Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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However, when Stanford was able to play safeties closer to the line in the red zone, the Irish were not quite as potent. That and Kizer's fumble at the Irish 22 just before halftime on a scramble were the lone negatives in this area. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. STANFORD PASS DEFENSE Both of Stanford's top cornerbacks were sidelined with injuries, and the Irish were able to exploit it nu- merous times, with Kizer finding junior wide receiver Will Fuller on six of his 13 completions, highlighted by a 73-yard touchdown. Once again, Kizer was poised during the 88-yard touchdown drive that put Notre Dame ahead with 30 seconds left in the contest. Had the Irish de- fense held, it would have been the fourth final quarter rally Kizer would have directed this season, having already done so against Virginia, USC and Temple. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Freshman CJ Sanders' 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to answer Stanford's opening touchdown drive and classmate Justin Yoon converting all three of his field goals on paper should give Notre Dame the overall edge. The Irish kick coverage on McCaf- frey — with starting Irish defenders in the lineup — was also strong, with his five returns averaging 21.8 yards (10 less than his season average entering the game). However, two Stanford punts inside the Irish 20 and kicker Conrad Ukropina's 45-yard field goal as time expired merit the Cardinal deserving to be at least even in this category. ADVANTAGE: Even THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS The Cardinal was 5 of 5 on third-down conversions while scoring touchdowns on its first two drives, including three that were third-and-five or longer (most notably a third-and-nine). Overall it finished 8 of 12 (66.7 percent), while Notre Dame was only 3 of 9 (33.3 percent). Kizer did find junior wideout Corey Robinson for 22 yards on third-and-10 on the touchdown march that put the Irish temporarily ahead, 36-35, but Stanford was able to control the clock because of its effective- ness on third down. ADVANTAGE: Stanford TURNOVERS The lone turnover came after a 48-yard run by Kizer gave the Irish a first down at the Stanford 23 with only 21 seconds left in the first half. On the next play, Stanford defensive end Brennan Scarlett stripped the loosely held ball by a scrambling Kizer that defensive tackle Solomon Thomas pounced on at the Cardinal 22. It didn't lead to points for Stanford — but it erased potential points for Notre Dame that could have made the difference in the outcome. ADVANTAGE: Stanford ANALYSIS Controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides, scoring a touchdown on special teams and produc- ing 533 yards of total offense while having only one turnover should produce a win more often then not, but didn't this time for the Irish. One stat that should probably be added in the future to this is red zone efficiency. Notre Dame was unstoppable from its 20 to the Cardinal 20 — yet it was forced into kicking three field goals once it penetrated the red zone, and also lost a fumble at Stanford's 22. Meanwhile, Stanford scored touchdowns on all five red zone opportunities it had. The Fighting Irish have shown themselves to be a top-10 team that can compete with anyone, but its red zone maladies and inability to generate turnovers (13 all year) on defense are what left it on the out- side looking in at the four-team College Football Playoff. ✦ ON PAPER REVISITED BY LOU SOMOGYI