Blue and Gold Illustrated

Oct. 22, 2022

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1481872

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 23 of 63

24 OCT. 22, 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT Still holding some momentum, even while trail- ing 16-14 midway through the fourth quarter, Irish sophomore tailback Audric Estime lost a fumble on the Stanford 21-yard line, turning the ball over to the Cardinal with 6:35 remaining in the game. Instead of the Irish driving for a potential game- winning score, Stanford took over possession and orchestrated an 8-play, 41-yard drive that yielded no points, but took 4:05 off the clock and forced Notre Dame to burn its three timeouts. The Irish did little with their ensuing offensive possession. Cardinal junior quarterback Tanner McKee kneeled down on two snaps, and Stanford had only its third win in this series at Notre Dame Stadium since 1992. In a game that featured wild momentum swings, Stanford secured the last one during this winning stretch. STATS OF THE GAME What BYU failed to do defensively against Notre Dame in a 28-20 loss Oct. 8 in Las Vegas, Stanford executed almost perfectly, and that was finding a way to control Irish junior All-American tight end Michael Mayer. Against the Cougars, Mayer set a single-game Notre Dame record for a tight end with 11 catches and scored 2 touchdowns. Against the Cardinal, he was targeted 10 times but still managed only 5 catches for 60 yards and no scores, with few receptions of any significance. Additionally, an improving Irish rushing offense that was expected to dominate a Cardinal run defense that ranked 121st nationally after giving up 207.0 rushing yards per outing through its first five games, managed a nondescript 150 yards against Stanford. The Irish ball carriers recorded 4.4 yards per carry against a Stanford defense that was giving up a robust 5.6 yards per carry to its previous five opponents. WHAT HAPPENED? Where to begin? Another slow start for Notre Dame plagued the Irish against Stanford in a game that was painfully reminiscent of the 26-21 loss to Marshall Sept. 10. A 7-0 lead for the Cardinal after the first quarter means that the Irish were outscored 27-6 in the first stanza during its first six games. They have yet to score a touchdown in the opening frame. The Irish both led and trailed in each of its first six regular-season outings. But another slow-start Saturday was too much to navigate for a Notre Dame defense that forced no turnovers for the fourth time in six games, and still has the fewest takeaways in the country this season with two. In arguably what's becoming one of the most frustrating and uncertain teams Notre Dame has fielded since 2016, a slow start and limited take- aways are the only norms. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY TODD D. BURLAGE TIGHT END MICHAEL MAYER Coming off of his 11-catch game against BYU — a single-game record for a Notre Dame tight end — the junior was blanketed well by Stanford. Yet, the All-American still led the Irish with 10 targets and 5 catches for 60 yards. WIDE RECEIVER TOBIAS MERRIWEATHER Following months of hype and hope, the true freshman made his first career catch on a 41-yard touch- down pass early in the fourth quarter. The TD connection with junior quarterback Drew Pyne gave Notre Dame a brief 14-13 lead. It ended up Merriweather's only catch of the game on two targets. LINEBACKER JD BERTRAND After missing parts of the previous two games because of targeting penalty suspensions, the senior returned to full-time action against Stanford and led the Irish with a career-high 13 tackles, including the half a sack he shared with graduate student defensive end Justin Ademilola. SAFETY XAVIER WATTS With injuries building on the Irish defense, the junior played well and recorded 7 tackles (3 solo) on an Irish defense that is being thinned out weekly. A converted wide receiver, expect Watts' contributions to become increasingly important moving forward. DEFENSIVE TACKLE GABRIEL RUBIO Like Watts, the Irish sophomore tackle was thrust into extensive action because of multiple injuries and he responded with a career-high 7 tackles (0.5 for loss). As the Irish defensive line options continue to thin, expect Rubio to become a common name on this list. GAME BALLS BY TODD D. BURLAGE Senior linebacker recorded a career-high 13 tackles against the Cardinal. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Blue and Gold Illustrated - Oct. 22, 2022