Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 17, 2026 29 I t was hardly a statistical wrinkle that gives off Heis- man vibes. But Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr's career-high 41 rushing yards, in a game that offered vir- tually no response past the first few seconds, does say something about where this third-ranked Irish team might be headed. The 58-7 final tally in an Irish annihilation of a Stanford football program that used to feel like the rival label it still carries is for the casual observer part of what de- fines Notre Dame halfway through a regular season with national title designs, not just dreams. But how real those get when the competition levels up and the spotlight gets bigger and more un- forgiving, starting at No. 8-ranked BYU Oct. 17, is about the sweat equity the Irish players are putting in to improve when no one's watching and how that might trans- late to game days in the coming weeks. And how fifth-year head coach Mar- cus Freeman keeps creating and sharp- ening the edge every week whether he believes his players have the maturity to handle that themselves, or not. "I've got to find a way to challenge them," Freeman said after his Irish (6-0) extended their streak of double-digit victories to 16, tied for third in college football history. "And I've got to chal- lenge myself. "There's got to be a belief that there's another level. If you think you've ar- rived, we're just going to keep doing the same thing, and you're not going to get better. If I lift the same amount of weight every day, I'm going to get smaller. My muscles will decrease. "So, we have to continue to find a way to believe there's another level to how we practice and then do it. I'm never going to take for granted that they have that mindset when they come in on a Tuesday. Every Tuesday, it's a blood- bath around here." Stanford (2-4) was on the receiving end of that investment in intensity and physicality. Among the statistical carnage was a Notre Dame offense that amassed a season-high 598 total yards — 123 more than its previous high against both Rice and North Carolina — and averaged a season-high 8.1 yards per play. Stanford, admittedly, came into the game struggling in most statistical cat- egories on both sides of the ball. But the Irish, nevertheless, excelled in the four areas where they needed to improve. Third-down efficiency (76th nation- ally): The Irish were 8 of 13 (61.5 per- cent) against the Cardinal, just the sec- ond time this season they've been over the 50 percent mark. Third-down defense (70th): Notre Dame held Stanford to two third-down conversions in 11 tries (18.2 percent). Pass efficiency defense (47th): Notre Dame held Stanford to a 101.72 rat- ing. That included a late interception thrown by Charlie Mirer, a fifth-year Stanford backup seeing his first action of the season and the son of former Irish standout quarterback Rick Mirer. Rushing offense (65th): The Irish rushed for a season-high 361 yards on a season-high 7.7 yards per carry. Jonaz Walton, the third running back to en- ter the game for Notre Dame, led the way with an Irish true freshman single- game record of 181 yards. He accomplished that in just 13 carries, and two of those car- ries went for long touchdowns, a 40-yarder and a 97-yarder, the latter being the third-longest of- fensive play in Notre Dame Sta- dium history. "I had the best view in the house from the quarterback po- sition," Carr said of Walton's 97-yarder. "You give him a lane, and Cooper [Flanagan] and Ash- ton [Craig] kind of cut down the penetration that was coming from the linebackers. And I saw it immediately. "I put my hand up, I knew he was gone. People don't know about him, but you're not going to catch him." Carr himself was catchable in the run game. Even so, his 8.2 yards per carry and long run of 14 yards were a nice complement to his 195.5 pass effi- ciency rating (181 yards, 3 touchdowns). Not that assistant quarterbacks coach Kurt Rawlings was impressed with Carr's running style. The Irish quarter- back said Rawlings made fun of it. "We'll continue to elevate in that area, too," Carr said. And that's really what the "Leave No Doubt" mantra has been about all along. At least to Freeman and the players living it. "It's not a destination," he said. "It's a reminder to take advantage and leave no doubt with what you've been given. That's this moment. That's what we have right in front of us. We use this as a trig- ger to stay in the moment, make the most of this opportunity that we have right now, and that's what we'll continue to do. "As we get ready for next week, the same thing, like leave no doubt on a Monday. Leave no doubt in that meet- ing that we found a way to get better. And that's how we use that." Stanford found out what Notre Dame looks like on Saturdays. BYU is about to find out whether what happens on Tuesdays travels. ✦ Junior quarterback CJ Carr threw 3 touchdown passes and rushed for a career-high 41 yards in Notre Dame's 58-7 rout of Stanford, reflecting the Fighting Irish's demanding preparation as they head into a road showdown at BYU. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Tuesday Bloodbath Leads To Saturday Success Eric Hansen covers Notre Dame athletics for On3, with a focus on Irish football. He can be reached on X @ EHansenND THE DEEP READ ERIC HANSEN