NOTRE DAME Willingham returns to Stanford to face old team

The Irish are on a winning streak, but did the bye week ruin the momentum?
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -- Tyrone Willingham has come to appreciate all the hoopla that goes with being part of Notre Dame football.
"I don't think there's any question that the Notre Dame football scene is that fish bowl," Willingham said. "But my lifestyle hasn't changed."
Still, there's more media attention and increased pressure from fans and alumni. And all of that will only escalate if the Fighting Irish can't win today at Stanford against Willingham's old team.
Notre Dame (4-6) is coming off a bye week and has won two straight heading into its second-to-last game of the season.
Last game
It will be interesting to see if the Irish still have the momentum after a week off -- they haven't lost the week after an open date since Nov. 12, 1994, on the road at Florida State. In their 33-14 win over BYU on Nov. 15, almost everything went right.
Senior Julius Jones rushed for 161 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in his final home game. And D.J. Fitzpatrick booted a career-high four field goals. The Notre Dame defense? Well, it forced a season-high four turnovers.
"Winning brings about a lot of good things," Willingham said. "When you win, you always feel better about yourself if you are a competitor. And when you don't win, it's something that eats at you. I hope that we've taken the bye and utilized that. We're hopeful there are a lot of good things we can keep doing better."
Cardinal motivation
Stanford (4-6) has lost its last two, including a demoralizing 28-16 defeat to rival California in last weekend's Big Game that eliminated the Cardinal from postseason contention and from having a winning season in coach Buddy Teevens' second year.
But the Cardinal would be thrilled to end their season on a high note -- and there would be nobody better to send home with a loss than Willingham.
He is returning to The Farm for the first time since leaving Stanford after 10 years to take over at Notre Dame.
"Coach Willingham is coming back, so that's going to be an emotional game," Stanford receiver Luke Powell said.
Notre Dame used a second-half rally to beat Stanford 31-7 last season in South Bend.
"After that Notre Dame game was when we saw a significant break. It had not hit home or become reality," Cardinal linebacker Brian Gaffney said of facing Willingham. "Seeing him on the other sideline made me realize he was gone and it was a new era of Stanford football. We became an entirely new team -- Coach Teevens' team -- during the offseason."