NOTRE DAME, Ind. – In its home finally, the Notre Dame football team sent its seniors out in style with a 28-3 victory over No. 14 Utah Saturday afternoon.

• Between the second and third quarters, ND quarterback Tommy Rees completed eight straight passes. His 5-for-5 effort in the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth all went for first downs as the Irish began to start dominating the Utes on offense.

• As Utah makes one last stab at getting back into the contest, the Fighting Irish defense steps up again and forces the Utes to turn the ball over on downs as the Notre Dame 16-yard line.

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  As time ticked down in the home finale, the Irish defense refused to let up. Notre Dame knocked Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn out of the game with 5:31 remaining. Wynn was out of the game for just two plays. While he was out, backup quarterback Terrance Cain was sacked by Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o.

• After 10 penalties for 65 yards in the opening 30 minutes, Utah picked up its first penalty of the second half with just under four minutes remaining in the contest.

• The Notre Dame defense forced the Utah offense to turn over the ball on downs numerous times. The last one came with 3:13 left on the clock at the Irish’s 37-yard line.

• In his final home game, fan favorite Robert Hughes, who caught a pass in the first half, comes into the game for the final three minutes. He carries the ball on four straight plays, picking up a first down to the delight of the sellout crowd.

• The win over Utah snapped a two-game losing streak for the Irish. After winning its first game of the year, Notre Dame dropped three straight games, won three straight games and then lost two in a row.