(Photo: Icon Sportswire)
Stanford Football has struggled the last several years. And while there has been some improvement this season under interim head coach Frank Reich, their 4–7 record is evidence they are far from the program that from 2009–2018 went to 10 straight bowl games and finished in the top 10 four times. Last week The Cardinal did show some of that progress by rolling past Cal 31–10, powered by 150 rushing yards from Micah Ford and the defense’s most complete performance of the season.
But the overall numbers paint a more honest portrait of where Stanford stands entering Saturday night’s game with the Irish. Offensively, the Cardinal are averaging just 305.1 yards per game, ranking 124th nationally, with 221.6 through the air and only 83.5 on the ground. They score 18.7 points per game, another 124th-ranked mark.
Quarterback Ben Gulbranson started the first 9 games of the season and threw for 1,813 yards with nine touchdowns and ten interceptions. Gulbranson was replaced in two weeks ago by redshirt freshman Elijah Brown. Brown has provided some spark but the Cardinal offense has continued to mostly sputter. In two games as a starter Brown is 56-90 (62.2%) for 625 yards and 3 TDs with 1 interception. He has been sacked 13 times.
Micah Ford leads the run game with 643 yards and four TDs. CJ Williams tops the receiving chart at 735 yards and six scores. Tight end Sam Roush is a weapon and having a solid season, with 45 catches for 472 yards and 2 TDs.
Defensively, Stanford allows 397.6 yards per game, including 284.5 passing yards—135th in the country. The bright spot is a solid run defense giving up just 113.1 yards per game, and a top-15 red-zone defense that allows opponents to finish drives only 75.9% of the time. But they struggle on third down, converting 37%, and sit at a –3 turnover margin.
The Cardinal have defended their home turf well. All four of their victories have been in Palo Alto where they are 4-1. Key common opponents with the Irish have been: at MIami (L, 42-7), and Pittsburgh (L, 35-20).
Matchup Analysis
On paper, this is a difficult matchup for Stanford. Their biggest defensive weakness has been pass coverage, and they now face a Notre Dame offense that throws efficiently and strikes explosively. Their inability to run the ball consistently makes sustaining drives a challenge—especially against a Notre Dame defense that ranks among the nation’s best on third down and against the run.
The one area where Stanford could hang around is red-zone defense; they’ve been excellent there all season. But between Notre Dame’s physicality, balance, and edge in turnover margin, the Cardinal will need near-perfect execution to keep this close for four quarters.
Notre Dame is a 31.5 point favorite and the over/under is 50.5.
The Fighting Irish Preview Prediction: Notre Dame 42, Stanford 13