On Saturday, Stanford football fell to No. 11 Notre Dame on the road by a final score of 49-7. Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard led the way for the Fighting Irish, going 16-22 for 229 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions while also having one rushing touchdown to go along with 31 rushing yards. Notre Dame improves to 5-1 on the season while Stanford falls to 2-4 overall. Stanford is still 1-2 in the ACC as Notre Dame competes as an independent in football despite being ACC for everything else.
BOX SCORE: Stanford at Notre Dame-Saturday, October 12th
VIDEO: Stanford Football Postgame Press Conference | Notre Dame
Stanford got off to a decent start in this game as they scored on their first drive of the game after forcing Notre Dame to punt. The drive ended with quarterback Justin Lamson punching it in the end zone. Quarterback Ashton Daniels, who was back from injury, rushed for 32 yards and had 15 passing yards on the drive. In total, it was a nine play 63 yard drive. It was a 7-0 lead for Stanford with 6:49 to go in the 1st quarter.
Notre Dame then scored on their next drive to answer as quarterback Riley Leonard found the end zone on a six yard touchdown run. It was a 12 play, 75 yard drive. It was tied 7-7 with 1:27 to go in the 1st quarter. It would remain a 7-7 score at the end of the 1st quarter.
Stanford would have the ball across midfield on their next drive and convert on a 4th and 1 as Lamson moved the chains. However, the drive ended as Daniels got sacked by Howard Cross, who moved through the Cardinal offensive line like a knife through butter.
Notre Dame would score on their next drive as Riley Leonard found Jayden Thomas for a 15 yard touchdown pass to cap off a seven play, 52 yard drive. It was now a 14-7 lead for Notre Dame with 7:46 to go in the 2nd quarter. Stanford then punted on their next drive, but quickly got the ball back as defensive back Jshawn Frausto-Ramos forced a turnover by stripping the ball out of Beaux Collins’ hands.
Stanford would not capitalize as they failed to convert on a 4th and 3, giving the ball back to Notre Dame. Daniels got injured on the play and went to the locker room but would return to start the second half. Notre Dame then scored once more as Riley Leonard connected with Kris Mitchell for a five yard touchdown pass to cap off a nine play, 56 yard drive. Notre Dame would take that 21-7 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Notre Dame steamrolled Stanford, outscoring them 21-0 in the 3rd quarter as Jadarian Price had a 16 yard rushing touchdown, Jeremiyah Love had a 39 yard rushing touchdown, and Eli Raridon had a five yard touchdown reception. As for the 4th quarter, running back Aneyas Williams had a 19 yard touchdown rush, making it 49-7, which would end up being the final score.
To touch quickly on Notre Dame, they played well in this one. Granted Stanford didn’t play as well as they could have, but even so, one has to give the Irish credit for dominating this one in the manner that they did. Riley Leonard was simply sensational and showed why he’s one of the top quarterbacks in the country.
As for Stanford, it’s really disappointing to get blown out for a second straight week, but they can’t let this snowball even further. There’s still plenty of winnable games ahead. They just need to make sure they don’t let this get out of control. They’ve done a lot of good things to have the two wins that they do have. It’s just a matter of maintaining belief and then just playing smarter.
Up next for Stanford is a home game against No. 25 SMU on Saturday, October 19th. Kickoff will be at 5:00 PM PT on ACC Network.
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