Rare Fumble

Hey, you knew the UCLA game wasn’t going to be easy when Irish tailback Darius Walker, who fumbles as often as Jeff Suppan blows postseason starts, fumbled for the first time in 405 carries.

Did it matter? Not at all, but it was indicative of the Bruins’ stingy run defense. Walker managed just 53 yards rushing on 21 carries. Notre Dame gained just 41 yards total on 35 carries.

Still, that was better than UCLA, which rushed for 26 yards on 28 carries.

So much for the thought Notre Dame is defensively challenged.