Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/605097
GAME PREVIEW: STANFORD momentum, and a convincing victory could stop it cold in its tracks. Meanwhile, Stanford suffered a 38-36 defeat to Oregon Nov. 14, giving it its second loss on the season. The Cardinal only slid from No. 7 to No. 11 in the Nov. 17 rankings, though, and with a few dominoes fall- ing their way plus a potential win over Notre Dame, it can't be eliminated from the playoff race. "Despite the loss to Oregon, the feel- ing from a lot of folks is a few things here, a few things there and the playoff dream is still alive," said Andy Druk- arev, publisher of CardinalSportsRe- port.com on the R i v a l s n e t w o r k . "Notre Dame is a huge game for any program, and Stan- ford is no different. "I think they've already sold out on tickets — it might be the biggest crowd in the history of the stadium. "It will be a prime-time game, huge environment. Stanford does a pretty good job in getting up for all games. This game might not affect their race for the Pac-12 title, but there are enough other factors at hand that I can't foresee any sort of letdown after the Oregon loss." Offensively, Stanford ranked as one of the better teams in the country averag- ing 6.5 yards per play (25th nationally) through its first 10 games. That's the strongest effort from the Cardinal in its last few seasons, including 5.9 yards per play (50th nationally) in 2014, 6.4 (26th nationally) in 2013 and 5.5 (71st nation- ally) in 2012. T h e i m p r o v e - ment moving the ball starts with the play of the offen- sive line, which has been steady despite l o s i n g o ff e n s i v e tackle Andrus Peat from last year 's squad to the first round of the 2015 N F L D r a f t . T h e line only allows a "stuff" — a tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage — on 15 percent of run plays, which ranks 13th nation- ally according to FootballOutsiders. com. They Cardinal are also incredibly efficient in short-yardage situations, converting 85 percent of its run plays on third or fourth down with two yards or less to go for a first down or touchdown (fifth nationally). In pass blocking, the line has done a good job protecting fifth-year senior quarterback Kevin Hogan, helping him complete a career-best 67.7 percent of his passes Facts & Figures NOTRE DAME VS. STANFORD Game Info Date: Nov. 28, 2015. Site: Stanford Stadium (50,000). Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET. Television: FOX. Radio: This broadcast can be heard live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 129). Series Facts: This is the 30th meeting be‑ tween Notre Dame and Stanford. The Irish lead the series 19‑10. Coaches: Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (55‑21, sixth season); Stanford — David Shaw (51‑14, fifth season). Noting Stanford: Senior linebacker Blake Martinez is the first Cardinal player to post back‑to‑back 100‑tackle seasons since Jono Tunney in 1988‑89 … Sophomore running back Christian McCaffery rushed for more than 100 yards in eight of the first 10 games this season, tying for third most in a single season in school history.