Oregon State Tops Irish in Fiesta Bowl

T E M P E, Ariz., Jan. 2 -- The Oregon State defense made Notre Damequarterback Matt LoVecchio look like a vulnerable freshman.

Unimpressed with the mystique of the Golden Dome, thefifth-ranked Beavers manhandled LoVecchio and the No. 10 FightingIrish, finishing off the finest season in school history with a41-9 Fiesta Bowl victory Monday night.

“When you step on the field, you respect Notre Dame, but whenyou’re on the field, it’s not about tradition, it’s about making plays,” said Darnell Robinson, who had an interception and aforced fumble. “So as a defense we just wanted to go out and playour game, and dominate.”

LoVecchio Turns Mortal

LoVecchio, who led the Irish to seven straight victories aftertaking over as the starter in the fifth game, completed just 13 of33 passes for 138 yards. He also was sacked five times.

Two of LoVecchio’s third-quarter turnovers led to touchdowns: afumble on a crushing blindside hit by Robinson, then theinterception by Robinson, that helped the Beavers break open thegame at 34-3.

“We rattled him a little bit, and when we forced him to pass —I don’t want to boast about it — but being the secondary that weare, we took advantage of it,” Oregon State cornerback KeithHeyward-Johnson said.

Oregon State’s quickness up front and in the middle made it oneof the best defensive teams in the country all season, but the waythe Beavers dominated Notre Dame, on big play after big play, wassimply stunning.

Notre Dame, which kept the ball on the ground its last 24 playsin a Nov. 25 victory over Southern California, ran six straighttimes to open Monday’s game, but gained just 8 yards.

“We felt pretty confident we could defend their passing game,because it’s not too fancy; nothing tricky to it,” said linebackerJames Allen. “Our secondary can cover anybody, so once we shut therunning game down, from then on it was a walk in the park.”