Notre Dame vs Stanford Hype Blog
This. Is. It. The 2015 season flew by and here we are. It’s Stanford week. Even though the Irish have been treated unfairly by the committee, I think if you asked Irish fans in August if they would take a 10-1 record into Palo Alto with a legitimate chance at the College Football Playoff they would all take it.
Notre Dame now has to take the opportunity that’s in front of them. It’s been proven in recent weeks that merely winning isn’t enough for the Irish. They have to go out and make a statement against Stanford. At this point in the season last year it was Ohio State staring up at a Big 12 team in the playoff rankings. The Buckeyes went out and dominated Wisconsin to close the season and forced their way into the Semi Finals. That’s what Notre Dame has to do. I’m not suggesting that ND will or can win 59-0 vs Stanford on the road. But they have to make their mark on America and control this game from the outset. This has to be their signature win.
When Notre Dame Has The Ball:
Notre Dame’s offense has to win this game for the Irish and if the Irish execute like we saw in October, as opposed to what has been the norm the past two weeks then Notre Dame should score some points. This isn’t the Stanford we’ve grown accustomed to seeing the past 6 or 7 years. They’re just 63rd in the country against the pass, and 42nd in total defense. Stanford hasn’t been able to get after the quarterback with any consistency this year. Notre Dame should attack Stanford much like Oregon did a few weeks ago in their 38-36 win…go with tempo, spread Stanford out, attack the edges, and make the Cardinal play in space. Notre Dame has better athletes and if they can protect the ball then the Irish will be able to score.
When Stanford Has The Ball
Christian McCaffery. Ever heard of him? He is basically the entire Stanford offense. He gets a combined 30 touches per game. He’s the teams leading rusher with 140 yards per game and he also is the teams leading receiver with 34 catches on the year. Teams have tried to load of the box to stop him…Stanford just counters by putting him in the slot, using screens, and sending him on wheel routes. McCaffery deserves an invite to New York for the Heisman ceremony, and will no doubt be an early season Heisman favorite in 2016. There might be only one linebacker in the country who can match up with McCaffery athletically. Guess who it is?
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Jaylon Smith will be the key to containing McCaffery. If Smith and the Irish defense can limit McCaffery’s big play ability Notre Dame will be in position to win this game. Kevin Hogan is one of those QBs who is impossible to figure out. If you watched the Northwestern game week one you’d think he was one of the worst QBs in the country. Since that game that kicked at 6am in Week 1, Stanford hasn’t been held under 30 points. Hogan has an ugly throwing motion, but he somehow completes 67% of his passes. Hogan is also a good enough athlete to be effective in the read option game with McCaffery. If the Irish over-commit to McCaffery, Hogan can definitely pull it and get to the edge for a 1st down. The Irish have been great against the option this year, but will need to have great eye discipline tonight. Stanford will go with mostly 2 TE looks, per usual, and their tight ends are threats in the passing game as well.
Final Analysis:
Notre Dame is an underdog in this game. The line is Notre Dame +3.5 at the time of this blog. Traveling from Indiana to Boston, back to Indiana, and finally out to California isn’t easy, but I can’t imagine the Irish continuing their sloppy play. This is the game where Notre Dame finally puts it all together and forces the committee to put them in the Dance.
Notre Dame 34, Stanford 24