TEMPE, Ariz. -- For at least a few minutes Saturday afternoon, Arizona State appeared to run out of magic.
With their lead over Notre Dame slipping away by the minute, the Sun Devils seemed destined for another all-too-familiar meltdown. Then they went ahead and routed the Fighting Irish as a fan base exhaled.
With a 55-31 win over No. 10 Notre Dame, No. 9 ASU captured the big-stage win that so often eluded it in past seasons and in doing so stepped into the national spotlight, adding an impressive line to its College Football Playoff resume.
"That's a win that tells the country there's a football team in Tempe," coach Todd Graham said.
The win didn't come without a good deal of anxiety in Sun Devil Stadium. ASU built a stunning lead in the first half that had a crowd of nearly 66,000 going wild, confident even before halftime the Sun Devils had shaken the program's history of losing when games matter most.
ASU (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12) capitalized on four of the five turnovers from Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson's to take a commanding 34-3 lead. At one point the Sun Devils scored 17 points in 90 seconds. Its defense dominated as it had the previous three games, allowing just 10 points before ASU headed to the locker room.
Different teams seemed to emerge for the second half.
Notre Dame (7-2) outscored ASU 21-0 from the start of the third quarter to the 6:30 mark of the fourth to turn what looked like a blowout into a three-point game with all the momentum in the Irish's favor.
"I don't want to say 'panicked,' but, yeah, I think I might have been a little panicked," Graham admitted afterward. "So you have to figure out how to change that."
If anyone on ASU's sideline was panicking, it didn't show.
"Nobody flinched," ASU quarterback Taylor Kelly said. "The defense had our backs and we had theirs."
Added junior running back D.J. Foster: "We have been in this position multiple times this year. When it gets toward the end of the game when we are in a rough patch, we need to get things going."
Foster had a big hand in swinging momentum back in ASU's direction. He rushed for 31 yards on three carries on the next series before freshman running back Demario Richard caught two passes for 44 yards to get the Sun Devils in the end zone and out of the woods with a 41-31 lead.
"When we got the ball and it was a three-point game, I stood in front of them and said, 'Let me tell you what championship teams do: They take the ball and they go stuff it down their throat and they score,'" Graham said. "That's exactly what they did."
And with that, ASU put itself one step closer to being one of those championship-contending teams. If the Sun Devils were not already in the College Football Playoff conversation, consider them now squarely in it. Come Tuesday, ASU should again move up in the rankings.
Graham recalled walking past the College Football Playoff trophy Saturday morning as he entered the stadium -- it was on display for fans -- and being reminded of what ASU is working toward.
"We talk about building a national power," Graham said. "I'm bound and determined to bring that here."
But Graham after Saturday's game mostly emphasized ASU's goals within the Pac-12, on which ASU refocuses now with three games left. Win those three games -- against Oregon State, Washington State and rival Arizona -- and the Sun Devils will book a meeting with the Pac-12 North champion. Win there and the Sun Devils almost certainly will play in the inaugural playoff.
"I think that we knew that this was the hump we needed to get over," said Foster, who finished with 120 yards. "At the end of the day, it was just another game for us, but we knew that we had to get this win to impress some people."
It was only fitting of the way this season has unfolded for ASU that its latest win would come in dramatic fashion.
"These guys know how to dig deep," Graham said. "It helps that we've won so many close games. It's almost a perfect storm we've had to develop. To win like we did at USC, win like we did against Utah, win like we did at Washington and then to come back and win this one like this, it surely wasn't easy.
"There's no substitute for that adversity. It builds incredible character and intestinal fortitude."
For at least another week, ASU's surprise season continues, with greater accomplishments coming into focus more each week.
"This team is progressively growing, and growing every week," Foster said. "All the pieces of the puzzle are coming together."
GALLERY: ASU vs. NOTRE DAME >>
QB Taylor Kelly -- He needed a week like this as he rediscovers his form, and ASU needed it from him. As much as Demario Richard, D.J. Foster and Jaelen Strong contributed Saturday, Kelly's performance was the difference.
DE Marcus Hardison -- Hardison continues to grow as a disruptive force on ASU's defensive line. Saturday he had a sack, an interception, and a tipped pass that led to an interception, which was returned 59 yards for a touchdown by Damarious Randall.
-- Receiver Jaelen Strong, who missed parts of the second half due to cramps, finished with five catches for 58 yards to put him over 2,000 receiving yards in his ASU career. He has 2,001.
-- Junior linebacker Antonio Longino left in the second half with an apparent leg injury. He was replaced by freshman Christian Sam.
-- Freshman defensive tackle Emanuel Dayries played a handful of snaps, as expected, to become the 10th true freshman on scholarship to play for ASU this season.
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