Notre Dame shocks Oklahoma with 30-13 win

Oct. 27, 2012; Norman, OK, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Cierre Wood (20) runs for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Oklahoma Sooners at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

You could not have asked for a better crowd, a better setting, or a better match-up. Two teams, with decades of history, met for the first time in the new millennia and, I guess, some things just do not change.

Notre Dame walked in to Norman and left a winner. Their perfect record still holds up and every bit of Oklahoma’s BCS aspirations are basically out the window.

Pending a collapse by Kansas State, the Sooners can forget about an at-large BCS bowl bid, let alone their slim chances at making to the national championship.

In Oklahoma’s defense, their two losses have come to two top five football teams, but both of them came in Norman. So give all the credit to Notre Dame. They were a two score underdog, but that may have been the motivation the Irish needed to overcome the Sooners.

Oklahoma struck first with a Michael Hunnicutt field goal. Less than a minute later, Notre Dame’s Cierre Wood sprinted down field for a 62-yard rushing touchdown.

It was the type of blow Notre Dame needed and they followed the touchdown with another field goal before halftime. Oklahoma had a chance to tie it up before heading for the locker room, however, a late holding call negated a Blake Bell touchdown that would have made it 10-10.

The Sooners settled for a field goal, which was not going to win a game where Notre Dame’s defense let up little. Oklahoma had to take advantage of every opportunity, but the missed ones may have ultimately killed them.

The Irish added another three to make it a seven-point game in the fourth, but Blake Bell would get back the touchdown called back in the second quarter. The Sooners and Irish were all knotted up, but Notre Dame would respond and Oklahoma could not.

The Sooners suffered a 17-point loss, which is deceiving to the football fan who did not watch the game. Notre Dame added a trash touchdown late, though, Oklahoma had a chance to get a last minute score, but were unsuccessful.

Oklahoma’s record drops to 5-2 and have a tough November ahead. If there is one good thing you can take away from the loss, then it has to be the fact it does not hurt OU’s conference title hopes. It does not help them either, but if Kansas State drops two, Oklahoma is looking at an automatic BCS bid if they are able to win out.

The Sooners did not play completely terrible. They just had too many penalties and missed scoring opportunities, which you can not do against a stingy Notre Dame defense.

Oklahoma heads in to Ames, IA next Saturday to face a 5-3 Cyclones team. Iowa State is coming off a convincing win over Baylor, and the Big 12 match-up will kick off at 11 a.m. on ABC.