ESPN

Best spring game performance: Everett Golson, considered the biggest mystery in the four-man quarterback battle entering the spring, was 11 of 15 for 120 yards and two scores. He carried it six times for 25 yards. Most importantly, he was the only quarterback to not turn the ball over.

Best overall unit: The running back/slot receiver group coached by Tony Alford is loaded with talent. Theo Riddick and George Atkinson III made big play after big play in the spring game (though Atkinson will have to protect the ball better after fumbling twice). We all know what Cierre Wood is capable of after a 1,000-yard season while splitting carries with Jonas Gray in 2011. And we might even see a bit of Robby Toma in the backfield, though the senior remains an invaluable pass-catcher for the Irish.

Best position battle: Other than under center? Let's go with the right side of the offensive line, where Mike Golic Jr., Nick Martin and Christian Lombard look to have the inside track for the two open spots.

Biggest surprise (good): John Goodman raised some eyebrows with his play this spring, earning most improved player on the offensive side of the ball and getting to be a captain for the spring game. Coach Brian Kelly said he's been the go-to receiver this spring, and Goodman wants to reward the staff's faith in him after he was invited back for a fifth year.

Biggest surprise (bad): Aaron Lynch has transferred to South Florida, leaving the Irish down a man on the defensive line. Kapron Lewis-Moore, a previous starter, will slide back into Lynch's role, but the loss of an elite pass-rusher who had no trouble bursting onto the scene as a freshman is a blow to the team.

As the wrapping-up of the 2011 season continues, we take a look at those who improved the most for Notre Dame from 2010 to 2011.

Here they are, in alphabetical order:

Jonas Gray, running back. Coach Brian Kelly said he had never seen a skill-position player make the kind of leap his senior year the way Gray had this season. Sadly, Gray's season came to an end several days after those comments, as he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Boston College on Nov. 19. Still, Gray left Notre Dame in style, rushing for 791 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. He had 309 career yards and zero touchdowns before 2011.

Louis Nix, nose guard. A bit of a wild card here, considering he did not play his freshman season. Still, he made a tremendous leap from 2010 to 2011, starting 11 games and seeing plenty of time in the middle when Sean Cwynar broke his right hand. Nix finished with 45 tackles, 0.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss, and, perhaps more importantly, he obliterated his coaches' spring prediction of seeing less than 20 snaps per game.

Jamoris Slaughter, safety. Plagued by an ankle injury much of 2010, Slaughter starred when healthy this season, splitting time at safety with Zeke Motta and contributing in a hybrid-like role as linebacker in nickel coverage as well. He finished with 45 tackles, four tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a pick and two sacks. No announcement has been made about his future, but it would be shocking if the senior was not back for a fifth year in 2012.

Another 8-5 season left a lot to be desired for Notre Dame fans. Nonetheless, there were plenty of memorable moments from the Irish's 2011 campaign.

1. Jonas Gray's remarkable stretch. Coach Brian Kelly said he had never seen it all click for a senior the way he had with Gray. The running back rushed for 791 yards and 12 touchdowns, including at least one in eight consecutive games. Unfortunately, he tore an ACL against Boston College, ending his college career. But when on the field, Gray was the feel-good story of 2011.

2. Manti Te'o announces return. This might have come off the field, but the likely first-round pick couldn't help but blurt out his announcement to return to school for one more year Dec. 11, while at the Lott IMPACT Trophy ceremony. The junior linebacker is the team's best all-around player and exemplifies all that's right about the game, on and off the field.

3. Aaron Lynch's sack and forced fumble vs. MSU. One week after not playing at Michigan, the freshman end announced his arrival to college football, turning the game around with a big hit on Kirk Cousins in what went on to be the Irish's first victory, and their most impressive one. Lynch had a standout freshman campaign and will be a star for the Irish moving forward. Robert Blanton's game-sealing interception deserves some recognition as well.

