Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: STANFORD Stanford, meanwhile, held its first three oppo- nents to 138.3 rushing yards per game and only one touchdown on the ground. The Cardinal starts three seniors along the defensive front and three more upperclassmen are featured at linebacker, led by fifth-year senior A.J. Tarpley (19 tackles through three contests). Until Notre Dame proves it can run against a qual- ity opponent — 281 yards in the season opener against Rice notwithstanding — pinning its hopes on doing so is a risky proposition, especially with an unsettled offensive line. Without that consistency, the Irish will need to rely even more on Golson, who already leads them in yards with 126 yards (not counting sacks) and four touchdowns on the ground. If Stanford keeps Golson contained, its front seven presents a challenge Notre Dame has not yet faced, and certainly not yet beaten, this season. Advantage: Stanford NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. STANFORD PASS DEFENSE As much of a dual-threat danger as Golson presents, he remains adamant about his preference to be a pocket passer. His results in the season's first quarter back up his claim. Golson has used 64.6-percent pass- ing to throw for 780 yards and seven touchdowns in only three games. Perhaps more impressively, the senior has not thrown an interception in 96 attempts. Spreading his completions among nine receivers, Gol- son has a plethora of weapons at his disposal, led by sophomore receiver Will Fuller and his 225 receiving yards and three touchdown catches in the season's first three games. Losing senior slot receiver Amir Carlisle to an MCL strain hindered the passing attack against Purdue, and Carlisle remains unlikely to see the field against Stanford. In his place come the opening collegiate se- quences of sophomore Torii Hunter Jr.'s career. Hunter has been hyped for two years now, only to have inju- ries keep him from the field. If he is half of what Irish players and coaches have made him out to be, the absence of Carlisle's 10.6 yards per catch will not be missed as much. The Cardinal returns three starters in its defensive backfield, so Golson will pay the price if he gets careless. Thanks in part to a nine-yard aerial ef- fort by run-oriented Army, Stanford held the first three quarterbacks it faced to a combined 198 yards (66.0 yards yielded per game) and intercepted three passes. Advantage: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Any time Montgomery is on the field he is a threat to score, and he brings that trait to both kick and punt returns, having already registered a 60-yard punt return score this season. Notre Dame senior kicker/punter Kyle Brindza's prestigious leg will be needed to mitigate the threat of Montgomery. Through three games, opponents have returned only two of Brindza's 13 punts and three of his 22 kickoffs. Advantage: Even COACHING Stanford's David Shaw and Notre Dame's Brian Kelly have matched wits closely the last two seasons, each game ending within one possession. Kelly's squad won the 2012 overtime tilt while Shaw's pulled out the 2013 victory. Shaw preaches grind-it- out, physical football compared to Kelly's offensive pedigree and quick pace. Advantage: Even INTANGIBLES Losing 13-10 to USC stung Stanford, and if the Cardinal wants to accomplish any of its goals this season, a win over Notre Dame will be vital. Folks around the Irish have begun comparing this group to the 2012 version, and such talk will remind Stanford of a game it felt, and undoubtedly feels, it should have won. Advantage: Stanford