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BOX SCORE
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- Not too long ago Notre Dame was 2-2 and
got booted from the Top 25 rankings. Now the Irish have won three
straight and are slowly making their case for a Bowl Championship
Series berth.
Freshman Matt LoVecchio threw two touchdown passes to Tony
Fisher and No. 20 Notre Dame scored 35 straight points for a 42-28
victory over West Virginia on Saturday.
After a blowout win over Navy last week in Orlando, Fla., Notre
Dame coach Bob Davie told the team he was raising his expectations.
And the Irish responded Saturday, scoring more than 40 points and
setting season highs for rushing for the second straight week.
"If we keep winning, things will take care of themselves,"
Fisher said. "We're playing with confidence. The big thing is,
everybody is having fun and being productive."
The Irish (5-2) broke a seven-game losing streak on an
opponent's field, a school record. Notre Dame now heads home for
games against Air Force and Boston College before closing the
regular season on the road against Rutgers and Southern Cal.
"We are becoming more confident. It's fun to be going in the
right direction," Davie said. "Overall, we are a healthy football
team. We want to get stronger as we go. The attitude is really
positive right now and I like this team."
Making his third start, LoVecchio was 8-of-16 for 94 yards but
didn't throw an interception. He also ran for 39 yards.
"I still had some forced throws today but we put some points on
the board and didn't turn the ball over," LoVecchio said. "We've
been taking care of the football this year and that's a part of
being successful on offense."
Davie said the Irish are now calling LoVecchio their leader.
"When you say he's not a freshman anymore, that's a good
thing," Davie said.
West Virginia (4-3) allowed more than 40 points to a Top 25
opponent for the third straight time this season. The Mountaineers
have lost six straight to ranked teams dating to 1998.
West Virginia wasn't the same after quarterback Brad Lewis got
sandwiched between two defenders on a scramble and sprained his
right knee in the second quarter. He did not return.
Behind freshman Scott McBrien, the Mountaineers managed just one
first down in seven possessions afterward. The Irish took control
with three touchdowns in the final seven minutes before halftime.
Third-string tailback Terrence Howard weaved through several
tacklers on his way to an 80-yard TD romp to tie the game at 14. It
was Notre Dame's longest run in four years and the longest-ever TD
run by an opponent at Mountaineer Field.
The run certainly impressed Davie.
"I'm not sure he's not the starter right now," the coach said.
On the Mountaineers' next possession, punter Mark Fazzolari
caught a high snap but was unable to get off the punt and was
tackled at the West Virginia 16. After linebacker Corey McIntyre
dropped an interception, flanker David Givens scored on a 5-yard
run on the next play.
Notre Dame got the ball back with 22 seconds left in the half
and needed just one play to take a 28-14 lead on LoVecchio's
36-yard pass to Fisher, who also scored on a 1-yard run in the
first quarter.
The onslaught continued into the third quarter. Givens' 52-yard
option pass to Joey Getherall -- Notre Dame's longest pass play of
the season -- set up LoVecchio's 7-yard TD toss to Fisher.
Getherall capped Notre Dame's scoring with a 73-yard punt return
for a 42-14 lead midway through the third quarter.
West Virginia ate up too much clock time trying to mount a
comeback.
Wes Ours, a 290-pound lineman-turned-fullback, scored six
minutes apart on a 1-yard run and a 2-yard pass from Scott McBrien.
They were the first career touchdowns for Ours and McBrien.
West Virginia then drove to the Notre Dame 4 but Avon Cobourne
was tackled for a loss on fourth-and-2 with six minutes left in the
game and the threat was over.
"We allowed too many big plays, which spelled doom for us,"
said West Virginia coach Don Nehlen, who failed for the second
straight game to get his 200th career win. "If we could eliminate
the big plays against us, this could be an excellent football
team."
Notre Dame rushed for a season-high 227 yards. Howard finished
with 96 yards and Fisher had 43.
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Notre Dame Clubhouse
West Virginia Clubhouse
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