It is a simple fact: No one on the Irish roster has played in a victory against Stanford (4-0), be it this version of the Cardinal ranked No. 7 in the country or one entering Notre Dame Stadium as an unranked underdog two years ago. In each of the last three meetings, the Irish have led in the second half, only for Stanford to outscore them 38-7 in the fourth quarters.
“Certainly they know they haven’t beaten them, those guys that have been here,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said Tuesday. “… There comes a point where if you’ve looked back on the three games, we had a lot to do with why we didn’t win the last two games.