Notebook: Another Irish Drama

FanHouse writer John Walters is living in South Bend, Ind., during one of the most pivotal seasons in Notre Dame history. Check back daily for his dispatches on the Irish.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- If NBC can move Leno to 10PM,, you have to imagine that they may be lobbying to move Charlie to 7PM. Notre Dame is not the best football team in the land -- not even in the top 10 -- but certainly the Irish are the most dramatic. Saturday's 37-30 overtime victory marked the fourth consecutive game Notre Dame has played that was decided in the final minute -- or later.

Will anyone be the least bit surprised if Seth Meyers is hosting "WeekeND Update" from inside Notre Dame Stadium for the USC game?
The exploits within the Washington game were not only truly memorable, they were hauntingly familiar. While this was, yes, a pair of unranked teams slogging it out in the rain, it also had the elements of a classic. What resonates is how many deja-vu moments the game provided, both recent and of historic vintage. To wit...

1) Husky tailback Chris Polk's knee touches the ground just as the ball crosses the plane of the goal line. The officials initially signal a touchdown, but the replay official overturns the call. Washington is denied a fourth-quarter touchdown, and as it turns out, must settle for a field goal. Polk's knee went down eerily close to the same spot where 21 years ago, Miami's Cleveland Gary fumbled a go-ahead touchdown just inches shy of a touchdown in the epics Catholics vs. Convicts game. On that play Gary's knee appeared to be down ("He was definitely down!" come the cries from Coral Gables) before he fumbled, and instant replay would likely have overturned the call. Instead, Irish linebacker Michael Stonebreaker recovered and Miami did not score. Again, nearly the same spot on the field.

2) For the second consecutive week, Jimmy Clausen hits Kyle Rudolph for a go-ahead touchdown with less than 90 seconds to play in the fourth quarter.

3) For the third consecutive week, Golden Tate embarks upon a legendary leap. Two weeks ago, he leapt into the Michigan State band. Last Saturday he leaped over a Purdue defensive back. Today, he attempted to leap into the end zone on an overtime reception from about the five yard-line. His airborne adventure--photos exist of him being completely upside down in mid-air-- should make for good viewing at the team film session on Sunday.

4) Sarkisian and the quarterback sneak. Four years ago Steve Sarkisian was USC's assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach when Matt Leinart made his unforgettable stumble into the end zone (with a little help from a friend) to lead the Trojans to a 34-31 defeat of the Irish. Today Sarkisian was back on the east sideline, again with an NFL-bound quarterback, but this time the quarterback sneak from one yard out failed...and failed...and failed...and failed.

5) Ambrose Wooden. The former Notre Dame cornerback who was part of the 4th-and-9 play in that '05 USC classic was back for Saturday's game, watching from the sidelines.

For the sixth straight game, strong safety Kyle McCarthy led the Irish in tackles. The fifth-year senior collected a season-high 12 tackles to bring his total to 49 after five games. McCarthy, who was inches away from a game-clinching interception in the final minute, twice had 14 tackles in a game in 2008.

Freshman linebacker Manti Te'o, making his first start, was second in tackles with ten.

Jimmy Clausen threw his second interception of the season, but it was a short pass that skipped right through tailback Armando Allen's hands. Four different Irish receivers caught a pass that went for at least 25 yards: Golden Tate, 77 yards; Kyle Rudolph, 30 yards; Robby Parris, 26 yards; and Robert Hughes, 25 yards.

The Irish are now 4-1 for the fourth time in Charlie Weis's five seasons. The anomaly was 2007, when they were 0-5 after five games.

Not all Pac-10 head coaches are alike. About 45 minutes after the game Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian emerged from the visitors locker room, having showered, and headed directly to greet an admirer who was waiting for him: Jimmy Clausen. The Irish QB was waiting with his two older brother, Casey and Rick, to say hello to Sarkisian who, like that trio, was a top-flight prep QB in southern California once.

Don't expect Clausen and Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh to share a similar convivial catching-up-with moment on Thanksgiving weekend.