Notre Dame’s first bowl win in 15 years excites Weis

HONOLULU (AP) — Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis was “an emotional wreck” before the Hawaii Bowl and found himself in a place he hasn’t been since 2001 — the coaches box.

Unable to walk without crutches because of bad knees, Weis led from above as the efficient Fighting Irish got their first postseason victory in 15 years, 49-21 over Hawaii on Wednesday night.

“The guys came out here on a mission,” said Jimmy Clausen, who set Notre Dame bowl records with 401 yards passing and five touchdowns.

Golden Tate had six catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns, also Irish bowl records, including a 69-yarder that sparked a 28-point outburst to help the Notre Dame (7-6) end its NCAA-record bowl losing steak at nine.

With Weis calling plays from the coaches box, the Irish were unstoppable.

“I’m very happy for Notre Dame. This was a great step forward for us,” he said. “It leads us into 2009 with a good taste in our mouth.”

Weis used to coach from the box as offensive coordinator with the New England Patriots, until quarterback Drew Bledsoe got injured in 2001 and was replaced by an unheralded player named Tom Brady.

“Tommy was a very inexperienced quarterback at the time, and Bill [Belichick] and I felt we needed some more leadership on the field,” he said. “We went on to win the Super Bowl doing it that way, so we figured why change it. But as far as seeing the field, it’s not even close.”

This time, Weis is inclined to return to the field.

“As a head coach, you want to be on the sideline with your fellas,” he said. “You want to be there with them.”

After the Warriors (7-7) scored to end Notre Dame’s 28-point run, Armando Allen returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score. Allen also caught an 18-yard TD pass on the Irish’s opening drive of the second half.

“They jumped on us,” Warriors coach Greg McMackin said.

It was evident Weis, who was all smiles after the game, and his players cherished the bowl victory.

As Notre Dame was presented the bowl’s pineapple-football trophy at midfield, each player came around to put their hands on it.

Notre Dame’s victory was its first in the postseason since beating Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl to end the 1993 season. The Irish also avoided consecutive losing seasons.

Clausen was confident and sharp, completing 22 of 26 passes. He racked up 300 yards passing and three TDs by halftime, sending the crowd home early.

“We were clicking tonight,” Clausen said. “Coming off the loss at [USC], we got to work, and I started feeling real good, the timing with the receivers and the timing with the backs. It was real fun. We wanted to come down here to get a win, and that’s what we did.”