4. Michael Floyd's TD vs. FSU. A ridiculous five bobbles. Two defenders absorbed. An upper-body injury suffered that kept him out of the rest of the game. Still, the senior held on for his 100th catch of the season, and final one of his career, as Floyd hauled in Notre Dame's only offensive touchdown in the Champs Sports Bowl.

5. Andrew Hendrix's run vs. Air Force. Late in the fourth quarter of a rout, the sophomore quarterback burst up the middle for 78 yards, his legs giving out two yards shy of the end zone. Hendrix turned plenty of heads in his first college game, and he will fight it out with two others this offseason for the starting quarterback job with two others.

It's time to take a look at what's on your minds with the regular season over and a trip to the Champs Sports Bowl remaining.

Roald "Roe" Gonzalez from Austin, Texas, writes: Our 105,000 DKR memorial Stadium is awaiting for Notre Dame to Drop by annually for out Turkey Day Shoot out with Notre Dame. Any chance Notre Dame is even considering the invite from De Loss Dodds?

Matt Fortuna: Roe, I don't see that happening in the near future. Notre Dame plays Stanford until 2019, and the Irish's series with USC doesn't seem to be going anywhere. At least for the next eight years (imagine what the college sports landscape could look like in 2019?), I can't see Notre Dame adding Texas on an annual basis.

Ryan from McSherrystown, Pa., writes: Hi Matt,Love your work. Just finished reading your last chat on ESPN and just wanted to see what you think about my optimism for ND next year. This is mostly about the schedule. You point out these games as being the tough ones. USC, OU, STANFORD, MSTATE, MICH, MIA..right? Here is my case. The top 3 QB's in next years NFL draft will come from 3 of those schools. Barkley, Jones, Luck will all be gone and all those schools will be playing with new or young QB's. We are due to beat Mich and Cousins is gone at MSTATE..I don't see MIA as being that tough and they weren't very good this year. Mich is the only one of those teams who brings back their QB and we had them beat at MICH this year. Thoughts...Thanks

Matt Fortuna: Thanks, Ryan. You bring up an interesting point with the quarterbacks, but I still don't see Notre Dame entering 2012 as a better team than most of the ones you mentioned. I think we'll learn a lot about Stanford when it no longer has Andrew Luck, so the Cardinal remain up in the air. Being due to beat Michigan means nothing when the Irish have lost three close ones to the Wolverines the last three years. Michigan will only get better in Brady Hoke's second year and with one more year of Denard Robinson. Michigan State, even without Kirk Cousins, is a program that is on the rise. None of this is to say the Irish can't win any of those games, but they do face an awful lot of opponents who are at least capable of beating them — even more than this year, and this was a more experienced team that lost to South Florida.

Joe from Telsau writes: Re: Crist article - REALLY?A rent a player is OK, Wow!!Please shut up, why do we always have to hear bspn peoples opinion. I hope the ncaa does away with this stupid LOOP HOLE.

Matt Fortuna: Sorry, Joe, I'm having trouble hearing you over all of those capital letters. Seriously, though, I see some instances where the rule is taken advantage of and not used for its intent (see: Jeremiah Masoli). And yes, clearly academics are not the main factor in players taking advantage of this rule. But since when did academics dictate where recruited athletes go to college? Sure, academics are often one of several factors. And yes, some schools adhere to higher academic standards than others while recruiting. But a player who graduates and lives up to his end of the bargain academically should be entirely free to go wherever he wants to after, provided the interest is mutual. What does Dayne Crist stand to benefit from staying one year at Notre Dame as a backup while already having a degree? He graduated early, before his scholarship would have expired, and he should be rewarded for that.

Mitch writes: Ok, Matt. We know all about where FSU's defense is ranked. But doesn't their schedule put them in a position to do just that? Looking at the rushing attempts from the opponents they played, you see teams only having 10-15 rushing attempts all together. Seems to me like they haven't really been worn down since they allowed 100+ yards to Wake.

