SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- College football fans who waited 19 years to see Northwestern and Notre Dame square off on the gridiron witnessed an entertaining, back-and-forth overtime affair Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. The Wildcats trailed the 15th-ranked Irish by 11 late in the fourth quarter before a furious comeback forced overtime, where Jack Mitchell nailed a 41-yard field goal -- his fourth of the game -- to give NU a 43-40 win.

The win, NU's fifth-ever at Notre Dame Stadium, is Northwestern's second this season over a ranked opponent after also defeating No. 17 Wisconsin earlier in the year.

Northwestern registered a season-high in total offense yards gained with 547 yards, with true freshman tailback Justin Jackson surpassing 100 rushing yards in a game for the fourth time this year and posting the highest rushing total by an individual against Notre Dame this season with 149 yards. Trevor Siemian threw for 284 yards on 30-of-48 passing, while redshirt freshman QB Matt Alviti scored his first career touchdown in the game's opening quarter.

Place-kicker Jack Mitchell hit two second-half field goals that each were longer than his previous season-long entering the game, connecting from 31 and then 46 yards. He hit a game-tying field goal with 25 seconds remaining from 45 yards, then drilled the game-winner from 41 yards in overtime. It's the 10th performance of four or more field goals in a game by an NU kicker in school history, and the first since Jeff Budzien against Michigan in 2013.

Also key in the game was the sure-handedness of senior WR Kyle Prater, who recorded an NU season high and personal-best 10 receptions for a total of 81 yards and one touchdown. Prater caught four passes for 37 yards on NU's drive for the game-tying field goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation.

Much earlier in the day, Irish QB Everett Golson put the hosts on the board just 44 seconds into the game, keeping the ball on a read-option and sprinting 61 yards down the left sideline to paydirt.

Northwestern's offense responded in kind, however, picking up a pair of first downs to move to midfield before Jackson broke off his longest run of the year, dragging defenders through the red zone down to the 4-yard line. Two plays later, redshirt freshman QB Matt Alviti came on and followed his blockers into the end zone for a game-tying score and his first career touchdown.

The 'Cats were driving later in the quarter when a would-be third-down conversion was erased by a Northwestern fumble that was scooped up and returned 32 yards by Austin Collinsworth for an Irish touchdown. On the ensuing extra point attempt, however, a poor snap led to a blocked kick by NU's Nick VanHoose, who also corralled the loose ball and ran it the length of the field for two Wildcats points, setting the score at 13-9. The play marked VanHoose's third blocked kick of the year (one field goal, two PATs).

Notre Dame increased its lead to 20-9 on a 6-yard rush by Tarean Folston, but Northwestern would come right back with an 8-play scoring drive highlighted by a 45-yard Treyvon Green burst up the middle. Senior WR Kyle Prater delivered the score when he latched on to a perfectly thrown Siemian offering at the back pylon on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Only minutes later, Northwestern's defense created another big play when Deonte Gibson rushed hard off the right edge and disrupted a Golson throw, which was tipped and intercepted by Anthony Walker. In a mirror image of his pick-six return at Penn State, Walker raced 65 yards before being knocked out at the Notre Dame 4-yard line. Jackson came on to do the rest, scoring from four yards out to put Northwestern in front, 23-20.

Notre Dame's Will Fuller caught a pair of 23-yard touchdown passes on either side of halftime, sandwiched around a Jack Mitchell 31-yard field goal, that left the Irish leading, 34-26, late in the third quarter.

Northwestern went right back to work on offense, finding success with the ground game, and ultimately set up Mitchell's 46-yard field goal, the longest on the year by a Wildcat.

The Irish appeared poised to go back up by two scores, driving to the 1-yard line on the ensuing series, but Notre Dame's Chris Brown lost control of the ball while being tackled near the goal line and NU's Jimmy Hall was there to fall on it and return possession to the Wildcats.

But Northwestern's next drive was short-lived, with Notre Dame coming up with an interception two players later and, soon after, extended its lead to 11 on Will Fuller's third touchdown catch of the game.

Late in the fourth quarter, Northwestern got the ball back following a 17-yard punt and slashed its way down the field thanks to several long Siemian runs before the senior capped the drive himself with a touchdown jaunt through a gaping hole up the middle. A Warren Long two-point conversion cut the Wildcats' deficit to just three, 40-37, with 4:10 left in the game.

Notre Dame seemed prepared to run out the clock after a pass interference penalty, but Ibraheim Campbell pulled the ball loose from the ball carrier to give the Wildcats a shot with 1:28 left. Siemian repeatedly targeted Prater on the drive to get to the Notre Dame 28-yard-line with 25 seconds remaining in the game.

Mitchell coolly stepped up and split the uprights with his third field goal of the afternoon to send the game to overtime. There, Notre Dame gained no yards and missed a 42-yard field goal wide left before Mitchell sent NU home happy with a 41-yarder down the middle.

Set for its final road trip of the 2014 regular season, Northwestern makes a return visit to northwest Indiana next Saturday to take on Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT with ESPNU providing the national telecast.

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