Tom Barrett threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns as he led Saint Patrick to yet another come from behind victory, this one a 21-14 triumph at Notre Dame. Trailing 14-7 in the fourth quarter, Barrett connected on a pair of late touchdown tosses to pull out the victory in this battle of traditional rivals. Saint Patrick is now 6-1 on the season, while Notre Dame is 2-5.

Notre Dame’s offense came into the game averaging only seven points per game, but they started strong against the Shamrocks. On their first possession the Dons drove 49 yards on 12 plays for a touchdown to make it 7-0. The Shamrocks answered with a 69-yard bomb down the left sideline from Barrett to Paul Lombardi to tie the score at seven. Notre Dame came right back with a big play of their own as Matt Jackson broke through the middle of the field on an 82-yard touchdown run that put Notre Dame ahead 14-7 with 1:58 remaining in the first quarter. The Don’s wouldn’t get inside the Shamrock 45 yard line again the rest of the night, punting on their next seven possessions.

The Shamrock offense struggled through the rest of the first half, mustering only 32 yards on 17 plays in their final four possessions of the first half. Things picked up offensively for the Shamrocks in the second half. Their first two possessions ended with interceptions, but they managed to gain 87 yards on 18 plays, which foreshadowed the Shamrock comeback. With 10:10 remaining in the fourth quarter Saint Patrick got the ball at the Dons’ 47 courtesy of a face-masking penalty. Six plays later, Barrett hit Lombardi who ran down the right sideline and dove into the end zone for the touchdown. Chris Gasiorek’s extra point sailed wide to the left, and the Dons held a 14-13 lead with 8:03 left to go. The Shamrock defense held, and Saint Patrick the Shamrocks got the ball back at their own 45 with four minutes to go. The Shamrocks got a first down, but then back-to-back penalties left them facing second and 21 from their own 45-yard line. Barrett hit Matt Ledenbach on a deep crossing pattern, and Ledenbach took it into the end zone for a 55-yard touchdown. Barrett then connected with Lombardi on the two-point conversion to make it 21-14 Shamrocks with 1:33 remaining. Jack McKenna picked off the Dons’ Jeff Larsen’s desperation pass, and the Shamrocks were able to run out the clock for the victory.

The game was close statistically, even though the two teams chose completely opposite offensive strategies. Shamrocks gained 287 yards passing and lost 19 yards rushing for 268 total yards, while Notre Dame rushed for 240 yards and gained only 19 through the air for 259. Barrett finished the game 13 of 28 for 287 yards and three scores. Two Shamrock receivers topped to 100-yard plateau as Ledenbach caught five passes for 143 yards and a touchdown, and Lombardi hauled in four balls for 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns.