Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1431491
38 NOV. 27, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: STANFORD Irish sophomore Chris Tyree returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown against Wisconsin, one of only eight players in the country this season to bring a kickoff back for a score. Advantage: Notre Dame COACHING Two coaches and programs going in different di- rections, Shaw has fallen on hard times during his 11th year at Stanford. After leading the Cardinal to eight straight bowl games and three straight top- 10 finishes in the final Associated Press poll from 2011-18, Shaw entered his game against Cal last weekend with an 11-17 record over the last three seasons, and he might find his seat warming up heading into 2022. For Notre Dame, it has won 40 straight games against unranked opponents and nine straight road games. Kelly has beaten Shaw in two straight games and his Irish will be a prohibitive favorite in this one, though Shaw has won five of the nine meetings against Kelly. Advantage: Notre Dame INTANGIBLES From 2009-18, Stanford recorded at least eight victories in each of those 10 years, but now, it hasn't finished a season in the top 25 since 2017. The Cardinal had lost five straight heading into its rivalry game last weekend against Cal. After losing four straight regular-season finales from 2013-16, Notre Dame has won its previous four Thanksgiving weekend games. Advantage: Notre Dame Junior cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly led the Pac-12 and ranked 11th nationally in passes defended (1.1 per game) through Week 11. PHOTO BY BOB DREBIN/ISIPHOTOS.COM Todd D. Burlage: Notre Dame 31, Stanford 13 Stanford head coach David Shaw defeated Irish head coach Brian Kelly five times in their first seven meetings between 2010 and 2017. Since then, these two coaches have their programs heading in opposite directions. Shaw entered last weekend's rivalry game against Cal with an 11-17 overall record during his last three-plus seasons there, while Kelly lost only five games during that same time span. Kelly has also won each of his last two outings against Shaw and the Cardinal by 21 points. The Irish won't win by three touchdowns this weekend in Palo Alto, Calif., but they'll come close as Kelly wins his 10th straight true road game and his fifth consecutive regular-season finale. Steve Downey: Notre Dame 34, Stanford 10 After upsetting No. 3 Oregon Oct. 2, Stanford had suffered five consecutive defeats by an average of 18.8 points per game heading into Week 12. The Cardinal won an average of 10 games per season under head coach David Shaw from 2011-18 by featuring a power running game and a physical de- fense that was strong in the trenches. Both of those attributes are nowhere to be found in 2021. The Cardinal ranked 124th nationally in rushing offense (95.0 yards per game) and 127th in rushing defense (230.7) through Week 11. Meanwhile, all but two of their first 10 opponents have rushed for at least 200 yards, including a ghastly 441 racked up by Utah in a 52-7 beatdown Nov. 5. Notre Dame should have no problem posting its third straight win against Stanford by at least three touchdowns. Patrick Engel: Notre Dame 42, Stanford 13 The Cardinal offense should regain a pulse with quarterback Tanner McKee's probable return from injury, but even with him, it's deeply flawed. Stanford is 112th in yards per carry and has pass protection problems (93rd in sacks allowed). Its defense is in similarly poor shape. Notre Dame removes all doubt in this one before halftime. Tyler Horka: Notre Dame 38, Stanford 13 It's been a long, tough season for the Cardinal since shocking then-No. 3 Oregon Oct. 2. Stanford lost five straight games through Week 11 since that upset victory. A 45-point loss to Utah and a 21-point defeat to Oregon State showed this Stanford team doesn't have anything left in the tank. Notre Dame has its eyes on bigger prizes, meanwhile. It hasn't been close the last two times these teams have played. Notre Dame won by 21 each time. Watch for another multi-score blowout in this year's regular-season finale. The Irish won't have trouble moving the ball, and they won't have trouble preventing the Cardinal from doing so either. It'll get ugly late. Mike Singer: Notre Dame 33, Stanford 6 To put it nicely, Stanford is not a very good football team, but they did Notre Dame and other one-loss teams a big favor when they upset Oregon Oct. 2. But then they went on to lose five straight Pac-12 games leading up to their rivalry match-up with Cal. Stanford's offense looked good in some moments early this season, but it's been poor late in the year. Notre Dame should have no issues going on the road to Palo Alto, especially considering you'll be able to count on one hand the number of Cardinal fans in the stands. Staff Predictions