Finishing Business: Notre Dame Aims to Dominate Stanford
- Liam Farrell
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
No. 9 Notre Dame heads to California to take on the Stanford Cardinal, as the Irish look to punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff for the second consecutive year.
Photo by Notre Dame Athletics
While it may not be as concrete as a season ago, the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish are able to finish out the regular season on a ten-game winning streak to punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff. Last season, the Irish sweated out a victory against the USC Trojans on the back of two pick sixes by Christian Gray and Xavier Watts.
This season, the Irish strut into California coming off one of the most impressive victories in program history and are a 31.5-point favorite in Palo Alto against the Stanford Cardinal. The Cardinal enter the game off an emotional victory against their rival, the Cal Golden Bears, and with a revamped offensive approach since turning the ball over to quarterback Elijah Brown. Brown is tremendously careful with the ball and limits many negative plays with his athleticism in the pocket.
While Brown's box score, and Stanford's offensive production, isn't quite eye-opening, the Cardinal's defense is the strength of their team. Even with their stout defensive numbers, Notre Dame's talent far exceeds that on the Stanford sideline. With that being said, here are three keys pertinent to the Irish's attack tomorrow evening.
Start Fast & Start Hot
Last week against the Syracuse Orange, Notre Dame got out to the most improbable 21-point lead. Two interception returns and a blocked punt touchdown had the Senior Day festivities rolling early.
This week, the Irish will be traveling across the country and playing at an abnormal start time, 7:30 p.m. PT, but 10:30 p.m. EST. Marcus Freeman noted in his press conference early this week that the Irish's performance staff has manipulated the players' routines to account for the later start time.
Especially in a game where the CFP committee will unlikely watch for the entirety, if the Irish can make a statement early, they will have a lasting impact.
Maturing the Depth Pieces
The season-ending injury to linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is a major blow to a dominant Notre Dame defense unit. Viliamu-Asa was undoubtedly Notre Dame's most versatile linebacker, with his unique ability to fit run schemes and rush the passer.
There is not a singular replacement for the production Viliamu-Asa created for the Notre Dame defense. Freshman Madden Faraimo is a clear and obvious solution, yet he hasn't seen snaps at linebacker in the Irish's biggest contests of the year against Miami, Texas A&M, and USC. Faraimo will have his perfect opportunity to get his feet wet this Saturday against the Cardinal.
In terms of other areas on the field, it will be a good opportunity for many other younger players. Will Erik Schmidt attempt his first field goal since Boston College? Can Jalen Stroman build off his performance last week?
These are two questions that can be answered by this Sunday morning and can explain how legitimate of a run the Irish could make in the CFP, if they make it.
Leave No Doubt
This will be the Irish's last performance before the committee makes their final announcement following conference championship weekend. Knowing this, Notre Dame has to make a statement, continuing to display their dominant play.
Especially with as much pressure Notre Dame has behind them, even with a dominant victory, there is absolutely no guarantee the Irish will be in this year's playoff.
Marcus Freeman said this game was "The Super Bowl." The Irish must come out and play to the occasion to cement their legitimacy. One would expect Jeremiyah Love to attempt to break Notre Dame's single season rushing record, an achievement the offensive line can also hang onto in the history books. I'd expect a full-team effort and, knowing the situation, a performance similar to that of a week ago.
If the Irish can play mistake free football, under the peculiar situations of the late game kickoff, then they will leave no doubt about their credibility to be a part of the College Football Playoff.
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