BALTIMORE — A passing rain storm seemed to be the only thing putting a damper on Charlie Weis' day.

Notre Dame was a couple of minutes away from giving its coach a drama-free and much-needed victory. Then things got strange, and a tense week for college football's most storied program culminated with an uneasy ending against Navy.

A year after the Fighting Irish saw their record 43-game winning streak against Navy snapped, Notre Dame had to withstand a frenetic rally by the Midshipmen in the final minute and a half to win, 27-21, yesterday.

"We made the game a little too exciting at the end," Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen said. "But we're happy to come out with the victory."

The Midshipmen (6-4) trailed 27-7 when Shun White broke loose for a 24-yard touchdown run that seemed as if it would provide little more than window dressing with 1:39 left.

Then Navy linebacker Corey Johnson recovered an onside kick at the Notre Dame 41 and the Irish sent their first-team defense back in.

It didn't help. Ricky Dobbs completed a 40-yard pass down the sideline to Tyree Barnes, then ran in from a yard out, and it was 27-21 with 1:21 left and another onside kick coming.

The second worked even better, as Johnson leaped to come up with a high bouncer.

"Once we got the second one I felt in my heart we were going to win," Johnson said.

Navy again took over at the 41. But this time, Dobbs couldn't get the ball downfield. Pat Kuntz's sack keyed the defensive stand, and when Dobbs' final pass sailed high, Notre Dame (6-4) could finally rest.

"You can't dig a hole like that against a team like Notre Dame," coach Ken Niumatalolo said.

Weis led Notre Dame to the BCS in his first two seasons, but managed only three victories with an inexperienced team last year.

A 17-0 loss to Boston College last week, Notre Dame's third in four games, led to Weis fielding questions about his job security. Just another week in the soap opera that often is Notre Dame football.

ACC

Clemson 31, Duke 7: C.J. Spiller had an 83-yard touchdown catch and a 24-yard scoring run, and senior Aaron Kelly caught 10 passes to become the conference's all-time career leader with 217 receptions as the Tigers (5-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) romped past the Blue Devils (4-6, 1-5) at Clemson, S.C.

North Carolina State 21, Wake Forest 17: Redshirt freshman Russell Wilson passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Wolfpack (4-6, 2-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) over the Demon Deacons (6-4, 4-3) at Raleigh, N.C.

BIG 12

Baylor 41, Texas A&M 21: Robert Griffin threw touchdown passes of 31 and 55 yards, and Jacoby Jones ran for two scores after taking late pitches from Griffin as the Bears (4-7, 2-5 Big 12) won at Waco, Texas, beating the Aggies (4-7, 2-5) for only the second time in their last 23 meetings.

Nebraska 56, Kansas State 28: Joe Ganz accounted for 365 total yards and four touchdowns and the Cornhuskers (7-4, 4-3 Big 12) manhandled the Wildcats (4-7, 1-6) for the second straight year, rolling to victory at Manhattan, Kan.

BIG EAST

Rutgers 49, South Florida 16: Mike Teel threw for 294 yards and two touchdowns, Kenny Britt scored on a 93-yard pass play early in the fourth quarter, and the Scarlet Knights (5-5, 4-2 Big East) forced six turnovers to rout the Bulls (6-4, 1-4) at Tampa, Fla.

Connecticut 39, Syracuse 14: Donald Brown rushed for 131 yards and scored on a 49-yard run, and Jasper Howard (69-yard punt return) and Robert McClain (37-yard interception return) scored on consecutive plays in the third quarter as the Huskies (7-3, 3-2 Big East) defeated the Orange (2-8, 1-5) at Syracuse, N.Y.

BIG TEN

Iowa 22, Purdue 17: Shonn Greene ran for 211 yards and two scores, including a 75-yard dash, and a Hail Mary pass with 5 seconds remaining sailed long as the Hawkeyes (7-4, 4-3 Big Ten) held off the Boilermakers (3-8, 1-6) at Iowa City, Iowa.

Wisconsin 35, Minnesota 32: John Clay scored on a 5-yard run for a 35-24 lead with 6:59 to play and the Badgers (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) rallied from a 21-7 halftime deficit to beat the Golden Gophers (7-4, 3-4) and become bowl eligible.

CONFERENCE USA

UAB 41, Tulane 24: Quarterback Joe Webb ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns, and also completed 15 of 21 passes for 154 yards to lead the Blazers (3-7, 2-4 CUSA) over the Green Wave (2-8, 1-5) at New Orleans.

Southern Miss. 21, East Carolina 3: Austin Davis threw for two touchdowns, including a school record 97-yarder to DeAndre Brown, and the Golden Eagles (5-6, 3-4 CUSA) rolled past the Pirates (6-4, 4-2) at Hattiesburg, Miss.

UCF 30, Marshall 14: Brynn Harvey rushed for 150 yards and scored on a 50-yard run, and Sha'reff Rashad intercepted two passes, leading to a pair of field goals as the Knights (3-7, 2-4 Conference USA) beat the Thundering Herd (4-6, 3-3) at Huntington, W.Va.

UTEP 36, SMU 10: Trevor Vittatoe threw for 410 yards and connected with Kris Adams for three touchdowns, including an 85-yarder on the first play from scrimmage, as the Miners (5-5, 4-2 Conference USA) pounded the Mustangs (1-10, 0-7) at El Paso, Texas.

MID-AMERICAN

Western Michigan 27, Toledo 17: Tim Hiller passed for 225 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Broncos (9-2, 6-1 Mid-American) beat the Rockets (2-8, 1-5) at Kalamazoo, Mich., to reach nine victories for the first time since 2000 and the third time in school history.

MOUNTAIN WEST

COLORADO STATE 20, NEW MEXICO 6: Gartrell Johnson reached 1,000 yards in rushing for the season, running for 127 yards and a touchdown, and Billy Farris threw for 237 yards and a touchdown as the Rams (5-6, 3-4 Mountain West Conference) beat the Lobos (4-8, 2-6) at Fort Collins, Colo.

PACIFIC-10

Oregon 55, Arizona 45: Saint Louis alum Jeremiah Masoli threw for a career-high 298 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for three scores, and LeGarrette Blount scored on a 40-yard run with 3:38 to play as the Ducks (8-3, 6-2 Pac-10) withstood the Wildcats (6-4, 4-3), who rallied from a 48-17 deficit and closed to 48-45 with 6:38 left.

UCLA 27, Washington 7: Led by Khalil Bell's 97 yards rushing and two touchdowns, coach Rick Neuheisel made a successful return to his former school as the Bruins (4-6, 3-4 Pac-10) easily outclassed the Huskies (0-10, 0-7) in Seattle.

SEC

Mississippi 59, Louisiana-Monroe 0: Jevan Snead threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two scores as the Rebels (6-4) became bowl eligible for the first time since 2003 with a rout of the Indians (3-8) at Oxford, Miss.

Vanderbilt 31, Kentucky 24: D.J. Moore scored touchdowns on his first two career receptions and added two critical interceptions as the Commodores (6-4, 4-3) beat the Wildcats (6-5, 2-5) at Lexington, Ky. to gain bowl eligibility for the first time in 26 years.