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SOUTH BEND, Indiana (Ticker) -- Notre Dame did everything in another classic game under the Golden Dome but win. Eric Crouch made sure of it. Crouch scored on a seven-yard run in overtime and top-ranked Nebraska overcame a tidal wave of emotion and a disastrous day on special teams to edge 25th-ranked Notre Dame, 27-24. It was the third touchdown of the day for Crouch, who also scored on runs on 62 and one yard to give third-year Cornhuskers coach Frank Solich his first-ever road win over a ranked team in four tries. "It was a great football game played by both teams," said Solich, whose teams have lost at Texas A@M, Kansas State and Texas in his tenure. "Coming into a place like this and getting the job done, it's big-time." After building a 14-point lead, the Cornuskers (2-0) allowed a 100-yard kickoff return for a score by Julius Jones and an 83-yard punt return for a TD by Joey Getherall to tie the game at 21-21 early in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame had the ball first in overtime and settled for a 29-yard field goal by Nick Setta. Jeremy Sletcher sacked Aranaz Battle for a six-yard loss before the kick. The Cornhuskers moved the ball just one yard on two plays, but Crouch kept the drive alive with a nine-yard pass to tight end Tracey Wistrom on 3rd-and-9. After an eight-yard run by Dan Alexander, Crouch raced around left end for the winning score. "That is kind of like a bread and butter play for us," Crouch said. "We use it on the goal line, we use it when we're looking for big plays," Crouch said. "We got great blocking on that play. There is no other option on that play but for me to run it." Nebraska was the seventh top-ranked team to visit Notre Dame and the first in three tries to come away unscathed. Notre Dame defeated Florida State in 1993 and Miami in 1988 in thrilling games, and today's contest was no less exciting. After a dismal 5-7 campaign under Bob Davie, the Fighting Irish were looking to restore their reputation by playing a brutal early-season schedule. The first step in that revival was a win over Texas A@M last week. While Notre Dame came up short, the Irish gained respect by pushing Nebraska, which seeks its fourth national title in seven years, to overtime. "To have an opportunity to beat the No. 1 team in the nation at home and to lose is very disappointing," David said. "Our defense got stronger as the game went on." It was the first overtime game for Nebraska since it defeated Colorado last November. The Cornhuskers are 3-0 in overtime games since 1996. Notre Dame's last overtime game was a loss to Southern California in 1996. The Fighting Irish are 0-3 in extra-session contests. Nebraska ran for 274 yards, with Alexander collecting 112 on 24 carries. "I wasn't worried about mystiques or legends," Alexander said. "I was worried about their players." Crouch gained 80 yards on 16 carries and completed 7-of-15 passes for 103 yards. Battle ran the ball well for Notre Dame, gaining 107 yards on 14 carries, but completed just 3-of-15 passes for 40 yards. The Fighting Irish did not commit a turnover last week against Texas A@M, but suffered an early turnover when a tipped pass by Battle was intercepted by Joe Walker in Irish territory. But the defense stiffened and Crouch was stopped short on a 4th-and-3 inside the 30. But the celebration was short-lived. Later in the quarter, Crouch broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and raced down the middle of the field for a career-tying 62-yard TD run. Notre Dame responded by giving the run-oriented Cornhuskers a taste of their own medicine, marching downfield on 11 straight running plays on a drive that ended with a two-yard run by Tony Fisher, tying the score at 7-7. Nebraska answered in kind with a 15-play, 65-yard drive. Fourteen plays were on the ground, including a sneak on 4th-and-goal by Crouch that gave the Cornhuskers a 14-7 lead at intermission. Alexander gave the Cornhuskers a 14-point bulge midway through the third quarter, racing 28 yards around left end and into the end zone for a 21-7 bulge. Julius Jones returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a score. Early in the fourth quarter, Getherall fielded the ball and took a few steps to his right, cut up the middle of the field and raced 83 yards for a score. The last Nebraska opponent to return a punt for a TD was Darryl Hennley of UCLA in 1988. "We had a complete collapse on special teams," Solich said. "That is the bottom line." The punt return merely set the stage for the overtime loss. "It was like a balloon deflated," Notre Dame safety Tony Driver said. The Fighting Irish played most of the game without star defensive end Grant Irons, who injured his shoulder in the first quarter.
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