Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541687
22 DECEMBER 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT To call anything a turning point in Notre Dame's 49-20 victory Stanford would suggest the outcome was headed in any direction other than the Irish's once the game kicked off in Stan- ford Stadium. But it became painfully obvious that Stanford would be no match for the No. 9 Irish when redshirt junior running back Jadarian Price looked unstoppable as a pass catcher on Notre Dame's second drive of the game. Price took over for junior running back Jeremi- yah Love after the latter left the game with a rib injury. Price responded with a 14-yard reception on his first touch of the game. He caught an- other 14-yard pass from redshirt freshman quar- terback CJ Carr on a fourth-and-3. Price capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give Notre Dame a 14-0 after two possessions. STATS OF THE GAME Third-string running back Aneyas Williams, a sophomore, led the Irish in rushing yards (83) and rushing touchdowns (2) on just 10 carries. Stanford starting quarterback Elijah Brown completed just 48.6 percent of his passes (18 of 37) for 204 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Carr threw for one more yard (205) on 10 fewer pass attempts (17 of 27) with 2 touchdowns. Sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore ac- counted for Brown's intercepted pass. He added 3 passes broken up against a quarterback who threw his direction too many times. Notre Dame converted all three of its fourth- down attempts. Redshirt senior James Rendell punted three times. It was the first time he punted more than twice in a game since punting four times against Southern Cal Oct. 18. CARR GETS BACK ON TRACK CJ Carr certainly didn't play badly in Notre Dame's previous two victories against Pitt and Syracuse, but the regular-season finale at Stan- ford offered Carr an opportunity to look better heading into the postseason. Carr threw a pair of interceptions against Pitt and was asked to throw only nine times the fol- lowing weekend against Syracuse. The Irish let him air it out more against the Cardinal. Carr looked his best late in the second quarter and early in the third quarter. He led the Irish on a 9-play, 45-yard touchdown drive that lasted 1:04 of the final 1:21 of the second quarter. He converted three third downs, the last of which came on a smart decision to get the ball to Price for what turned into a 12-yard touchdown pass. Carr then opened his third quarter with a 54-yard bomb to junior wide receiver Jordan Faison. Three plays later, he connected with Faison for a smooth 6-yard touchdown pass. Those moments were reminders of what Carr can do for Notre Dame's offense. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY TYLER JAMES DE JOSHUA BURNHAM AND S LUKE TALICH A shout-out goes to Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman here, to have the guts (and other things) to call a fake punt on fourth-and-9 from Notre Dame's 16-yard line. When he did, Burnham and Talich executed it perfectly. Burnham, a redshirt junior defensive end who played quarterback in high school, caught the snap as the up man and threw a perfect pop pass to an unguarded Talich. The junior safety had one man to beat, true freshman Stanford punt returner Liam Thorpe, and he beat him. Talich ran 84 yards for a touchdown, giving Notre Dame a 21-0 lead and stealing any hope the Cardinal may have had. Burnham and Talich are unsung heroes on the Notre Dame defense. They don't make a ton of headlines or appear at the top of the scouting report, but they have played some excellent football in the second half of the season. Against Stanford, they were rewarded with a signature moment. CB LEONARD MOORE Someone forgot to tell Stanford that throwing at Notre Dame's star sophomore cornerback is a bad idea. Either that, or the Cardinal made a conscious decision to target the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Jim Thorpe Award finalist. Whatever thought process led to it, redshirt freshman Stanford quarterback Elijah Brown went after Moore, and he punished him for it. Moore intercepted Brown along the sideline, running redshirt sophomore wide receiver Myles Libman's route for him and tapping his toes inbounds for the pick. He finished the game with a team-high 3 passes broken up, not including the pick. If that wasn't enough, he also made 2 solo tackles at or near the line of scrimmage. Moore is definitely the best cornerback and might be the best defensive player in college football, and he proved that in Week 14. RB ANEYAS WILLIAMS The sophomore third-stringer tracked the football and caught it over his shoulder for a 25-yard gain down the right sideline. The Orange Bowl, Notre Dame's 49-20 win over Stanford was not. But Williams reminded Irish fans — and the Irish themselves — that he's still the all-purpose back who helped them beat Penn State and advance to the national championship game. Later in the game, as he so often does, Williams ran through an arm tackle on his way to a 51-yard rush- ing touchdown. He finished with 10 carries for a team-leading 83 yards and 2 touchdowns, as well as 2 receptions for 40 yards, taking center stage as the Irish blew out the Cardinal. Williams' role decreased from 2024 to 2025, while Notre Dame has relied more heavily on junior Jer- emiyah Love and redshirt junior Jadarian Price. Williams admitted earlier in the week that his sophomore season has been hard, but he refuses to let that define him. "Whenever I get on the field, it's an opportunity that millions of other people don't have," Williams said. "I'll take any ounce of playing time and just be grateful to be able to play this sport." The Hannibal, Mo. native certainly made his opportunity count in Week 14. GAME BALLS BY JACK SOBLE Sophomore running back Aneyas Williams rushed for a team-high 83 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus had 2 receptions for 40 yards. PHOTO BY CHUCK ARAGON