As far as bye weeks go, last week was about as successful as Notre Dame could have hoped for. One of the most chaotic, upset-filled weeks in recent memory, highlighted by Vanderbilt stunning No. 1 Alabama and No. 25 Texas A&M — over whom the Irish secured a crucial win over in their season opener — dominating No. 9 Missouri, opened the door for Notre Dame to jump three spots up in the AP Poll to No. 11 and firmly position itself back in College Football Playoff contention without even having to play a game. Meanwhile, the Irish got a much-needed week of rest following a hard-fought win at home over Louisville and should come out of the break much fresher and healthier across the board.
But now, Notre Dame can no longer rely on other teams to help it continue to climb the rankings. The onus is back on the Irish to handle business themselves as they return to action on Saturday afternoon to host a slumping Stanford in a rivalry game at Notre Dame Stadium. Here are three ways the Irish can earn their fourth straight win and claim the Legends Trophy for the second year in a row.
Set the tone early
Notre Dame’s tendency under Marcus Freeman to follow up big wins with poor performances has been well-documented and a frequent source of criticism for the third-year head coach. After opening this season with an impressive win in College Station, the Irish returned to South Bend for their home debut only to be upset by Northern Illinois. Last year, Notre Dame battled to a gutsy road victory against No. 17 Duke but was easily handled by Louisville the following week. And in 2022, the Irish impressed by taking down No. 16 BYU in Las Vegas in the Shamrock Series game. One Saturday later, they were shocked at home by the very Stanford team they will face off with this weekend, who finished that year 3-9 after defeating the Irish.
On Saturday, Notre Dame will take the field on the heels of a critical win over then-No. 15 Louisville, opening the door for talk among fans and media alike about the potential for another disappointing sequel. Facing a Stanford team that has struggled greatly as of late — having lost its last two games by a combined score of 71-21 to fall to 2-3 — the Irish will want to put that narrative to bed straight away by getting off to a strong start on both sides of the ball.
Ironically, Notre Dame opened the matchup with Louisville in the exact opposite way, losing a fumble on the opening kickoff and falling into a 7-0 hole just seconds later. During that game, the Irish were able to remain focused and even things up with a long touchdown drive before eventually rattling off 21 unanswered points in the first quarter alone, but they’d rather avoid being in that position altogether against Stanford.
Scoring a few early touchdowns or forcing a turnover in the opening minutes of Saturday’s game would help Notre Dame shake off any lingering bye-week rust and energize a home crowd that may come into the game fearing the worst. If the Irish can connect on a few big plays and jump out to a two-possession lead in the first quarter, they should have the talent and momentum on their side to cruise to a comfortable win.
Feature Mitchell Evans in the passing game
A key, somewhat under-the-radar story from the bye week could be the improving health of tight end Mitchell Evans. The senior was Notre Dame’s leading receiver last year before missing the final four games of the season after suffering a torn ACL, and he showcased his game-changing receiving ability during a three-week stretch against ranked opponents Ohio State, Duke and Louisville in which he totaled a combined 17 receptions for 280 yards. After participating scarcely in the season opener against Texas A&M, Evans has played more in each of Notre Dame's last four games but was clearly still in the process of recovering from the injury, playing limited snaps and totaling just 82 yards in the four games.
The bye week allowed Evans a full extra week to continue his rehab process and inch closer to full-strength, and his return to being Notre Dame's most explosive and impactful weapon through the air could provide the spark that the Irish passing attack has been looking for all season. Freeman spoke about Evans’ recovery process on Monday.
“It takes time. The more time that he has to get himself to his full potential is crucial,” Freeman said about Evans during his weekly press conference. “This bye week was crucial for him.”
When healthy, Evans has elite hands that allow him to absorb nearly any pass that comes his way and possesses a combination of speed and strength that makes him a walking mismatch for opposing defenders, in addition to being an impactful blocker. In short, he could be the perfect go-to target for senior quarterback Riley Leonard, both in quick pass situations and for deep routes over the middle of the field. If Evans — coming off of two extra weeks of rest and recovery — can have a big day, it should pay dividends for the Irish offense.
Apply defensive pressure
Notre Dame’s elite defense is at its best when it plays aggressively, and the Irish defense should be looking to attack against a Stanford offensive line that has struggled to hold up against pressure in recent weeks. In a 40-14 loss to Clemson, the Tiger defense lived in the backfield, recording four sacks, 10 tackles for loss and forcing Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels into making ill-advised throws that resulted in three interceptions. Last week, in a disappointing 31-7 defeat at home against Virginia Tech, it was a similar story. The Hokies’ dominant defensive line totaled five sacks and 12 tackles for loss, and Virginia Tech forced two turnovers in the form of an interception and a recovered fumble.
The Irish boast one of the nation’s strongest front sevens and can take advantage of a faltering Cardinal offensive line by bringing a steady dose of pressure. If Notre Dame can get into Stanford’s backfield early and often, the Irish should be able to limit the rushing attack and make the Cardinal’s quarterbacks — who have combined to throw nine touchdowns and seven interceptions on the season — uncomfortable throughout the game.
From there, the Irish can turn to their ball-hawking secondary to make key plays and get the ball back into the hands of the Notre Dame offense, a unit that has struggled with consistency at times and would benefit from starting a few possessions with strong field position. Notre Dame ranks inside the top 15 nationally with seven interceptions on the season (despite the bye week) and is ninth in scoring defense, ceding less than 13 points per game. By bringing the heat defensively and coming away with possession-ending plays like sacks or interceptions, the Irish can effectively stifle a Stanford offense that has already been overwhelmed by weaker defensive units and keep the Cardinal out of the end zone for most of the afternoon.
