag against Brown turned what would have been a UConn punt into a touchdown drive, giving the Huskies new life in a game that Notre Dame had dominated to that point.
By The Numbers: The yardage evened up somewhat, with Notre Dame still holding a 219-178 edge...UConn had the upper hand in rushing yards, 99-40, while the Irish had a 179-79 advantage in passing...Possession time still favored Notre Dame, 15:15 to 14:45, and the host club finished the half with 14 first downs to UConn’s 10.
Third Quarter: Tied, 17-17
Starting from his 22, Clausen opened the second half with a 13-yard pass to Floyd, and Allen followed with runs of 8 and 16 yards to move the ball to the UConn 41-yard line. Clausen connected with Tate for 5 yards on third-and-seven, and on fourth down from the 33 Allen burst up the middle for 26 yards to set up first-and-goal. Following a pair of runs by junior Robert Hughes, though, Allen was stopped short on third down, and the Irish had to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Ruffer.
The Huskies wasted little time in retaliating, however, as Todman took the ensuing kickoff and busted free for a 96-yard kickoff return with 9:17 on the clock. Teggart’s PAT evened the score at 17-17.
Following a swap of punts, Notre Dame converted a third down on a short dive by senior fullback James Aldridge, then advanced to the 50 on a 14-yard catch and run by Tate. A screen pass to Allen gained another 14 yards to the UConn 32, but on the next play Floyd was stripped following a catch across the middle, and the Huskies recovered and took over at their 14-yard line.
Notre Dame pushed Connecticut back on the next play, though, as sophomore defensive tackle Ethan Johnson sacked Frazer at the 4-yard line. That led to a punt, which gave the Irish the ball at the Huskies’ 47-yard line after a penalty on Tate’s 20-yard return. The period ended with the ball on the UConn 35.
Todman's touchdown in the second overtime sealed the win for UConn.
The Big Moment: Todman’s kickoff return erased the lead, and any momentum that the Irish had generated with the field goal to open the quarter.
By The Numbers: Notre Dame extended its advantages in total offense (382-198) and passing yardage (280-90), while UConn went into the final quarter with a slim 108-102 edge in rushing yardage...Time of possession favored the Irish, 26:22 to 18:38.
Fourth Quarter: Tied, 20-20
A 12-yard reverse by Tate gave the Irish a first down at the UConn 23, and a third-down dart from Clausen to Parris generated another fresh set of downs at the 11-yard line. A third-down throw to Floyd in the end zone fell incomplete, but Notre Dame was still able to regain the lead with 10:47 remaining on a 23-yard Ruffer field goal.
UConn was stopped just short of midfield and went for it on fouth-and-1, moving the sticks with a 2-yard run by Dixon to the Notre Dame 49. Frazer went deep on the next play and found Marcus Easley at the 12 for a 37-yard pickup – but his next toss was intercepted in the end zone by junior linebacker Brian Smith.
Clausen was sacked on third-and-12 to kill the ensuing march, though, and the Huskies regained possession at their 48-yard line with 5:14 to go. Dixon runs picked up three consecutive first downs, moving the ball to the Irish 12-yard line as the clock ticked past the two-minute mark – but after holding penalties wiped out a pair of would-be touchdowns, Connecticut had to settle for a tie at the 1:13 mark on a 29-yard field goal by Teggart.
Notre Dame’s push for a game-winning score was short-circuited when Allen fumbled after taking a Clausen pass. Connecticut’s Robert Vaughn recovered the ball at the Irish 41-yard line, and Dixon followed with an 18-yard run to get the Huskies into field-goal range. After another short run to the 20, UConn called timeout with three seconds left to set up a 37-yard game-winner for Taggart – but the kick missed wide to the left.
The Big Moment: Allen’s fumble gave the Huskies a chance to win it, but Teggart’s miss provided new life for an Irish team on the verge of a second straight Senior Day defeat.
First Overtime: Tied, 27-27
Dixon picked up 11 yards on a second-down run to advance the Huskies to the 14-yard line, and three plays later UConn took its first lead of the day on an 11-yard scoring toss from Frazer to a double-covered Kashif Moore. Teggart’s extra point made it 27-20.
Notre Dame missed on its first two passes, but on third down Clausen rolled left and found Floyd for a 21-yard gain, setting up first-and-goal at the 4. On the next play, the pair hooked up again for a quick touchdown pass, and Ruffer added the PAT to tie it.
Second Overtime: UConn, 33-30
The Irish failed to pick up a first down, but took a three-point lead when Ruffer nailed a field goal from 36 yards out. From there, it was in the hands of the Notre Dame defense, which gave up a pair of first downs on Dixon runs to set up first-and-goal at the 4-yard line. On the next play, Dixon strolled in on the left side to end the game.
By The Numbers: Notre Dame finished the game with a 452-372 edge in total offense...Connecticut had the upper hand in rushing, 231-123, while the Irish had a 329-141 advantage in passing yardage as well as a 33:08-to-26:52 cushion in time of possession.
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