Play like a champion today. Pray like a champion tomorrow.
Those were Notre Dame’s needs, in that order, heading into the final game of its regular season Saturday night at Stanford.
But the mission wasn’t accomplished in a 38-36 setback, meaning the “mission” Notre Dame eyed — the College Football Playoff — is out of reach.
Instead, No. 9 Stanford’s prayers were answered thanks to the right foot of walk-on Conrad Ukropina on a chilly evening in California.
His 45-yard field goal as time expired left the Irish, twice losers this season by a combined four points to a pair of top-10 teams, on the outside looking in.
“The reality is we’re two plays away from being undefeated and being the No. 1 team in the country,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. “Our guys are very disappointed. It’s never about the last 30 seconds. We had a number of opportunities in the red zone where we should have scored touchdowns.”
Thirty seconds before Ukropina’s boot, the Irish’s playoff hopes had a heartbeat when DeShone Kizer held his breath, the ball and what he thought would be part of Notre Dame’s fate in his hands as he crossed the goal line on a 2-yard run for the tying points.
Justin Yoon’s kick was good and Irish hopes — however slim — stayed alive with the one-point lead.
“Tough to talk to our team in the locker room after a game like this,” Kelly said. “It came down to Stanford made the play they needed to make to win the game. We didn’t make it.”
Unlike several teams ahead of them in the rankings, and several behind, Notre Dame (10-2) won’t have a second chance to make a final impression on the 12-person playoff committee, which dropped the Irish from last team in (fourth) to second team out (sixth) Tuesday.
“I love my team,” Kelly said. “I’ll put them against anyone in the country, but we understand we’re not going to get that chance.”
“Team 127,” billed as such because this is the Irish’s 127th season of football, saw its first lead last all of 1 minute, 27 seconds in the first half after Will Fuller caught a 73-yard touchdown pass from Kizer with 2:15 left in the second quarter. Stanford responded with a touchdown of its own with 48 seconds left to take a 21-20 lead.
One play after running for 36 yards, Kizer fumbled after running into center Nick Martin, ending with 39 seconds left at the Cardinal 29 the Irish’s chance to take a halftime lead. Martin earlier had been pinned for a false start on third-and-1 from Stanford’s 4, which prompted the Irish to kick a field goal.
“We would love for a different outcome on a couple of plays,” linebacker Joe Schmidt said. “That’s life. That’s football.”
Notre Dame ran just five plays in the opening quarter, thanks to two sustained Cardinal touchdown drives and C.J. Sanders’ 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Kizer (128 yards, one touchdown on 16 carries) and freshman running back Josh Adams (168 yards, one touchdown on 18 carries) did their best to make up for C.J. Prosise’s absence. Kizer also was 13-for-25 for 234 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown pass to Will Fuller.
The Irish’s defense, however, was another story.
The Cardinal (10-2) marched 75 yards and earned seven points for their troubles on their first drive, which included a lot of Christian McCaffrey, who lined up four ways (slot, wideout, running back and I-formation) during his team’s first drive after he downed the opening kick in the end zone.
It marked the 22nd time this season the Irish have allowed a touchdown drive of 75 yards or more. Nos. 23-25 followed. But Stanford’s five-play, 45-yard drive at the end ultimately did in the Irish.
“I’ve been on the other side of it,” Kizer said. “Football is a crazy game.”
Twitter @ChiTribSkrbina
2-minute drill
Been a while: C.J. Sanders became the first Notre Dame player with a kickoff return and punt return for a touchdown in the same season since Vontez Duff accomplished the feat in 2002. He returned a kickoff 93 yards for Notre Dame’s first score Saturday.
Long ball: Notre Dame’s three touchdowns of 50 yards were its 12th, 13th and 14th, a school record. In addition to Sanders’ kickoff return, Will Fuller caught a 73-yard touchdown pass from DeShone Kizer, Fuller’s ninth touchdown of at least 30 yards this year.
Like a broken record: Running back Josh Adams ran for 168 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown that gave the Irish a 29-28 lead in the third. It marked the fourth time he eclipsed the 100-yard mark, a school record for a freshman.
Mr. 3,000: Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey surpassed 3,000-yard mark for all-purpose yards. He is second in FBS history behind Barry Sanders.
