Fighting Irish play like they’re No. 1

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame got one firstplace vote in the coaches’ poll last Sunday — head coach Brian Kelly’s.

Against Wake Forest, the Fighting Irish reinforced his faith in his team.

Everett Golson threw three touchdown passes, and Cierre Wood scored on a 68-yard run as No. 3 Notre Dame beat Wake Forest 38-0 Saturday to finish the season undefeated at home for the first time since 1998 and keep its national championship hopes alive.

“I told them tonight I’m proud of them,” Kelly said. “I voted them No. 1 for a reason, because I think they’re the best team in the country. I think they played like that tonight.”

Kelly said he has no doubt his 11-0 team deserves to play for the championship if it wins the season finale at USC. That’s all he wants his players focused on, he said.

“They cannot do anything else but beat USC,” Kelly said. “The rest is up to other people to decide.”

Wood got the Irish moving with his 68-yard burst on the game’s fourth play. Three plays later, Wake tailback Josh Harris caught a 13-yard pass but fumbled after a hard hit by Irish linebacker Carlo Calabrese, and safety Zeke Motta recovered. Harris, Wake Forest’s leading rusher, didn’t play the rest of the game because of a head injury.

Golson threw touchdown passes of 50, 34 and 2 yards, all in the first half. Fourteen of his 17 first-half completions led to first downs as the Irish opened a 31-0 halftime lead. He finished with 346 yards on 20-of-30 passing with one interception.

Tyler Eifert had six catches, giving him 130 for his career, breaking Ken MacAfee’s school record of 128, set in 1977.