Taking care of business
Notre Dame imposed its will on a reeling Washington State team in the first in a new series of off-site home games in stadiums across the country.
Junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen (22-for-27, 268 yards) was efficient, finding junior receivers Duval Kamara and Golden Tate (80 receiving yards, 61 rushing) for touchdowns before leaving the game in the third quarter.
Tate and sophomore running back Robert Hughes (131 rushing yards) each ran for touchdowns. Sophomore backup Dayne Crist connected with sophomore John Goodman for a 64-yard scoring strike but was forced to exit with a leg injury.
The Irish defense held the hapless Cougars to just 206 yards offense as Notre Dame built a 30-7 halftime advantage before coasting to a 40-14 victory.
Junior defensive tackle Ian Williams and sophomore defensive back Robert Blanton each had interceptions, and Darius Fleming, Zeke Motta, Ethan Johnson, Steve Filer and Paddy Mullen each recorded sacks on Cougars quarterback Jeff Tuel.
