In a game broadcast at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Notre Dame faced off against familiar foe Stanford in Palo Alto, California. The Irish thrived in the chilly air and posted a nearly straightforward 49-20 beatdown. Here are the key moments that led to their 10th and final regular season victory.
Love breaks records, and possibly a rib
The double trouble backfield duo junior running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price each scored a touchdown in the first quarter. This was Love’s last chance to build his case for the Heisman Trophy, and he made it count, even after suffering a rib injury early in the game.
Love was also chasing records, and broke one in the first quarter when he completed his 21st touchdown of the season. Running back Jerome Bettis held the previous record when he finished his regular season with 20 touchdowns in 1991.
After Love left the field, head coach Marcus Freeman put in Price, who didn’t fail to execute. Once the team took the ball downfield, Price rushed through the Stanford defense to put the Irish up 14-0 with a 2-yard touchdown.
Nearing the middle of the second quarter, Freeman dug deeper into the depth chart with sophomore running back Aneyas Williams, who shined last week against Syracuse with 39 rushing yards and one touchdown. Williams drove his way through the Stanford defense and became the third running back to score. He came back in the fourth quarter to score the game’s final touchdown as well.
Talich finds the end zone off a fake punt
Kicking off the second quarter, junior safety Luke Talich made his way downfield.
Notre Dame found themselves fourth-and-9 at the Irish 16, and as the special teams lined up to punt, junior defensive lineman Joshua Burnham took the snap for the fake, tossed the ball over the middle and found Talich at the Irish 25-yard line. Talich broke free and ran 84 yards for a touchdown. Notre Dame finished the first half leading 35-3.
Faison excels in the second half
Stanford started with the ball in the second half, but the Irish defense stopped the team fast. Junior wide receiver Jordan Faison took the field and was a continuous target for freshman quarterback CJ Carr.
Carr found him downfield for a 54-yard reception as Faison battled with a Stanford defender, barely staying in bounds. A few plays later as the team found itself at first-and-goal, Carr tossed the ball up the middle to Faison, and he scored his first touchdown of the game, bringing the score to 42-3.
Stanford pulls together points in the fourth quarter
The Cardinal seemed to find their bearings late in the game as they began to break down the Irish defense.
With 12 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Stanford quarterback Elijah Brown connected with Bryce Farrell to give the Cardinal double digits in the score column. Later, following a Notre Dame touchdown, senior quarterback Charlie Mirer found Marcus Brown with four minutes remaining as the Cardinal brought the score to a respectable 49-20. Mirer, the son of former Irish quarterback Rick Mirer, completed what will stand as the only touchdown of his college career.
Notre Dame’s defense remains in charge
The Notre Dame defense continued to earn national recognition. At the beginning of the season, the Chris Ash defense was questioned by many fans, but the defense has shown their worth since then. Until the fourth quarter, only two field goals were allowed against four three-and-outs and two turnovers.
The Irish defense finished the game with 58 sacks, 38 solo tackles and one interception as the team completed its regular season 10-2, keeping its College Football Playoff dream alive.
