What to know before Stanford kicks off at No. 11 Notre Dame
STANFORD at No. 11 NOTRE DAME
Records: Stanford 2-3, 1-2 in the ACC; Notre Dame 4-1
Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
TV: NBC
Radio: KNBR 1050 AM
Series history: Notre Dame leads 23-14, including 13-5 in South Bend. The Fighting Irish won 56-23 last year, but Stanford won the last meeting at Notre Dame Stadium, 16-14 in 2022.
Stanford storylines: The Cardinal face its second ranked opponent of the season after losing 40-14 at Clemson, now ranked 10th, two weeks ago. Stanford then lost 31-7 to Virginia Tech, and will need to generate some explosive plays on offense and cut down on turnovers in the red zone in order to avoid a third straight blowout loss. Stanford has played better on the road than at home in two years under Troy Taylor, but this will be its third trip to the Eastern Time Zone in four weeks.
Notre Dame storylines: Notre Dame suffered one of the most shocking losses of the season when it dropped its home opener to Northern Illinois 16-14. But wins over Texas A&M (23-13) and Louisville (31-24) have kept it in the AP Top 25. Still, the Fighting Irish likely can’t afford another upset to a team like Stanford if it hopes to stay in the playoff picture. The team is led by Duke transfer Riley Leonard, who leads all Power Four quarterbacks in rushing yards (374) and has seven rushing touchdowns, and safety Xavier Watts, who led the nation with seven interceptions last season and has seven passes defended this season.
Stats that matter: Notre Dame ran for 381 yards against Stanford last season. This season, the Cardinal’s run defense ranks 12th in FBS, allowing just 88.2 rushing yards per game. … Notre Dame is the only team with two wins over teams currently ranked in the Top 25.