Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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24 DECEMBER 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT You can't really single out one play that turned tide in this one. Rather it was more about how the Notre Dame defense set the tone early and dominated throughout the first half. The Fighting Irish forced the Cardinal into a quick three-and-out on the first series of the game, allowing just two yards. Stanford notched its initial first down of the game on the first play of the next series with a 10-yard run, but then managed just three yards on their next three plays and punted again. The third series of the game resulted in an- other three-and-out. Then with the Irish already up 14-0, senior defensive end Justin Ademilola sacked Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee for a 13-yard loss, forcing a fumble that he also re- covered himself on the Cardinal 23-yard line. Notre Dame converted the turnover into a field goal and a 17-0 lead less than 20 minutes into the game. The defense notched another three-and-out on the next series and the Irish went up 24-0 on the ensuing possession. STATS OF THE GAME It is difficult to overstate how well the Notre Dame defense played in the first half against Stanford. The Fighting Irish limited the Cardinal to just 47 total yards on 22 plays (a paltry 2.1 yards per play) in the first 30 minutes, while extending their streak to keeping the opposition out of the end zone to 14 quarters. Stanford managed just 18 yards on its first five possessions and had three three-and-outs and one two-play drive during which it lost a fumble. When it was all said and done, the Irish defense allowed only two drives that generated more than 25 yards — and both came in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of hand and the Irish had inserted numerous backups into the game. Despite seeing the touchdown-less streak come to an end, the final numbers were still impres- sive: 14 points, 227 total yards and 4.8 yards per play allowed. Notre Dame came away with a pair of fumble recoveries and recorded two more sacks to push its season total to 40. MAKING THEIR CASE Without the benefit of a top-25 opponent over the final seven weeks of the season or a confer- ence championship game at the beginning of December, the Fighting Irish have still managed to make a pretty compelling case for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Don't get me wrong, victories against Virginia Tech, USC, North Carolina, Navy, Virginia, Georgia Tech and Stanford are not really going to move the needle all that much these days. However, the Fighting Irish crushed their last four foes by an average score of 41-6 while more than doubling them in total yardage (an average of 469-228). Not only did they not trail at all in those four contests, they maintained at least a two-possession lead nearly 75 percent of the time. Brian Kelly may not be about style points, but some college football pollsters certainly are. "We made our case. We'll now sit back and see what other people think," Kelly said. "But we got one of the best four teams without question in my mind. We're ready to prove it." We'll soon find out if they will get that chance. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY STEVE DOWNEY DT JAYSON ADEMILOLA The senior defensive tackle recorded five total tackles, which tied for the team lead, and a sack. He absolutely blew right through the Stanford offensive line on his quarterback takedown. Ademilola has been a strong interior presence for the Irish this season, and he kept that up against the Cardinal. DE JUSTIN ADEMILOLA The senior defensive end stuffed the stat sheet on one play in particular. He recorded a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble re- covery all in one. Notre Dame capitalized on the turnover on senior kicker Jonathan Doerer's 36-yard field goal. Ademilola finished the game with four tackles, which was tied for second on the team. WR KEVIN AUSTIN JR. Notre Dame made a concerted effort to find the senior wide receiver from the first possession. He caught a pass for 33 yards on the Irish's first play from scrimmage. He finished the game with six catches for 125 yards. He didn't find the end zone, but he was effective throughout the game. He nearly scored on a 61-yard catch and run in the third quarter before being knocked out of bounds at the Stanford 2-yard line. QB JACK COAN The graduate student quarterback continues to be an integral part of the offense. Coan set the tone by coming out firing. He finished with 345 passing yards and two touchdowns, plus added a rushing score. It was just the second time this season Coan has thrown for 300 or more yards (366 at Florida State). TE MICHAEL MAYER The sophomore tight end broke the single-season school record with his 64th reception in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with a team-high nine catches for 105 yards. He caught every target that came his way. He was the only player to catch at least one pass from Coan and true freshman quarterback Tyler Buchner. GAME BALLS BY TYLER HORKA Senior defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola tied for the team lead with five tackles against Stanford, including one sack for a seven-yard loss. PHOTO BY CHUCK ARAGON