Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 27, 2021 37 GAME PREVIEW: STANFORD passing efficiency defense and allowed only eight opponent touchdown passes through 10 games. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. STANFORD RUN DEFENSE Notre Dame used a strange formula against Vir- ginia to gain 249 rushing yards, the second-highest single-game total for the Irish this season. Five dif- ferent ball carriers tallied at least 30 rushing yards but none had more than 70. From the start of this season through 10 games, the Notre Dame ground attack has been the most improved unit on the team. In the five games for Notre Dame between Virginia Tech Oct. 9 and Virginia Nov. 13, the Irish averaged 208.4 rushing yards per game and recorded at least 150 yards in each of those contests. With 872 rushing yards through 10 games (87.2 per game), Irish junior tailback Kyren Williams remains on pace for a 1,000-yard rushing season, a mark that didn't seem attainable after he tallied just 289 rushing yards with three rushing touch- downs through the first five games this season. With 165 rushing yards in the three games against North Carolina, Navy and Virginia, fresh- man tailback Logan Diggs is becoming a valuable complement to Williams late this season. Through 10 games, Notre Dame was averaging 144.6 rushing yards per game, which ranked 84th nationally. Similar to the struggles with the Stanford rushing game, the Cardinal didn't enjoy much success this season trying to control opposing ground attacks. Heading into its game against Cal, Stanford ranked last in its conference and 127th nationally in rushing defense after allowing 230.7 yards per game, and its 3.6 tackles for loss rated only 121st nationally. In a lopsided 52-7 loss to Utah Nov. 5, Stanford allowed 441 rushing yards, the most the Cardinal had surrendered in a game over 11 seasons. Stanford returned eight starters on defense, in- cluding senior defensive end Thomas Booker, a 2020 second-team All-Pac-12 selection, but the leadership and production never materialized from this group of veterans. Booker — a versatile 6-foot-4, 309-pound defender and projected NFL Draft pick — was third on the team through 10 games with 55 tackles, including 5.0 tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries. Stanford junior Levani Damuni complements Booker well. The inside linebacker easily leads the Cardinal in tackles. He had 74 stops through 10 contests. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. STANFORD PASS DEFENSE With its running game on the uptick and with four straight victories by double digits, Notre Dame hasn't asked for much in recent weeks from its passing offense. Graduate student quarterback Jack Coan has become more of a game manager in recent weeks — and a darn good one — completing 75 per- cent of his passes with seven touchdowns and two interceptions over the last five games. The Irish were averaging 252.0 passing yards per game before Georgia Tech Nov. 20, which made it the No. 47-ranked passing offense in the country. Heading into the Georgia Tech game, Irish sopho- more Michael Mayer already had 52 catches this season, which slotted him No. 3 all time among Notre Dame tight ends for receptions in a single season. Mayer trails only former Irish All-Ameri- cans Tyler Eifert (63 in 2013) and Ken MacAfee (54 in 1977) for most grabs in a season. With 569 receiving yards and six touchdown catches in 10 games, senior wide receiver Kevin Aus- tin Jr. has remained healthy and consistent all season. For the Cardinal, it has an experienced second- ary with three starters back from 2020, but again, experience hasn't translated into production. Through 10 games, Stanford managed only four interceptions, which ranked as the 11th fewest in the Pac-12 and 116th fewest nationally. This on the heels of managing only two interceptions during its six-game season in 2020. With 49 tackles, two interceptions and nine passes broken up, Stanford junior cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly is enjoying an all-conference kind of season. Advantage: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Stanford sophomore placekicker Joshua Karty — the No. 1-ranked high school kicking prospect in 2020 — has been solid with nine makes on his first 13 field goal attempts. Before the Cal game, the Cardinal had neither scored nor allowed a touchdown on its return or coverage units, though sophomore return man Casey Filkins was averaging 14.9 yards per punt re- turn, a respectable number, with a long of 48 yards. The aforementioned Booker was named a pre- season first-team selection among the Pac-12 special- ists — a rare honor for a defensive lineman — because of his knack for blocking kicks. He has two this season. Notre Dame ranked No. 56 in punt return de- fense; No. 35 in punt returns; No. 53 in kickoff re- turn defense; and No. 37 in kickoff returns before games of last weekend. Sophomore tight end Benjamin Yurosek notched 32 catches for a team-high 502 yards and scored two touchdowns during Stanford's 3-7 start. PHOTO BY BOB DREBIN/ISIPHOTOS.COM