Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson

	AP Photo
	Notre Dame safety Sergio Brown (31) celebrates with his teammates after Notre Dame beat the San Diego State Aztecs, 21-13, Saturday.

SOUTH BEND -- For a team like Notre Dame that hasn't experienced a lot of victories over the last season, any win is a good win, even if it's ugly.

The Irish scratched and clawed its way to a 21-13 decision over San Diego State on Saturday and even though the team had more turnovers than touchdowns it was reason to celebrate. For the first time since 2006, Notre Dame opened the season with a win.

"The guys will come in here and everyone will talk about an ugly win," coach Charlie Weis said of his team speaking to media after the game. "Are you happy with an ugly win? I told them, Yes, you're happy with an ugly win because it's better than an ugly loss. I'll take an ugly win any day of the week."

After the game, the team ran over to the student section and started chanting, "Crank me up." It's a new chant that the players passed on to the student section during the pep rally Friday night. It became the rallying cry when the Irish fell down 13-7 in the fourth quarter and ultimately the signal that the home team had triumphed.

The Irish celebrating with their fans was a scene that was rarely seen last season. But arm in arm the players stood, swaying back and forth with their fans, singing the alma mater and feeling the feeling of being a proud Notre Dame football player for the first time in a long time. This is only the second win in Notre Dame Stadium since 2006.

Few teams needed a win simply for the psyche of the team more than Notre Dame.

"Coming off those two wins last year, we just wanted to keep it going, keep it rolling," quarterback Jimmy Clausen said. "I think it's big for this team just to start off with the first win at our stadium in front of all our fans and just come out on top."