Matt Fortuna: Great point, Mitch. The best rushing offense Florida State played all season was Maryland's, which ranked 44th in the nation. I'm curious to see what Notre Dame can do with Jonas Gray no longer back there, and if Theo Riddick can make a difference at running back. Considering the Irish averaged just 1.8 yards per carry as a team against Stanford, the nation's No. 5 rush defense, they have some work to do.

Notre Dame enters Saturday's regular-season finale at Stanford as an underdog for the first time this season. But Brian Kelly is not quite playing the us-against-the-world card this week.

"I don't know that I see ourselves as a spoiler, to be quite honest with you," Kelly said Tuesday. "We have a great deal of respect for Stanford, and they've earned everything. They're a darn good football team. We see this as just another opportunity to play our last regular-season game. I know our guys are excited. It's a relevant game in November and it's on national television. That gets 18-21-year-olds' attention more than being a spoiler so to speak."

The stakes are high, but they are also unclear. The No. 6 Cardinal (10-1) are likely playing for a spot in a BCS-bowl game. The No. 22 Irish? At 8-3, there is a very remote chance they could jump eight spots and become BCS-bowl eligible themselves with a win -- with an emphasis on the very remote part.

More pressing, however, is the validation that would come with a road win over a top-10 opponent in the second year of a new regime, which would also give the Irish a chance at a 10-win season.

They finished last season on a four-game winning streak to go 8-5.

"Well, it's still about, for us, you know, preparing the right way and then performing on Saturdays," Kelly said. "I've said this a number of times. I like the way we've prepared. We haven't performed on Saturdays the way we need to consistently. We're showing that at times.

"This is just another one of those — it's not a referendum on our season, but it's another step towards where we want to be in consistency in November. We have done very well in November, and we want to continue to build on that in this game against Stanford."

Notre Dame has won all six of its November games since Kelly took over. The second-year Irish coach has actually won 16 straight regular-season contests in November and December, dating back to 2007, when he coached Cincinnati.

He has already faced quarterback Andrew Luck, the likely top NFL draft pick and a strong Heisman Trophy contender.

Luck has completed more than 70 percent of his passes this season, throwing for 2,937 yards, 31 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, and he will likely be playing the final home game of his career.

In a 37-14 win at Notre Dame last season, Luck was 19-for-32 for 238 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions.

"Boy's under pressure more than anything else," Kelly said. "Some of the throws that he made against us last year. We brought an allout blitz inside the 15-yard line, and we had a freeblitzer and he just kept back-pedalling and hit a tight end on a choice route in the end zone.

"That's poise under pressure. He has the ability to make the throws when he's under duress as well. And to have that, you've got to have the skill, but also the utmost confidence in your ability. He has all this intrinsic things necessary to be a great quarterback."

The onus on Notre Dame's quarterback, Tommy Rees, may be heavier this week. Starting running back Jonas Gray's season is over after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee Saturday, and a pair of unproven freshmen — George Atkinson III and Cam McDaniel — will back-up junior Cierre Wood.

Freshman end Stephon Tuitt's status is uncertain after missing the last game with an illness as well.

"It's huge," Rees said after Saturday's game. "To go finish November strong, finish the season strong against a good opponent, and I think it would just give us some momentum heading into a bowl, and we look forward to it just like any other opponent. We can't focus too much on everything that's going around us. We're ready to play another football game."

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The third quarter was less than five minutes old when attention began to shift from the field to the home sideline, Notre Dame players making their way toward the equipment trunk to offer whatever they could to the teammate sitting on top of it, the player unlikely to join them on the field ever again, certainly not in this final home game of the season.

Kapron Lewis-Moore, relegated to crutches after suffering a season-ending right knee injury four weeks earlier, stayed to his right, as if to make sure the running back wouldn't spend a second alone.

