Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1189016
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DECEMBER 2019 21 highlighted by all three Cardinal se- ries in the third quarter. FIRST QUARTER: STANFORD, 10-7 Top Moment: With the score tied 7-7, Stanford drove to a first down at Notre Dame's 2-yard line. Three running plays netted only one yard, and on fourth down the Cardinal had a false start, forcing a 24-yard field goal by Ryan Sanborn. Even though Stanford used 8:15 off the clock on that 16-play, 82-yard drive, it felt like a victory for the Irish to allow only three points. Feature Performer: Junior quar- terback Davis Mills completed 8 of 10 passes for 100 yards with a touch- down, and added a 13-yard scram- ble on third-and-seven to keep Stan- ford's touchdown drive alive during the opening series. Stats: The Cardinal had the ball 11:55 to Notre Dame's 3:05. Stanford totaled 158 total yards, while Notre Dame's two possessions resulted in 76 yards. Notes: Stanford received the open- ing kickoff and marched 75 yards in seven plays, with Mills connect- ing on a five-yard jump-ball to 6-4 receiver Brycen Tremayne over se- nior cornerback Troy Pride Jr. for the touchdown at the 11:26 mark … Mills was 5 of 5 for 72 yards on the drive, completing passes to four different targets … After Stanford jumped to a 7-0 lead following the opening kick- off, Notre Dame answered with an 80-yard march in five plays in which Book completed 4 of 5 passes for 65 yards, the last a screen to senior run- ning back Tony Jones Jr. for a 16-yard score, one play after finding Jones for 24 yards on a wheel route. SECOND QUARTER: NOTRE DAME, 21-17 Top Moment: Leading 17-7, Stan- ford was set to punt on fourth-and- one from deep in its territory when Foskey broke through and blocked the punt that sophomore defensive end Justin Ademilola recovered and returned to the Stanford 1-yard line. On third-and-goal from the 6-yard line (after an Irish false start penalty), Book found sophomore tight end Tommy Tremble across the middle for a touchdown with 3:01 remaining in the half. After forcing a Stanford punt the next series, it took only three pass completions — 21 yards to junior tight end Cole Kmet, and then 14 and 41 yards to Claypool, the latter for a touchdown when he high-pointed the ball in the end zone — for a 21-17 lead at the 1:20 mark. Feature Performer: Book com- pleted 5 of 9 passes for 100 yards with the two touchdowns. Stats: Stanford had the ball 19:40 in the first half to Notre Dame's 10:20 and outgained the Irish in total yard- age 278-194. But the punt block by Foskey was a game changer. Notes: With Notre Dame trailing 10-7, Stanford took possession at the Irish 46-yard line after a 37-yard punt and reached the end zone five plays later to build its advantage to 17-7 … Mills broke free from a would- be sack by junior nose tackle Kurt Hinish and scrambled for 17 yards … On third-and-eight from the Irish 27, Mills lofted a fade toward wide- out Michael Wilson, who positioned himself well and made a leaping grab over sophomore cornerback TaRiq Bracy for the touchdown with 9:29 remaining until halftime. THIRD QUARTER: NOTRE DAME, 28-17 Top Moment: An eight-yard touch- down pass to Claypool on a crossing route was the lone score of the quar- ter with 3:10 left. The Irish actually faced a first-and-17 from their 7-yard line when a 43-yard pass from Book to sophomore wide receiver Braden Freshman defensive end Isaiah Foskey, a Californian, made the turning point of the game with his tremendous punt block in the second quarter when the Irish were trailing 17-7. PHOTO BY SPENCER ALLEN