The Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame's 800th win doesn't rate among the school's top victories - it might not even rate among the school's top 700 wins.

The 23-15 victory over Stanford on Saturday, though, might turn out to be an important win for this year's team.

The Irish (4-2) not only found a way to win when they weren't playing particularly well, they avoided falling to .500 with a loss to a team they beat by 50 points a year ago - a loss that surely would have sent fans into a panic.

Instead the Irish - who joined Michigan as the only Division I-A teams with 800 wins - head into the second half of the season with hopes of a bowl game still alive.

"The big picture is that we are 4-2 with a great shot to do some great things as we go down the final stretch in the second half of this year," Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham said.

The Irish play Navy (5-0) in East Rutherford, N.J., this week - a team they haven't lost to in 40 years - then are back home against Boston College (4-1), a team they've lost to four of the past five years. They also host Pitt (3-2) on Nov. 13 and play at No. 13 Tennessee (4-1) on Nov. 6 and at No. 1 USC (5-0) on Nov. 27.

But the Irish are going to have to play considerably better in those games if they hope to accomplish their goal of finishing strong.

PURDUE: Kyle Orton passed for 275 yards, and Taylor Stubblefield set a Big Ten record for receptions. But this time, it was the defense that kept Purdue undefeated.

The Boilermakers (5-0, 2-0 Big East) have climbed to No. 5 in this week's AP poll thanks in large part to Orton and their potent offense. But a pair of gutsy goal-line stands allowed Purdue to hold on for a 20-13 win over Penn State Saturday.

"I walked into the defensive side of the locker room after the game and said defense won the game for us, because they did," Orton said.

NEBRASKA: One day after the most lopsided loss in the 115 years of Nebraska football, the coaching staff told the Cornhuskers to forget about it.

The fans, to be sure, won't soon forget Saturday's 70-10 flogging at the hands of Texas Tech.

But the players must, because wallowing in the past won't help the players get ready for this week's game against Baylor, according to defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove.

"The one thing you have to do is put it behind you. There's nothing you can do about it," Cosgrove said Sunday. "The coaches hurt, the players hurt, the fans hurt, you guys (the media) hurt. We all hurt. But we also know what we can do. Just correct what was wrong, show them why things happened and move on."

The Cornhuskers went into Lubbock, Texas, with a defense that was ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 5 in the nation.

But Tech quarterback Sonny Cumbie threw for 436 yards and five touchdowns, and the Red Raiders scored the final 49 points after Nebraska had pulled within 21-10 in the third quarter.

Tech's offense benefited from having a short field much of the game. The Huskers (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) had seven turnovers in the game, including six in the second half.

FLORIDA: The Florida Gators have two early losses for the third time in as many seasons under coach Ron Zook.

And it seems to be wearing on the coach, players and fans.

"Like I told them in the locker room: It's time for us to stand up," Zook said Sunday, a day after a 24-21 home loss to LSU. "We've got a lot of fans who are upset, and they deserve to be. I don't blame them. I'm upset, too."

After struggling mightily against the Tigers Saturday, Florida (3-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) fell from No. 12 to No. 22.