Braxston Cave, out for the year after suffering a left foot injury two weeks earlier, emerged from the player's left, hugging the senior as he limped off the field under his own power.

Michael Floyd would say afterward that he was heartbroken. Manti Te'o would call it the hardest thing to watch.

Jonas Gray, the man they were all trying to pick up? He was doing a much better job than any of them, picking up everyone around him instead.

He told his mother, Jeri, not to worry, insisting he'd be OK. His right knee immobilized in the locker room after a 16-14 win over Boston College, Gray told his teammates to stay strong. He thanked them for his four years at Notre Dame, told them how special the experience was and explained how lucky he felt to be able to share it with them.

"That's the kind of guy he is," captain Harrison Smith said. "He's not gonna dwell on the bad things. He's gonna try to somehow spin it to be good."

Gray spun a season-opening, goal-line fumble into becoming an eventual starter, finishing with 791 yards and 6.9 yards per carry this season.

He took on coach Brian Kelly's challenge to overcome that Week 1 gaffe and didn't let it define him, carrying the ball 39 more times in 2011 than he did in the three previous years combined, all the while rushing for 12 touchdowns -- 12 more than he had entering this season.

Kelly, sans MRI result Sunday, made the presumption that Gray's injury would cost him 2011 and who knows just how much beyond, all for a senior who had been playing his way into an NFL future during this last go-round.

Just four days earlier, Kelly sang a much different tune about Gray's renaissance senior campaign.

"I can't remember in my 21 years coaching a guy that has made that significant of an impact on a football team," Kelly said Wednesday. "I've had some senior linemen step up and be great role guys, but he's an actual playmaker for us. All the credit. I mean, he's the guy who decided to do this. We said, 'Listen, you gotta do this.' He could've chose not to do it. He's a great story."

That great story was supposed to reach its climax Saturday, the senior walking through the home tunnel for the final time, rushing for a 26-yard score on the game's opening drive, Notre Dame's only touchdown of the day.

But 11 carries, two catches and 76 total yards later, that great story came crashing down in the form of a 3-yard reception gone wrong, putting everything Gray had said this season to the test.

"The one thing I'm gonna remember is how I was humbled through my first couple seasons, and how that has an impact on how I am now," he had said Tuesday. "That makes me work even harder every time I have the opportunity, because I was humbled so early on in my career. So that's what I'm gonna remember about this place. And this university is great. The people are great. And being surrounded around great people who all have the same attitude I have, which is having a selfish motivation, but at the same time being great teammates."

Gray could say he was humble and tout his teammates when all was going well. But what about when his career flashed before his eyes, when everything he worked for was taken right from under him so close to the finish line?

"I don't feel bad at all, because he's had a good year," his mother said after the game. "He's overcome some adversity, and so for him to even get this far, I don't feel bad for him at all. It's unfortunate that this situation happened, but it's football and he knows that. And just like before, he'll bounce back."

Gray himself wasn't available for interviews Saturday. He probably wasn't needed. Everyone else did the speaking for him.

Because afterward, his teammates said, Jonas Gray looked at them in the locker room following the Senior Day win he couldn't finish and told them how lucky he was just to be a part of it.

Jonas Gray's breakout season came up short.

The Notre Dame running back has a "significant" injury to his right knee and Irish coach Brian Kelly is not expecting the senior to play again. The Irish, who moved up two spots to No. 22 in this week's Associated Press Top 25, finish the regular season at No. 4 Stanford on Saturday and are expected to play in a bowl game.

Read the entire story.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame edged out Boston College in an ugly contest Saturday, escaping with a 16-14 Senior Day victory at Notre Dame Stadium.

David Ruffer's 27-yard field goal with just more than eight minutes left in the contest all but iced the game. Bobby Swigert's seven-yard touchdown catch with 1:57 remaining was too little, too late for the Eagles.

Robby Toma recovered Boston College's ensuing onside kick attempt.

