SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) On a day when No. 8 Notre Dame's offense remained a work in progress, the Fighting Irish got another big play from its defense to hold off upset-minded Vanderbilt in a 22-17 victory Saturday.

Safety Jalen Elliott knocked the ball loose from Vanderbilt receiver Kalija Lipscomb with 1:07 remaining to give Notre Dame a fourth-down stop against the Commodores. Last week, Elliott had a pair of interceptions in 3-0 Notre Dame's win over Ball State.

"I'm proud of the effort and the way we competed," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. "We're trying to find our identity on offense. We're far from where we want to be on the offensive line and as an offense. Our defense is good but not a great defense yet. But there are a lot of positives to take from this."