Notre Dame exploded for 35 points during a 21-minute stretch and ran away from Stanford in a 49-7 rout. Riley Leonard had three scoring passes and a rushing touchdown in three quarters of work. Jadarian Price and Jeremiah Love also found the end zone on impressive runs through the porous Cardinal defense. After surrendering an early score, Al Golden’s defense completely shut down Ashton Daniels and the Stanford attack.
Coach Marcus Freeman wanted the Fighting Irish to start fast but had to wait a bit for his team to find second gear. A holding penalty killed Notre Dame’s opening drive and the Cardinal responded by marching 63 yards for a quick 7-0 advantage.