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PALO ALTO, California (Ticker) -- So close to a win, yet so far from lost glory. Notre Dame suffered another disappointing loss to conclude its worst season in 13 years, dropping a 40-37 decision to Pac-10 Conference champion Stanford on Mike Biselli's 22-yard field goal as time expired. The loss was the Fighting Irish's sixth this season by 10 points or less, including last-second setbacks to Michigan and Purdue in consecutive weeks in September. Last weekend, they were beaten at home by Boston College, 31-29. This is the first losing season for Notre Dame (5-7) since going 5-6 in 1988, Lou Holtz's first year at the helm. The Irish have lost seven games for the first time since 1964. "I'm proud of this team," Notre Dame coach Bob Davie said. "To be down 17-0 with the circumstances what they were. When you come back from a deficit like that it shows a lot of character. We'll look back on this season and see that this is the hardest schedule that Notre Dame has played. We played eight teams that will play in a bowl game. Eight games have come down to the last play of the game, and I know that we're suppose to win those games. But the players have learned to play a tough schedule." Technically, the game was meaningless for both schools. The Irish were eliminated from bowl contention by Boston College and Stanford already was assured of playing in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1972. They will battle fourth-ranked Wisconsin on New Year's Day. "It gives us a lot of momentum going into the Rose Bowl," Stanford linebacker Riall Johnson said. "It was pretty hard to get up for this game in terms of it had no significance as to where we were going to go, but I think we did a good job of keeping our emotions up...I think we just really stepped up today and played our hearts out when it came down to stretch. This is what the team wants to do. This team wants to win." Despite all its struggles and with nothing on the line but pride, Notre Dame tied it at 37-37 with 1:32 to play. Jarious Jackson hit tight end Jabari Holloway for a five-yard touchdown and wide receiver Joey Getherall ran in the two-point conversion. Aided by a roughing-the-passer penalty, the Cardinal needed eight plays to drive for the winning field goal. Stanford began the final drive at its own 28-yard line and quickly picked up 19 yards as Todd Husak hit Dave Davis down the left sideline. A short completion followed, but Notre Dame was flagged for roughing Husak and the ball was moved to the Irish 35. Husak and Davis hooked up again for an 11-yard gain before running back Coy Wire lost two yards. But Husak threw a strike down the middle to DeRonnie Pitts for 21 yards to the 5. "They made a mistake giving us a minute and a half," Husak said. "We did it at the end of the first half, too. Whenever you have receivers like Dave (Davis) and Troy (Walters) and DeRonnie (Pitts) and Tafiti (Uso), guys like that, it puts a lot of pressure on the defensive backs. We knew we would score. I knew that guys would get open and I knew that the linesmen could block. It felt good." Two short runs by fullback Casey Moore set up Biselli, a junior from Sparks, Nevada, who calmly split the uprights to give the Cardinal eight wins for the first time since they were 10-3 in 1992. "I couldn't ask for anything more," Biselli said. "It wasn't necessarily my kick that won it. I think the defense and the offense won it for us. I just went out there to prove it. "I've been dreaming about kicking the game winner against Notre Dame since I started kicking. When I was 13, 14 years old, everyday at the end of my practices I would pick a big-tie university out there to kick the game winner and today it became a reality. What a feeling it is." Husak was strong throughout, completing 24-of-34 passes for 334 yards. He twice hooked up with potential All-American Troy Walters on touchdowns, a 62-yarder to open the scoring and a 38-yarder late in the third quarter that gave Stanford a 30-29 lead. Walters had eight catches for 183 yards, while Pitts totaled 85 yards on six receptions. He broke the Pac-10 single-season receiving yardage record. "It really hasn't sunk in," he said. "I'm just happy that our seniors went out with a sin, that we're gathering momentum going into the Rose bowl." "Teams know he's our go-to guy," Husak said. "It's no surprise. He's done it every game for the last three years and he's still able to go off. One of the best experiences in all my four years here is playing with him. He's an incredible player; he's an incredible person." Joe Borchard scored on a two-yard run with 8:13 to play as the Cardinal built an eight-point lead. Jackson was 9-of-19 for 167 yards and two touchdowns, but the bright spot for Notre Dame was running back Tony Fisher, who carried 19 times for 207 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 68 yards and a score. "We have a lot of talent coming back next season on offense and we know that we will get these players back next season," Fisher said. "I think that this team is on the right track. We just haven't had the luck of the Irish." Fisher scored on a one-yard plunge late in the first quarter, then hauled in a 42-yard TD strike 64 seconds into the second to bring the Irish within 17-14. He added a nine-yard scoring run midway through the second that put Notre Dame on top, 23-21. Biselli's third field field goal of the game, a 34-yarder on the final play of the first half, put Stanford in front.
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