Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: STANFORD belonging to the graduated Tyler Gaffney. Meanwhile, Notre Dame's 24 rushing attempts totaled a meager 64 yards in its 27‑20 defeat. During its 2‑1 start this year, Stan‑ ford was not nearly proficient with its ground game as in recent years. Senior Kelsey Young had the most carries with 21 (seven per game), and in the 13‑10 loss to USC Sept. 6 the Cardinal was limited to 128 yards rushing on 38 carries. It made nine trips to the Trojans' 32‑yard line and penetrated into the red zone (20 and inside) five times, yet managed only 10 points. Stanford's all junior starting offen‑ sive line was ranked as the best in the country when it signed in 2012, led by five‑star tackles Kyle Murphy and Andrus Peat, so talent and girth is not lacking. Meanwhile, Notre Dame had its own running game problems in vic‑ tories against Michigan (31 carries for 54 yards) and Purdue (38 carries for 139 yards, but with quarterback Ever‑ ett Golson's 56 yards coming mainly on scrambles, not designed running plays), which prompted the Irish staff to do some reconfiguration along the offensive line. Whoever runs better here likely gets the glory. SHAKEDOWN SATURDAY A couple of times per season, there is a weekend of college football that either is laden with upsets, specifically in the top 10, or is replete with mar‑ quee matchups between ranked teams. The date Oct. 4 has the earmarks of both, and is expected to be one of those weekends where the contenders begin to get separation from pretenders or where upstarts could demonstrate that they might have to be reckoned with down the road. The state of Mississippi takes center stage with SEC matchups that include Alabama at Ole Miss and Texas A&M at Mississippi State, and both over‑ shadow LSU's visit to Auburn. In addition, Oklahoma's toughest road test this regular season might be at TCU, Baylor has to travel to hurt‑ ing but still dangerous Texas, and Ne‑ braska visits Michigan State. For Notre Dame, the Stanford game is a benchmark opportunity like it was in 2012 when the Irish hosted a Cardi‑ nal team that had won three straight against them. Head coach Brian Kelly challenged his players to display the same physical and mental toughness that Stanford had cultivated. The Notre Dame 20‑13 comeback victory in overtime — highlighted by the dramatic goal‑line stand at the end — was the first signal that the 2012 Irish were not just going to be another flash‑in‑the‑pan outfit. It propelled a memorable October and November that eventually led the Cinderella Irish to the BCS National Championship Game. While a victory against Stanford this season wouldn't guarantee similar re‑ sults, it too should at least legitimately put Notre Dame in the conversation as a bona fide top‑10 team.