Notre Dame plays their most complete game of the year as the Fighting Irish defeated the Stanford Cardinal 49-7.
Photo By Notre Dame Athletics
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Riley Leonard and the Notre Dame offense came out of their bye week looking their best, defeating Stanford 49-7.
Leonard had his best passing performance going 16/22 for 229 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 31 yards and a rushing touchdown.
In the first half, the Irish dominated the Cardinal on every possession. On two scoreless possessions, Anthonie Knapp was flagged for a questionable holding penalty, and Beaux Collins fumbled after a quick catch.
Much of the Fighting Irish's offensive success can be attributed to the wide receivers. While Leonard gained pocket poise and confidence throwing the football, the wide receivers were able to create separation. Both Jayden Thomas and Kris Mitchell scored on identical RPO plays.
In the rushing department, Leonard led the way once again for Notre Dame, but the one-two tandem of Price and Love both contributed in different ways. Price received most of the early touches to rebuild confidence after being benched for a fumble against Louisville. Price added a touchdown today for the Fighting Irish and ended with 49 yards.
Love didn't make an impact running the ball in the first half as he didn't have many carries as Price, yet in the second half, the St. Louis product displayed his elite level speed. Love broke a 39-yard touchdown run that seemed to be the final blow in this contest. Even when Love wasn't having similar success on the ground, he was a key contributor in the QB-run blocking department and even added an explosive performance in the screen passing game. Love finished with 53 yards.
While the offense impressed, the story of today's game was the performance of the Notre Dame defense. Before the game, head coach Marcus Freeman urged a fast start from his team out of the bye week. However, after no points from the Fighting Irish offense, the Notre Dame defense got driven down the field by Stanford's effective quarterback run game.
The Cardinal eventually punched in a touchdown, that very well could've been marked short, as the Irish trailed at home for the third straight game.
The Notre Dame defense eventually bent into shape as Howard Cross and Rylie Mills got solid pressure on Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels.
The linebackers initially struggled to shed blocks and fill running lanes, but their play improved drastically as the game progressed. Drayk Bowen and Jack Kiser elevated their play, finishing with seven and four tackles, respectively.
Defensive end Josh Burnham also made an immediate impact in his return to the field, as he made an unbelievable play on a speed option. Burnham forced the pitch, intercepted it mid-air, and returned it 15 yards.
Defensive coordinator Al Golden once again outdid himself as his defense continues to appear among the best unit in all of college football.
As the Irish attempt to navigate through the second half of this season unscathed, they put together their most complete performance of the season. There's still plenty to work on for both sides of the ball, but no one within the program could be upset with their play against the Cardinal.
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