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✦ TOP STORYLINES: NOTRE DAME VS. STANFORD and-four pass from Tommy Rees for 38 yards late in the Michigan game. He grabbed two passes for 31 yards versus Miami last week. "I don't think it's as much right now a product of Tyler not being involved in the passing game, per se, as much as how effi- ciently we can throw the ball in certain situ- ations and make good decisions and make good reads and get the ball where it needs to get to," Notre Dame offensive coordina- tor Chuck Martin said during the bye week. "… We're a better team if the ball gets in [No.] 80's direction more. It's certainly not by design that the ball's not going there." Through their first four games, the scor- ing output of Notre Dame and Stanford was almost identical: • Both had a 50-point game (the Irish against Navy and the Cardinal versus Duke). • Both beat an in-state rival by a 20-17 score (Purdue for Notre Dame and San Jose State for Stanford). • Both defeated a top-10 team in the third game (Stanford 21-14 over USC and Notre Dame 20-3 at Michigan State). • Both scored 13 points in their fourth game (Stanford in a 17-13 loss at Wash- ington and the Irish in a 13-6 win versus Michigan). • Both had another prolific scoring at- tack Oct. 6 against maligned defenses, with Stanford recording a 54-48 overtime victory against Arizona, which is 111th out of 120 programs in scoring defense, and Notre Dame a 41-3 rout of Miami, the No. 118 team in total defense. For both Notre Dame and Stanford, an- other tight contest will make them likely turn to tight ends. THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS All the makings are there for this Notre Dame-Stanford showdown to resemble the Redshirt junior cornerback Terrence Brown and the Cardinal defense permitted a potent USC offense to convert only 7.7 percent (1 of 13) of its third-down opportunities Sept. 15, and rank 12th in that category nationally (29.76 percent) heading into this weekend's matchup with the Fighting Irish. Sept. 22 slugfest that was the 13-6 Irish victory versus Michigan. Both offenses are trying to develop a new quarterback while also seeking more help at wide receiver and getting better cohesion along the line. Notre Dame is second nationally in scoring defense (7.8 points per game), but Stanford also put up notable defen- sive numbers in the four games prior to last week's shootout with Arizona, never allowing more than 17 points and featur- ing a stout front seven led by linebackers Chase Thomas (two sacks and a forced fumble versus Notre Dame last year) and Perhaps the Cardinal's most crucial stat in September was it had the nation's fourth-best third-down conversion defense — 16 of 65 (24.52 percent). Highlighting this effort was USC's 1-of-13 performance in the Trojans' 21-14 defeat at Stanford Sept. 15. This week, the Cardinal dropped to 12th (29.76 percent) after Arizona con- verted 9 of 19 third-down opportunities. Notre Dame's offense was 1 of 14 on third downs at Michigan State and 3 of 9 the next week versus Michigan. The Irish were 5 of 15 on third downs in their loss at Stanford last year, and need to be more efficient this season. Regardless of what happened against Arizona, any defense that can hold USC's explosive offense to 14 points merits huge respect. On the flip side, Stanford's offense ranks 109th in third-down conversions (22 of 70, 31.43 percent). Third-down success might be the differ- ence in this encounter. AVOIDING 0-4 There is another similarity to the earlier PHOTO COURTESY STANFORD Shayne Skov, who missed 2011 with a knee injury but was a standout for the 12-1 unit in 2010. The Cardinal rushing defense currently ranks sixth in the country (77.2 yards al- lowed per game), and it held the Irish to 57 yards on the ground last season. Stanford also was in the top 25 in pass efficiency defense, scoring defense and to- tal defense — until the Arizona shootout. The defensive numbers took a huge hit when Wildcats quarterback Matt Scott set Pac-12 records for most passes completed (45) and attempted (69) while finishing with 491 yards through the air. ✦ PAGE 9 Sept. 22 Michigan game at Notre Dame Stadium. Just like the Wolverines, Stanford enters the contest with a three-game winning streak against the Irish, and will attempt to become the first graduating class in school history to post a 4-0 sweep versus Notre Dame. The Cardinal won a 45-38 shootout in 2009 and posted convincing victories in 2010 (37-14) and 2011 (28-14). It's a personal pride factor for the Irish senior class led by Te'o, but Stanford al- ready has one 4-0 feather in its cap this season. With its 21-14 triumph against USC Sept. 15, it marked the first time ever that a Cardinal graduating class went 4-0 against the Trojans. ✦