ESPN.com - Notre Dame helmet stickers: Week 7

ESPN.com: Notre Dame Football

Sunday, October 14, 2012
Notre Dame helmet stickers: Week 7

By Matt Fortuna

Yeah, a few Irish players deserve some credit for Saturday's 20-13 overtime victory over Stanford.

Manti Te'o: The heart of Notre Dame's ruthless defense led the way again, recording a game-high 11 tackles and keying a unit that has gone four consecutive games without allowing a touchdown. (And still hasn't given up one on the ground yet after its game-winning goal-line stand.)

Bennett Jackson: Man, he is coming along pretty fast for a first-time starter. Jackson recored another interception, his fourth of the year. It came at the goal line, stopping an early Stanford scoring chance. And, in the biggest play of the game, Jackson was in on the hit that kept Stepfan Taylor out of the end zone on the game's final play, clinching the win.

Matthias Farley: Another converted receiver playing in the secondary, Farley had the best game of his young career, recording an interception and bringing it back 49 yards, which proved to be huge in a game where offense was hard to come by. It set up a field goal. Farley also had eight tackles, none bigger than his one on Taylor for a seven-yard loss on third down in the fourth quarter, forcing a Cardinal field goal. Stanford coach David Shaw, unsolicited, said after the game that his players heard a whistle in the crowd and stopped playing on the play.

Tommy Rees: You know the drill by now. Irish in offensive trouble late, this time because their starting quarterback gets hit hard in the head. So the backup comes in, leads a game-tying drive, then a game-winning one, going 4-for-4 on the day for 43 yards.