Stanford and Notre Dame have played for The Legends Trophy since 1989, honoring the 1925 Rose Bowl Game. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 22-14 and the trophy series 19-13.
In advance of Saturday’s game at Notre Dame Stadium, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the 10 greatest individual Legends Trophy performances at Notre Dame Stadium this century. I’ll pick five from the Stanford side and five from the Notre Dame side.
READ: Ten greatest Big Game Performances at Stanford Stadium in the 21st century
2002-Notre Dame running back Rashon Powers-Neal: In 2002, Notre Dame running back Rashon Powers-Neal guided the Fighting Irish to a 31-7 victory over the Cardinal, rushing for 108 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries for an average of 8.3 yards per carry. The Cardinal were not able to contain Powers-Neal as he pretty much got whatever he wanted against them.
2006-Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn: In 2006, Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn balled out against Stanford, going 27-37 for 232 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions for a passing rating of 152.4. Quinn was efficient all game long, guiding the No. 12 Irish to a smooth 31-10 victory.
2008-Stanford running back Toby Gerhart: While Stanford did not win The Legends Trophy in 2008, Cardinal running back Toby Gerhart had a fabulous day, rushing for 104 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries. Gerhart did all he could to keep the Cardinal in the game, which ended up being a 28-21 victory for the Irish.
2008-Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen: A major reason why Toby Gerhart wasn’t able to guide Stanford to win at Notre Dame Stadium in 2008 is the performance of Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who went 29-40 for 347 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions for a passer rating of 170.1. Clausen had a 48 yard touchdown pass, a 21 yard touchdown pass, and a 16 yard touchdown pass. He was on fire all night long and did a great job of making life tough on the Cardinal defense.
2010-Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor: While he didn’t find the end zone in this game, Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor was a work horse against Notre Dame in 2010, rushing for 108 yards on a ridiculous 28 attempts. Not to mention two receptions for 31 yards. Stanford went on to win the game 37-14, their first win at Notre Dame Stadium since 1992. Without Taylor, I don’t think Stanford pulls this one out.
2014-Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson: This was one of the better Legends Trophy games as both Stanford and Notre Dame were ranked in the top 15. Notre Dame ranked 9th in the nation and Stanford ranked 14th. Notre Dame went on to win 17-14 as quarterback Everett Golson had solid outing against the Cardinal going 20-43 for 241 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
2016-Stanford running back Bryce Love: In 2016, Stanford defeated Notre Dame 17-10 as running back Bryce Love rushed for 129 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries for an average of 5.6 yards per carry. Love also had one reception for nine yards, giving him 138 total yards on the day. After scoring his seven yard rushing touchdown, Love found the end zone on a two point conversion. It wasn’t a super flashy performance by Love, but it was an efficient one.
2018-Notre Dame running back Dexter Williams: Notre Dame running back Dexter Williams had a stellar performance against Stanford in 2018, rushing for 161 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries. The No. 8 Irish defeated the Cardinal 38-17, turning on the jets in the 4th quarter with 14 unanswered points.
2022-Stanford kicker Josh Karty: The last time Stanford and Notre Dame faced off at Notre Dame Stadium the Cardinal won 16-14. Stanford kicker Josh Karty went 3-3 on his field goals and 1-1 on his extra points. All three of Karty’s field goals were between 43-45 yards, so it’s not like he was out there kicking chip shots.
2022-Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee: While he didn’t throw a touchdown pass in this game, Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee had a really nice performance going 26-38 for 288 yards for a passer rating of 132.1. Looking back on his time at Stanford, McKee didn’t experience much winning to no fault of his own. That makes this game all the more memorable for him.
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