The Irish won their fourth straight game overall and their third over an ACC opponent in as many weeks, matching last season's win total in improving to 8-3.

However, it was not all roses for Notre Dame on its Senior Day, as running back Jonas Gray went down in the third quarter with what looked like a serious knee injury. The blow would be devastating to the Irish backfield and especially to the senior Gray, who had a renaissance campaign and was positioning himself to be drafted this coming spring.

Be sure to keep it here for postgame reaction to the Irish win and for the latest news surrounding Gray's injury.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame has let Boston College hang around for longer than it has any reason to through three quarters. Will it come back to bite the Irish?

Tommy Rees' erratic day finally reared its ugly head with a third-quarter interception by the Eagles' Max Holloway. Rees had several near-picks in the first half that, fortunately for him, bounced harmlessly to the ground.

The Irish start the fourth quarter from the BC 48 with a chance to score and put the Eagles away once and for all, something they have struggled to do all day long. The offense has looked stagnant, and it is not a stretch to say that the players may just be shaken up after watching senior running back Jonas Gray leave the game with what looks like a serious leg injury.

Gray hobbled back to the locker room and appeared to be on the verge of tears as several players offered their condolences. As big a loss as that may be for Notre Dame, the Irish cannot let that turn into a second loss today.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Another opening drive touchdown from Notre Dame had many thinking this would be another rout early, but the Boston College defense and punt coverage unit have given the Eagles a chance to stick around so far.

Jonas Gray added to his spectacular senior campaign by rushing for a 26-yard touchdown, his eighth straight game with a score and his 12th during that stretch. The Irish added a field goal on their second drive, but they have been pinned inside their own 10 to start their last two possessions.

Luke Kuechly and Manti Te'o have played their lead roles fittingly so far, recording six and four tackles in the first period, respectively. Kuechly added a tackle for loss as well.

The Irish defense has been the better unit thus far, however, allowing just 43 total yards of offense. Boston College's defense could do its offense a big favor by creating a turnover deep in Irish territory and taking full advantage of the field position game. Notre Dame will start from its own 17 when the second quarter begins.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The tempo Notre Dame's offense played at in Saturday's win against Maryland is closer to what Charley Molnar would like to see every week. But it is not something the Irish can rush into.

"Here's the biggest thing, it's the efficiency of it," the offensive coordinator said, "because if you go three-and-out, and you try to play up-tempo for that whole series, you might only have burned a minute off the clock, and now you're punting and the defense has barely gotten on the sideline. The coaches are just starting to drill down their adjustments. And all of a sudden the defense is getting their helmets back on ready to go. So using tempo can be a double-edged sword."

Notre Dame ran 84 plays Saturday, its most in two years under head coach Brian Kelly and nearly 17 more plays than its average of 67.2 in its nine previous games this season.

Molnar said the Irish begin every practice with a tempo period, and they will use different elements of it every game. But they had never kept up the pace for an entire game the way they did against the Terrapins.

Irish players said they could sense Maryland's defensive players not being able to keep up at times, and even Notre Dame running back Jonas Gray admitted to being winded himself at certain points Saturday.

Sophomore quarterback Tommy Rees said a big part of being able to play at such a fast pace starts with communication from the signal caller, who has to make sure that the offensive line is ready to go and that the wide receivers are set and lined up every play.

Having such a surprising powerful rushing attack 10 games into the season has certainly added another dimension.

"I think it's something that started when I first got here," Rees said. "One of the things Coach Kelly stresses is playing at a tempo where he sees fit, and sometimes it's slowing the game down and making sure we're checking at the line and doing a lot of that, and sometimes we wanna push the tempo and keep defenses off-balance and have a couple reads here and there, depending on the game-plan.

"Obviously it worked out pretty well in the past couple weeks, and it's something that the offense likes doing. It's fun going out there and kind of going and playing, so depending on the situation, what we want to do depends on how we're gonna keep the tempo."

It's time to take a look back at the weekend that was in Landover, Md., where the Irish notched their third consecutive victory.

The Good: Notre Dame played its most complete offensive game of the year Saturday, beating Maryland 45-21. The Irish notched more than 500 yards of total offense for the fifth time in 10 games this season, jumping out to a 17-0 lead early and never looking back. The victory — along with several other dominoes falling into place — has the Irish ranked for the first time since the season began.

The Bad: Time to nitpick, and in this case the offensive line (and Tommy Rees) are the unlucky recipients of an extra big microscope in a week the Irish left little to complain about offensively. Still, Notre Dame surrendered three sacks Saturday after not allowing a single one in its last five games. The Irish had allowed just five sacks on the season prior to Saturday.

The Ugly: Maryland's uniforms? Or the Terrapins' play? Tough call here, though watching quarterback Danny O'Brien's season come to an early end because of a broken bone in his upper left arm added injury to insult.

Turning point: Inserted for Robert Blanton (stinger), cornerback Lo Wood came up with a 57-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter, the Irish's second third-quarter score, to make it 38-7. It probably would not have been much of a competitive game anyway, but this one sealed the deal with plenty of time remaining.

Call of the day: Jonas Gray punched it in from 1 yard out on fourth-and-goal in the final minute of the first half, making it 24-7 Irish at the half. Sure, it's not that difficult to gain a yard (or have faith in your team to), but Maryland had just scored on the previous possession to cut the lead to 10, and a Terrapins stop there could have changed the momentum of the game.

Next up: Notre Dame's next challenge after beating a two-win Maryland team will be beating a three-win Boston College team. The Eagles are coming off a 14-10 win over North Carolina State, their second victory in three games. Keep an eye on linebacker Luke Kuechly, who could finish this season as the leading tackler in the FBS for the second consecutive season. Saturday will also be Senior Day at Notre Dame Stadium.

LANDOVER, Md. -- A dominant 45-21 win over Maryland lands the following Notre Dame players extra accessories for their already flashy helmets:

Jonas Gray: What more can you say about the senior, who entered this season without a touchdown? He now has 11 in his past seven games, scoring in all seven. He had his first career 100-yard rushing game, going for 136 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.

Cierre Wood: The junior was every bit as good as Gray, adding a 3-yard touchdown himself. Wood finished with 99 yards on just 18 carries, and the duo was relentless against the Maryland front-seven all night long. Wood also had a key block that sprung open Tyler Eifert on the tight end's 34-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.

Michael Floyd: The senior made a nice 19-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter to make it 17-0 Irish early. Floyd finished with nine catches for 90 yards and proved trouble for Maryland's defense all night long.

Robby Toma: The little guy finally got his chance and took advantage of it. Replacing the injured Theo Riddick, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Toma finished with a career-high seven catches for 73 yards.

Tyler Eifert: The junior matched a career-high with eight catches and finished with 83 receiving yards. His 34-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter made it 45-14 late.

Tommy Rees: The sophomore did a terrific job running the offense, completing 30 of 38 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns. He hit seven different receivers and, during one stretch, completed 17 of 18 passes.

Lo Wood: Not a bad way to get your first pick. The sophomore intercepted Danny O'Brien and raced it back the other way for a 57-yard touchdown to make it 38-7 with 7:18 left in the third quarter. Notre Dame now has pick-sixes in consecutive Shamrock Series games, as Darrin Walls had a 42-yard interception return for a score against Army last season at Yankee Stadium.

Ben Turk: The junior was not needed much, but he delivered when called upon. Turk landed two punts inside the Maryland 10, and the only one he didn't went for a career-long 58 yards.

LANDOVER, Md. — Robby Toma was fielding postgame questions from reporters Saturday night when Tony Alford stuck his head in.

"What did you do?" the receivers coach asked. "What did you do?"

"I don't know," Toma replied with a smile. "This is new to me."

The career-best seven catches for 73 yards was new. The starting role in place of the injured Theo Riddick (hamstring) was a change. And the ability to capably fulfill Notre Dame's next-man-in philosophy in the Irish's 45-21 rout of a hapless Maryland team made the not-so-easy look not only simple, but rewarding.

Notre Dame beat a two-win Terrapins team, as expected. But they did it by improving their play in nearly all facets of the game, most notably on offense.

In notching their fifth 500-plus-yard offensive performance this season, the Irish ran 84 plays, the most in the Brian Kelly era. They showed a steady balance, with 46 runs and 38 passes. And they ran the offense at a tempo that embodied the pace Kelly has wanted to push at, one his quarterback ran efficiently throughout the evening.

"We wanted to kind of go with a hurry up, no-huddle — we're always no-huddle, more of a hurry-up, push the tempo a little bit," Tommy Rees said. "I think it worked out. I think we caught them and they weren't lined up. And you can tell throughout the game that — hats off to Maryland — but throughout the game the guys were getting tired, and I think that has a lot to do with how we pushed our tempo."

Rees finished 30 of 38 for 296 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. During one stretch that ended in the third quarter, the sophomore completed 17 of 18 passes.

The run game, which has looked dominant at times, was never as sharp as it was before a Notre Dame-heavy crowd at FedEx Field.

Jonas Gray finished with a career-high 136 yards and two touchdowns. Cierre Wood finished with 99 yards and a score.

But the numbers cannot convey the helplessness of the Maryland defense, evident on two separate plays involving the two running backs.

Facing a third-and-10 from his own 8 on Notre Dame's third drive, Wood rushed for 13 yards. Facing a third-and-17 from his own 20 on the Irish's first drive of the second half, Gray bursted up the middle for 19 yards.

Notre Dame ended up scoring on both drives, the latter kicking off a 14-point third quarter that extended the Irish lead to 38-7 and their third-quarter margin this season to 77-13.

"I think our guys settle into the game, they're tuned in, we can talk to them and they know exactly what we want to do in the third quarter and they go out and do it," Kelly said. "Again, our guys understand how important it is to get some adjustments made at halftime. There's good communication. Our guys go out and execute."

There were other signs of improvement across the board aside from Toma, the run game and Rees. Namely, reserve cornerback Lo Wood stepping in for Robert Blanton (stinger), taking a third-quarter interception back 57 yards for a touchdown and making it 38-7.

There was Mike Golic Jr. filling in nicely for Braxston Cave at center, and Ethan Johnson bringing his veteran presence to the defensive line in his first game since Oct. 1.

And, of course, there was that tempo, which showed that opponent and circumstance were irrelevant in the Irish's attempt to make something of this week and next, when three-win Boston College comes to town.

"It was a big emphasis this week, to play at a fast tempo, and we did that well," Gray said. "A few guys were getting gassed — we're not used to doing it, even myself. But that's a dimension of this offense we're trying to continue to keep doing. And when we do that we're a pretty good offense and hard to stop."

And if the offense was getting gassed, does that make for an exhausted defense?

"Oh yeah, yeah," Gray said. "Just a lot of exhaustion. They can't line up as fast as they want to, just small things like that. And Coach Kelly's done a great job of dialing plays up."

LANDOVER, Md. — Notre Dame ran all over Maryland in a 45-21 victory Saturday night at FedEx Field.

Jonas Gray rushed for 136 yards, Cierre Wood added 99 and Tommy Rees completed 30 of 37 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns, hitting seven different receivers and completing 17 of 18 passes during one stretch.

Lo Wood starred defensively for Notre Dame, making a 57-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter to extend the lead to 38-7.

The Irish have now won three in a row since their loss to USC, improving to 7-3 on the season, which matches last year's regular-season win total. They beat an ACC opponent for the second week in a row, and they will face a third, Boston College, for Senior Day next Saturday.

Be sure to keep it here for more postgame coverage.