Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/907039
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DECEMBER 2017 21 "We didn't play bad football teams and turn it over; we played really good football teams and turned it over. If you're going to do that, you're going to put yourself in a bad situation. "It's not that guys were tired, not mentally sharp, they didn't come ready to play. They came ready to play. They were ready to win today. We have to hold onto the football." Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello finished an efficient 14-of-22 passing for 176 yards with scoring tosses to four different targets. After a slow start, Cardinal running back Bryce Love totaled 125 rushing yards on 20 carries, with 94 of them in the second half on 10 attempts. In the November road games against the two ranked teams Notre Dame played, Miami and Stanford, the Irish were outscored 79-28 and lost the turnover battle 7-0. FIRST QUARTER: NOTRE DAME 7, STANFORD 7 Top Moment: After the defenses dominated the first five series, Notre Dame faced third-and-seven from its 17. With excellent protection in the pocket, Wimbush found Stepherson on an intermediate crossing route that turned into an 83-yard touchdown with 3:40 remaining. It was the longest pass play in seven years by the Irish. Top Performer: Following Notre Dame's score, Costello completed all four of his passes for 59 yards, the last to Trenton Irwin in the end zone for a 29-yard score with 43 seconds left. Stats: Notre Dame's 14 plays net- ted 115 yards. It ran 10 times for 30 yards and was 2-of-4 passing for 85 yards. Stanford's 16 plays totaled 86 yards, with eight carries for 19 yards and 5-of-8 passing for 67 yards. Items: Both defenses made third- and-two stops for lost yardage on star running backs Bryce Love (six carries for 15 yards) and Josh Adams (six carries for 10 yards), respectively, forcing punts. SECOND QUARTER: STANFORD 14, NOTRE DAME 10 Top Moment: With 11:29 left and on second-and-goal, Costello found JJ Arcega-Whiteside on a four-yard fade that provided Stanford its first lead, 14-7. The touchdown culmi- nated a 55-yard drive. Top Performers: On the go-ahead touchdown drive, Costello found tight end Kaden Smith on 20- and 26- yard completions prior to the score. Stats: Notre Dame outgained Stan- ford in the first half in total yardage 198 (127 passing and 71 rushing) to 170 (121 passing and 49 rushing). Stanford did not convert a third- down situation in five attempts, while Notre Dame was 4 of 10. Items: With Notre Dame trailing 14-7 and facing third-and-one at its 22-yard line, Adams was thrown for a loss again, leading to another punt. Irish junior kicker Justin Yoon con- verted a 38-yard field goal at the 2:36 mark to conclude 69-yard march and cut the Notre Dame deficit to 14-10. Both premier runners continued to be held in check, with Stanford's Love finishing the half with 10 carries for 31 yards and Notre Dame's Ad- ams totaling 27 yards on 12 attempts. THIRD QUARTER: NOTRE DAME 20, STANFORD 17 Top Moment: On the first play of the second half, a short crossing route by Wimbush to St. Brown re- sulted in a 75-yard touchdown after a mismatch on the linebacker and good down-field blocking. The Irish regained the lead, 17-14. Top Performer: Stanford running back Love carried six times for 58 yards in this quarter, and his skills helped Stanford navigate down to the Irish 20-yard line by the end of the quarter. The Cardinal forced three Irish turnovers in the fourth quarter — including this end-zone interception by safety Frank Buncom — to break open a tight game. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA