After spending its bye week watching multiple top-ranked teams go down across the college football world, Notre Dame entered Week Seven looking to avoid the same fate. Facing rival Stanford, head coach Marcus Freeman surely had the outcome of their 2022 matchup, where his Irish team was upset at home as over two-score favorites, burned in his brain. This year, however, they left no doubt in a 49-7 win to improve to 5-1 on the season. Here are five key moments that defined the commanding Irish win.
Offense responds to Stanford’s opening-drive touchdown
The game had an ominous feeling to it early on after a holding penalty stalled Notre Dame’s opening series and Stanford marched down the field with ease to take a 7-0 lead. Quarterback Ashton Daniels was in rhythm early, completing both of his pass attempts and showcasing the threat of his legs. The drive was capped off by a dive from backup quarterback Justin Lamson into the end zone. However, the Irish offense would produce a resounding response, launching a nine-play, 63-yard drive to tie the game. Senior quarterback Riley Leonard was poised throughout, going 4 for 5 passing while showcasing great timing on connections with his receivers. After leading his team down the field, he took it in himself for his eighth rushing touchdown of the season.
Key fourth-down stops allow Irish to take control before the half
The game stayed knotted at 7-7 until the middle of the second quarter, when Notre Dame took control behind a pair of massive fourth-down stops. The first was courtesy of a two-sack series from graduate defensive tackle Howard Cross III, who got home once on first down and again on fourth and 5 after manhandling his block en route to the quarterback. The turnover on downs set up the Irish offense at midfield, a position they capitalized on with a go-ahead touchdown reception from graduate wide receiver Beaux Collins after a smooth, seven-play drive. The next fourth-down stop came courtesy of a patented Al Golden blitz design, as graduate safety Xavier Watts bombarded around the edge with help from junior defensive tackle Josh Burnham to hurry Daniels and force an incompletion. Positioned near midfield once again, the Irish scored in nine plays on a drive that included a fourth-down conversion of their own and ended in a touchdown reception for graduate wideout Kris Mitchell. Leaving only 1:13 on the clock, the Irish defense held up and took a comfortable two-score lead into halftime.
Burnham’s heads-up play helps the Irish pull away
Coming out of halftime, Notre Dame’s defense snuffed out any hope Stanford had left for building momentum on offense. Graduate student kicker Eric Goins pinned the Cardinal at the 3-yard line, and after managing a couple of first downs, Burnham instinctually tipped a pitch attempt from Daniels to himself and took it the other way. After the outstanding defensive play, the Irish were set up in the red zone, where they needed two plays to punch it in. Junior running back Jadarian Price’s 16-yard dash into the end zone gave Notre Dame a 28-7 lead, putting the game to bed early with nearly a whole half yet to play.
Riley Leonard commands a balanced offense
The story of this game for Notre Dame was the meaningful step forward Riley Leonard and the offense were able to take, albeit against a weak and inexperienced Cardinal secondary. Playing an opponent built to stop the run, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock drew up the perfect game plan, attacking downfield on early downs and leveraging the RPO against stacked Stanford boxes. Leonard was in control all game, putting together his best throwing performance of the season. The senior transfer went 16 for 22 for a season-high 229 passing yards and four touchdowns, one with his legs and three with his arm, doubling his total for the season. Of Notre Dame’s 477 yards of total offense, 248 came through the air and 229 on the ground, one of its most balanced stat lines all season. The Irish will need to prove they can execute at this level against better competition, but the display was nonetheless encouraging for the future.
Defense continues to dominate
After Stanford’s successful opening script, the Irish defense made sure their first score was also their last. Al Golden’s unit held the Cardinal offense to 200 yards of total offense on 3.4 yards per play. They came up with several key stops to set up the offense, holding Stanford to go 4 for 12 on third down and 1 for 4 on fourth. The powerful performance started up front, with the dynamic duo of graduate defensive tackles Howard Cross III and Riley Mills owning the front line and wreaking havoc on the quarterback. The two combined for a trio of sacks in a statement performance. The return of Burnham and senior defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio made a clear impact, with Burnham in particular logging a tackle for loss alongside his impressive fumble recovery. Behind the line, the linebacker core had a very disciplined performance, playing a big role in holding the Cardinal rushing attack to a mere 113 yards. And helped in part by a return to health for sophomore cornerback Christian Gray, the secondary looked as sharp as ever, limiting Stanford to 87 passing yards and corralling star receiver Elic Ayomanor, who only managed three catches for 16 yards. As this Notre Dame defense continues to perform at such an elite level, the ceiling of this team continues to ride on the growth of the offense. With this group, however, it is becoming abundantly clear what you are going to get each week.
