CHICAGO -- To win more games than any coach in the storied history of Notre Dame football, Brian Kelly has needed to be adaptable.
Maybe never more than the first month of this season. The Fighting Irish have used three quarterbacks and four left tackles, moved away from their run-first mentality and added new wrinkles on defense to head into October unbeaten.
Chris Tyree returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown and Drew Pyne threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass in relief of an injured Jack Coan, helping No. 12 Notre Dame pull away from No. 18 Wisconsin 41-13 on Saturday at Soldier Field.
The Fighting Irish (4-0) have shown plenty of vulnerabilities as they retooled a team that went to the College Football Playoff last season. But they keep winning.
"We got a long way to go still, but they're getting better each week," Kelly said. "I'm having fun coaching them. They're not perfect by any means, but they're going to be better in November."
With victory No. 106 in 12 seasons at Notre Dame, Kelly (106-39) surpassed the legendary Knute Rockne (105-12-5).
"Last year we were a veteran team. We hunkered down, we put three tight ends on the field. This is what we were and kind of lived with it," Kelly said. "This is, like, we're trying to figure it out as we go."
Graham Mertz threw four interceptions for Wisconsin (1-2), including two that were returned for touchdowns in the final 2:30 to blow the game open. Notre Dame scored the final 31 points and the Badgers lost their seventh in a row to a ranked team.
Running back Chez Mellusi called the collapse "embarrassing."
Coan, a Wisconsin transfer, left with a left leg injury in the third quarter with the game tied at 10. Kelly said it was a soft tissue injury, but didn't appear to be a severe ankle sprain.
""Jack Coan is our starter," Kelly said. "If he's physically able, he'll be our starter [next week] against Cincinnati."
Notre Dame had used freshman Tyler Buchner as a mobile complement to Coan the last two games, but he was dealing with a sore hamstring. So it was Pyne's turn to step up.
Pyne lost a fumble on his second possession, leading to a field goal by the Badgers, but otherwise the redshirt freshman was solid, going 6 for 8 for 81 yards.
Coan played 22 games for Wisconsin over three seasons and was the starter for the 2019 team that reached the Big Ten championship game. He broke his foot in the runup to the abbreviated Big Ten season last year and Mertz claimed the starting job.
A highly rated 2019 recruit, Mertz had some ups and downs in 2020, but Coan could see where things were headed and transferred to Notre Dame.
He has been a solid fit playing behind a struggling offensive line. Coan completed 15 of 29 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown, and was sacked five times by his former team.
The blind-side sack of Pyne put Wisconsin at the Notre Dame 39. The Badgers stalled in the red zone, and Collin Larsh kicked a 27-yard field goal to put Wisconsin up 13-10 with 14:14 left in the fourth quarter.
The lead lasted 13 seconds. Tyree took the kickoff at the 4, found a seam to the left and turned on the speed. The sophomore outraced the Badgers for the touchdown that put the Irish up 17-13.
"I think that was the game-changing play," said Notre Dame cornerback Cam Hart, who had two interceptions.
Notre Dame got a strip sack by Jayson Ademilola on Wisconsin's next possession, and Isaiah Foskey recovered on the Badgers 46.
Pyne followed with four consecutive completions, including a 16-yard slant to Kevin Austin for a touchdown that made it 24-13 with 9:34 left.
N.CAROLINA STATE 27,
NO. 9 CLEMSON 21 (2OT)
RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina State forced D.J. Uiagalelei into a fourth-down incompletion in the second overtime to beat ninth-ranked Clemson, an outcome that shakes up the Atlantic Coast Conference race and deals a huge blow to the Tigers' College Football Playoff hopes.
Uiagalelei slightly overthrew Justyn Ross near the goal line to end it, sending the Wolfpack sprinting in from the sideline followed immediately by red-clad fans pouring onto the field to celebrate N.C. State's first win in the series in a decade.
Devin Leary threw for four touchdowns, including the winning 22-yard pass to Devin Carter to start the second OT.
N.C. State (3-1, 1-0) controlled play most of the way, nearly doubling Clemson in total offense through regulation while converting more than half of its third-down chances.
