CANTON, Ohio -- For Notre Dame in 2011, four quarters of football just doesn't seem to be enough. And for the Walsh Cavaliers, owners of a 7-4 record a year ago, 17 points on Saturday just weren't enough, as the Falcons shocked WU, 20-17, in overtime.  (Box | Postgame Notes)

(See video highlights on NotreDameFalcons TV2)

Playing in its second overtime contest in as many weeks, Notre Dame got two key field goals from freshman kicker Chris McClearn and big plays on both sides of the ball in pulling off the upset win on the road.

McClearn hit a 37-yarder in overtime and the Falcon defense made the kick hold up as Notre Dame (1-1) won for the third time in program history. For the Falcons, the victory helps take the sting out of a disappointing 24-23 loss at Mercyhurst (Pa.) a week ago.

NDC twice erased late deficits in Saturday's game, first with a 22-yard TD pass from Rob Partridge to Keifer Titus at the 8:24-mark in the fourth quarter and then with a 22-yard McClearn field goal with six seconds remaining in regulation. Partridge finished the game with 103 passing yards and another 58 yards on the ground. The Falcons outgained Walsh, 350 yards to 288, as NDC dealt the Cavaliers (0-2) a second straight loss to start a season for the first time in their program's history.

“I'm so proud of our players and coaches,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Adam Howard. “We showed a lot of maturity and great poise today.”

The Falcons got on the board first, scoring a touchdown on their first drive of the day, when starting quarterback Dak Britt connected on an 8-yard pass with Jack Foy. That would be a common connection in the first half, with Britt completing 10-of-12 passes and Foy hauling in six of those.

Walsh tied the game at 5:29 in the first and then took the lead at 2:09, both times with rushing
touchdowns scored by junior tailback Toba Olarewaju. Those back-to-back, first-quarter TDs gave Walsh a 14-7 lead and an even bigger lead in momentum. Olarewaju ran wild on the Falcon defense in the first half, compiling 133 rushing yards on 19 carries. The busy and bruising running back would go on to become the first opposing player to rush for 200 yards (202) against NDC, a number he compiled on 37 carries.

Despite Olarewaju's best efforts, WU went into halftime with that same 14-7 lead, with neither side mustering a score in the second quarter.

Defense prevailed again in the third, and the host Cavaliers found themselves up, 14-7, heading
into the fourth. But Walsh also found themselves up against a resilient Falcon football team, one anxious to get its first win of the season regardless of the opponent or the venue.

The Falcons tied the game on Partridge's TD pass to Titus, only to have Walsh retake the lead,
17-14, on a Bo Beegle field goal at 4:01.

Partridge and Titus figured also big in Notre Dame tying the score, 17-17, in the waning moments of the game. After a squib kick by Beegle, Notre Dame started a drive at its own 45. After picking up a first down, NDC looked to be done when, after two sacks and a short run, the Falcons found themselves facing a fourth-and-21, with their comeback chances on the line.

The comeback was kept alive with Partridge, after a mad scramble in the backfield, finding a
leaping Titus 32 yards downfield for a near-Hail-Mary first down. That conversion led to
McClearn's game tying field goal with six ticks showing on the Fawcett Stadium scoreboard clock.

McClearn came back onto the field on the first possession of overtime, and he gave Notre Dame the lead, 20-17, when his 37-yarer split the uprights.

The Notre Dame defense then came up big, stuffing Olarewaju on two runs and then forcing a fourth-and-long on an incomplete pass. Struggling to get through the NDC defense in the air, Walsh opted to try and tie the game. They nearly did just that when Bo Beegle's 47-yard attempt looked to be headed through the goalpost.

But that kick came up just short. And Notre Dame came up big in the process.

“Walsh is a program we have a great deal of respect for,” said Howard. “To come away with a victory at their place is huge for our program at Notre Dame.”