Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 OCT. 12, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: STANFORD BY JACK SOBLE O n fourth-and-9, with Syracuse leading Stanford 24-23 and the clock showing 32 seconds in the fourth quarter Sept. 20, former Notre Dame cornerback Clar- ence Lewis found himself in an impos- sible situation. Lewis, now a fifth-year senior with the Orange, was matched up one-on- one with redshirt sophomore Cardinal wide receiver Elic Ayomanor. As soon as junior quarterback Ashton Daniels saw that, he tossed a back-shoulder throw down the left sideline. "With the amount of trust and re- spect I have for my connection with Elic, I knew there was no one else I could go to on that play," Daniels said, per Athlon Sports. Lewis had no chance. Ayomanor made the catch at the Syracuse 20-yard line, setting up a game-winning field goal. And in their first Atlantic Coast Conference game, they could feel it in Palo Alto, Calif. Later, Syracuse head coach Fran Brown took the blame. "On fourth-and-9, I didn't put that kid in the right position," Brown said, according to CNY Central. "On fourth- and-9, I kind of sold them out." In its second season under head coach Troy Taylor, the Cardinal looks like it's taken a step forward. Stanford went 3-9 in each of its previous three seasons, but those days look like they're over. "That's history for us, especially — and I'm not going to lie — we've been struggling the last two seasons," Daniels said. "This was such a big win for us, guys couldn't control their emotions." Taylor's group will put its newfound mojo to the test at Notre Dame Stadium, when it faces the Irish at 3:30 p.m. ET Oct. 12 in South Bend. GO-TO GUY At the top of Notre Dame's game plan will be Ayomanor, a 6-foot-2 wideout from Medicine Hat, Alberta. The Ca- nadian is setting himself up to be one of the top pass catchers taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. "He's a guy that, no matter where I put the ball, I have faith he's going to go up and catch it," Daniels said. Ayomanor made his mark on the Syra- cuse game early, leaping and contort- ing his body near the sideline to snag a touchdown with one hand. It remains an early candidate for catch of the year, and it's one of 17 receptions for 234 yards he had through three games this season. Ayomanor's true coming-out party came during his redshirt freshman sea- son at Colorado on Oct. 13, 2023. Held without a catch in the first half while the Cardinal fell behind 29-0, he ex- ploded after the break. By the time Stanford's 46-43 over- time win came to a close, Ayomanor had a mind-boggling 13 receptions for 294 yards and 3 touchdowns. His dominant second half included a slant caught in the shadow of his own end zone and taken 97 yards to the house, as well as a field-reversing catch-and-run on a slot fade for a 60-yard score. On the first play of overtime, Ayo- m a n o r h a d o n e - o n - o n e cove ra ge with Colorado cornerback and future first-round pick Travis Hunter. Dan- iels tossed it up for him, and Ayomanor quite literally caught it on Hunter's head. "Ayo m a n o r ! " p l ay- by- p l ay a n - nouncer Mark Jones shouted, his voice nearly hoarse. "Mind your manners, what a catch!" He finished 2023 with 62 catches for 1,013 yards and 6 touchdowns. Notre Dame has typically fared well against offenses built around one elite wide receiver, mostly thanks to junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison. In two appearances against eventual No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr., then with Ohio State, Morrison was targeted 7 times and allowed 2 receptions, per Pro Football Focus. Naturally, with Morrison locking down the boundary, teams have looked toward the field side. Unfortunately for them, sophomore Christian Gray has that locked down, too. Through Week Facts & Figures NOTRE DAME VS. STANFORD Date: Oct. 12, 2024 Site: Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET Television: NBC/Peacock Radio: Notre Dame IMG affiliates Series facts: The Irish are 22-14 against the Cardinal, winning four of the last five games for the Legends Trophy. The average score in those five matchups has been Notre Dame 39.6, Stanford 18.8. Head coaches: Stanford — Troy Taylor (5-11, second season); Notre Dame — Marcus Freeman (23-9, third season). Noting Stanford: The Cardinal last played in a bowl game six years ago, when it won the 2018 Sun Bowl 14-13 over Pittsburgh … Through Week 4, Stanford ranked 62nd out of 134 FBS teams in scoring defense at 21.67 points allowed per game and 61st in scoring offense at 31.3 points per game … Junior quarterback Ashton Daniels accounted for most of the rushing offense, leading the team with 33 car- ries for 212 sack-adjusted yards (6.4 yards per attempt) through three games … Kicking is a strength for Stanford, with senior Emmet Kenney making 8 of 8 field goal attempts through three contests… Stanford's only draft pick in 2024 was also a kicker, Joshua Karty, who went in the sixth round to the Los Angeles Rams. ON THE RISE Led by a superstar wide receiver and second-year head coach, Stanford looks like a competitive team again Through the Stanford's first three games, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Elic Ayomanor had hauled in 17 receptions for 234 yards and 1 touchdown. PHOTO COURTESY STANFORD ATHLETICS