It was a brutal day for the Tigers (2-2, 1-1), who now have a second loss to make it an unlikely climb to extend their streak of making every year of the playoff.
NO. 5 IOWA 24,
COLORADO STATE 14
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Spencer Petras threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns as the Hawkeyes needed a second-half comeback to stay unbeaten.
The Hawkeyes (4-0) won their 10th consecutive game and have a 15-game nonconference winning streak, the longest current streak in the nation.
Colorado State (1-3) led 14-7 at halftime, but the Hawkeyes scored touchdowns on back-to-back possessions that took a combined four plays in the third quarter.
A fumble recovery by Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell at the Colorado State 6-yard line set up a touchdown run by wide receiver Tyrone Tracy Jr., on the next play that tied the game. Petras threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sam LaPorta on the next possession to give Iowa a 21-14 lead.
Colorado State cornerback Robert Floyd wrestled away a pass intended for Tracy and returned it 62 yards to set up Todd Centeio's 3-yard touchdown pass to Gary Williams in the second quarter.
NO. 6 PENN STATE 38,
VILLANOVA 17
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Sean Clifford passed for four touchdowns and a career-high 401 yards as Penn State showcased its speed against its in-state FCS opponent.
Clifford completed 19 of 26 passes, finding Parker Washington for two TDs and Jahan Dotson and KeAndre Lambert-Smith for one apiece. Tyler Warren rushed for a touchdown and Jordan Stout kicked a field goal for the Nittany Lions (4-0), who led 17-3 at the break in their eighth consecutive win.
Daniel Smith threw 57- and 17-yard touchdown passes to Rayjoun Pringle in the fourth for the Wildcats (3-1).
Playing behind an offensive line that has used four left tackles so far this season, Coan completed 15 of 29 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked five times.
He limped off the field, favoring his left leg, midway through the third quarter and went to the injury tent, and then the locker room.
BAYLOR 31,
NO. 14 IOWA STATE 29
WACO, Texas -- Gerry Bohanon (Earle) threw for two touchdowns and ran for another and Baylor stopped a two-point try with 24 seconds left to pull off the upset in Big 12 play.
Breece Hall ran for 180 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries for Iowa State (2-2, 0-1) and caught a 16-yard TD pass in the final minute that was followed by the failed two-point try.
The Bears recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
The Bears (4-0, 2-0) scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and never trailed again. Bohanon finished 14 for 19 for 164 yards and rushed for 36 yards. Treston Ebner returned a kickoff 98 yards for Baylor's only touchdown of the second half.
Brock Purdy was 22 for 33 for 263 yards and a touchdown and a fourth-quarter interception for the Cyclones.
NO. 17 COASTAL CAROLINA 53,
UMASS 3
CONWAY, S.C. -- Grayson McCall threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third as the Chanticleers sent UMass to its 15th consecutive loss.
The Chanticleers, who scored on eight of nine possessions, have started 4-0 for the second consecutive season and have won 15 of 16 games over two years.
McCall opened the scoring with a 3-yard TD run and added scoring passes of 25 yards to Isaiah Likely and a 23 yards to Javion Heiligh.
The Minutemen (0-4) broke through with 8:23 left on Cameron Carson's 35-yard field goal. UMass, a Bowl Subdivision independent, hasn't won since topping Akron 37-28 in September 2019.
NO. 19 MICHIGAN 20,
RUTGERS 13
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Hassan Haskins ran for touchdowns the first two times the undefeated Wolverines had the ball as they opened Big Ten play.
Michigan (4-0, 1-0) entered the game averaging 350.3 yards rushing to lead the nation and was held to just 112 yards on the ground. Blake Corum was limited to 68 yards -- half his average -- on 21 attempts and Haskins ran for just 41 yards on 12 carries. Cade McNamara was 9 of 16 for 163 yards passing for the Wolverines.
The Scarlet Knights (3-1, 0-1) rallied from a 17-point, third-quarter deficit to pull within seven early in the fourth quarter, but Valentino Ambrosio missed a short field goal and on their next possession they turned it over on downs.
Noah Vedral was 18 of 31 for 156 yards with a touchdown pass to Aaron Young in the third quarter, starting a comeback that fell short.
