SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 5, 2013
Notre Dame 37, No. 24 Arizona State 34: Tommy Rees threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns and TJ Jones added 135 receiving yards and a score as the Fighting Irish edged the Sun Devils at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Taylor Kelly was 33-of-47 for 362 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions for Arizona State (3-2), which trailed 37-27 after Dan Fox intercepted Kelly with 1:08 remaining and returned it 14 yards for a score. Kelly tossed a 16-yard TD pass to Marion Grice with 11 seconds to play before the Fighting Irish (4-2) recovered the ensuing onside kick.
Kyle Brindza kicked three field goals, including one from 33 yards out with 3:03 remaining to put Notre Dame ahead 30-27. The Fighting Irish held Arizona State to 427 total yards and forced three turnovers, one week after the Sun Devils exploded for 612 total yards in a 62-41 win over USC.
The teams combined for 21 points in the final 3:35 of the first half, beginning with Rees’ 19-yard touchdown pass to Ben Koyack to put Notre Dame ahead 7-6. Arizona State answered on its next drive with Kelly’s 36-yard TD pass to Jaelen Strong before the Fighting Irish closed the half on Rees’ 8-yard TD pass to Jones.
Notre Dame grabbed a 17-13 lead on Brindza’s career-long 53-yard field goal early in the third quarter and an Arizona State fumble led to Rees’ 21-yard TD pass to Troy Niklas with 3:54 left in the quarter. The Sun Devils cut the deficit to 24-20 when Osahon Irabor intercepted Rees and returned it 37 yards for a score on the first play of the fourth quarter.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Notre Dame LB Jarrett Grace, who entered the game as the team’s leading tackler, left the game in the second quarter with a broken right leg. … Strong had 136 receiving yards for Arizona State, which was seeking to become the first team to defeat USC and Notre Dame in consecutive weeks. … Notre Dame improved to 10-1 in its last 11 regular-season games played at an NFL stadium.