SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- And in the seventh game, they rested.
A two-win Notre Dame team took a 10-point lead early, got cute when things went sideways for a bit and then ultimately paid the price in a 17-10 loss to Stanford that now leaves the Irish in the almost-unthinkable position of 2-5 entering their bye week.
And for the second week in a row, this one simply could not be pinned on the defense, but rather more perplexing decision-making on the side of the ball that these Irish were supposed to be able to rely on when things got bumpy this year.