Notre Dame, Penn State Continue Their Return to Prominence
0 Comments Published by Rachel Thomas on Saturday, November 05, 2005 at 6:19 PM.
Two football programs that had lost their luster in recent years continued their fine 2005 seasons on Saturday.
For the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, a 20-0 run in the fourth quarter snapped a 21-21 tie as the Irish rolled over the Tennessee Volunteers. For the Irish, quarterback Brady Quinn had another strong game, going 20-of-33 for 295 yards and three touchdowns.
Tennessee had rallied from a 21-3 deficit after Notre Dame's Tom Zbikowski 78-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter. But Brady Quinn completed a 73-yard pass to Jeff Samardzija to set up the tie breaking touchdown, a follow-up 4-yard touchdown pass from Quinn to Samardzija. The 73-yard pass was a great example of the Notre Dame pitch and catch game, where Samardzijia caught a short pass, then eluded a couple of tacklers and raced down the sideline before being caught from behind at the 2-yard line.
Notre Dame, thought to be playing one of the toughest schedules in the country moved to 6-2 on the season with the win. The Irish, already ranked 8th in the country could climb even higher with the victory.
For Penn State and Jo Pa, the Nittany Lions routed the Wisconsin Badgers in a Big Ten showdown, 35-14. Penn State, ranked 10th in the nation, raced to leads of 21-0 and 28-7 in moving to the top of the league with the solid victory over 14th ranked Wisconsin.
Behind double-threat QB Michael Robinson's 238 yards passing and 125 yards rushing, Penn State totally controlled the match-up. Tony Hunt also ran 151 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Nittany Lions ran the ball at will.
Penn State moved to 9-1 on the season and now only Michigan State stands between Jo Pa and a Big Ten title, and with it, a highly coveted BCS bid. After four losing seasons in five years, Penn State is in full return to the glory years that have been a part of the Paterno legend at Happy Valley. Penn State also owns wins over Minnesota and Ohio State while only a last second loss at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines has kept the Lions from a unbeaten season.
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