JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Notre Dame's 8-0 start under Tyrone Willingham brought back memories of Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy and Ara Parseghian. The 2-3 finish was more reminiscent of Bob Davie.

The Fighting Irish (10-3) will be remembered more for what they almost did rather than for what they actually accomplished. They fell well short of the promise they showed when they rose to No. 4 -- their highest ranking in nine years -- after beating Florida State on Oct. 26.

The Irish finished their 14th straight season without a national title and their school-record ninth straight season outside the Top 10. The 28-6 loss to No. 17 North Carolina State (11-3) on Wednesday in the Toyota Gator Bowl was the sixth straight bowl loss for the Irish (No. 12 ESPN/USA Today, No. 11 AP).

"Anyone who is all right with losing is a loser,'' All-American cornerback Shane Walton said. "No one on our team is happy with the way we ended our season. But you have to take a positive from every situation.''

The positive is that Willingham instilled a new spirit as the Irish went from 5-6 last season to 10-3, the third-best turnaround in school history and their most wins in nine years.

That the Irish were even in contention for a Bowl Championship Series berth entering their final regular-season game is gratifying to the players.

"Most people thought we were going to have a below-.500 record,'' center Jeff Faine said. "This team obviously didn't listen to it. They took things in their own hands. I'm still proud of this season.''

At 8-0, even Parseghian was comparing this season's team to his 1964 squad, which came within 94 seconds of an undefeated season and a national championship. That was Parseghian's first season after finishing 2-7 the year before.

Under Davie, the Irish had fallen into a pattern of having good seasons in even years and bad ones in odd years. Critics will say the Irish simply were due for a good season in 2002.

Worse yet for the Irish, the dignity and pride Willingham restored to the program took a beating at the end of the season.

First, starting tackles Brennan Curtin and Jordan Black did not make the trip to the Gator Bowl because of what Willingham would describe only as "university concerns.'' Then special teams player Chad DeBolt was arrested on a trespassing charge the night the team arrived in Jacksonville.

"We had a successful season, but we didn't finish it off the way we wanted to finish it off,'' quarterback Carlyle Holiday said. "But we realize what we have to do to be the team we want to be.''