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Stanford Now 4-0 After Beating Notre Dame, Enters Top Ten
The Stanford Cardinal enter the meat of their schedule, starting with a 37-14 beatdown of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. For more Cardinal coverage, check out the SB Nation blog Rule of Tree!
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Stanford Cardinal Enter Top Ten For First Time Since 1992
After an impressive slapping down of Notre Dame, the media has responded. The Cardinal leapfrogged seven spots to ninth place in the AP poll.
Stanford’s rise from No. 16 the previous week can be attributed to several factors. Most prominently, the Cardinal romped over Notre Dame yesterday, defeating the Fighting Irish 37-14. It currently has the country’s fourth-best scoring offense and its 12th-best scoring defense.
Stanford was also helped by UCLA’s 34-12 upset of previously No. 7 Texas, since Stanford beat the Bruins 35-0 two weeks ago. Lastly, Arizona, another highly-regarded Pac-10 team, barely escaped a California team fresh off giving up 51 points to a WAC opponent.
Their rise in the Coaches Poll was a little more modest, only moving up to 13th. But they are still second in the Pac-10 overall poll rankings.
Their next opponent? The team that’s ranked first among Pac-10 teams, #4 Oregon, on the road in Autzen. The winner should instantly leap to the top of the Pac-10 championship favorite list.
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Owen Marecic, Stanford End Long Losing Streak In South Bend, Beat Notre Dame 37-14
Sports Network | September 25, 2010
South Bend, IN (Sports Network) - Nate Whitaker connected on all five of his field goal attempts and two-way player Owen Marecic scored on consecutive plays from scrimmage in the fourth quarter, as No. 16 Stanford cruised past offense-starved Notre Dame, 37-14.
Andrew Luck threw for 238 yards on 19-of-32 throws with a touchdown toss to Coby Fleener for the Cardinal (4-0), who snapped their seven-game skid at Notre Dame Stadium and are off to their best start since 1986.
Luck also threw his first two interceptions on the year but helped Stanford convert 11-of-16 third down tries.
Stepfan Taylor amassed 139 yards from scrimmage in the convincing win.
Dayne Crist completed just 25-of-44 throws for 304 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Notre Dame (1-3), which was coming off last-second defeats at the hands of Michigan and Michigan State, the latter coming in overtime.
The Fighting Irish have now lost 11 straight games to top-20 opponents.
The Irish, down 19-6, failed to capitalize on Luck's interception off a tipped pass midway through the third, then were pinned at their own two-yard line following Stanford's first -- and only -- punt of the game late in the frame.
After moving the ball to midfield, Notre Dame stared at a 4th-and-1 with 13 1/2 minutes to go in the contest. First-year head coach Brian Kelly opted to go for the first down, and a handoff to Jonas Gray was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Taylor's 23-yard reception on 3rd-and-7 on the ensuing drive put Stanford near the red zone, and on the eighth consecutive run play, Marecic dove over the goal line for the game-sealing TD with 7:58 remaining.
Zach Ertz caught a two-point conversion toss from Luck, and Marecic, who starts at fullback and linebacker, stepped in front of Crist's next pass and took it back 20 yards for the score, a mere 13 seconds after his TD run.
Crist threw a meaningless three-yard TD to Theo Riddick with six minutes left, and Whitaker capped the scoring with a 29-yard field goal.
Notre Dame punted in Cardinal territory early in the first quarter, but Doug Baldwin fumbled the kick at his own 21. The Irish recovered and eventually settled for a 22-yard David Ruffer field goal at the 8:11 mark.
Stanford answered with a 10-play, 79-yard drive that ended with Fleener hauling in a 16-yard lob from Luck in the end zone.
Crist lost a fumble on the next play from scrimmage, leading to a 24-yard Whitaker field goal with just over two minutes left in the opening quarter.
Ruffer and Whitaker traded 40 and 41-yard field goals, respectively, in the second, and Whitaker booted a 36-yarder just before halftime for a 10-point lead.
Notre Dame's defense continued to bend but not break starting the second half, forcing Whitaker to be called in again for a 33-yard kick to culminate a 10- play, 49-yard drive.
Stanford last won at Notre Dame Stadium in 1992. The Cardinal defeated the Irish last year, 45-38, and completed its first ever back-to-back victories over the storied program..Taylor gained 108 yards on 28 carries and 31 yards on two receptions...Fleener had 57 yards on four grabs...Stanford held the ball for nearly 13 more minutes...Armando Allen led the Irish with 49 yards on 15 carries...Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph came in with 21 receptions over the first three games but was held to one catch for one yard in the loss...Michael Floyd had a game-high eight catches for 110 yards for Notre Dame, which was has not beaten a top-20 opponent since dropping No. 19 Penn State, 41-17 on Sept. 9, 2006.
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Ryan Whalen Dislocated Left Elbow, Likely Out For Notre Dame
After a particularly nasty-looking injury in Stanford’s trashing of Wake Forest, it’s hard to see Andrew Luck’s favorite target being ready for Saturday’s big matchup with the Irish. As is his M.O., Jim Harbaugh refused to disclose any information on the injury.
Wearing a shoulder sling Tuesday night at practice Whalen confirmed the injury but said he hopes to return soon.
Coach Jim Harbaugh had declined to reveal any information about the injury that occurred in the first quarter of No. 16 Stanford’s commanding 68-24 victory over Wake Forest last weekend. Whalen, a senior from Alamo, fell awkwardly on his left elbow after a catch.
"As soon as I tell you you’re going to tell Notre Dame," Harbaugh said at his weekly news conference.
Why does it matter?
"I’d want to know about the status of every player on their team, what percent they are, how many plays they are going to play. That’s valuable information," Harbaugh said.
It might not matter against an Irish team that's ranked 90th in passing yards given up and 113th in completion percentage. Expect Luck to go over to Chris Owusu, or new favorite target Doug Baldwin, or the other Whalen brother (although I don't believe they're related), Griff.
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Stanford Cardinal Prepare To Battle Notre Dame In South Bend
South Bend, IN (Sports Network) - The 16th-ranked Stanford Cardinal will try to continue one of their best starts in recent memory, as the team faces off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this weekend in South Bend.
Stanford is off to a terrific start to the campaign, both offensively and defensively. After blanking UCLA, 35-0, in its Pac-10 opener on September 11th, the Cardinal showcased their firepower in a 68-24 rout of Wake Forest last weekend. The 68 points were the most in 42 years for Stanford, which is off to its first 3-0 start since 2001. A win this weekend and the Cardinal would enjoy its first 4-0 beginning to a campaign since 1986.
The Irish meanwhile, are coming off their second straight heart-breaking loss, as a fake field goal in overtime lifted Michigan State to a 34-31 victory in East Lansing last weekend.
"This is a difficult loss obviously," stated head coach Brian Kelly. "It came down to one play, which Michigan State executed, and we did not. This was a game that went back-and-forth, it was a hard-fought game, but we came up short."
The defeat came one week after Michigan used a long drive and late score to top ND 28-24. The Irish defeated Purdue 23-12 to open the season and the Kelly era, and this will be the team's first game versus an opponent outside of the Big Ten.
As far as the all-time series goes, ND holds a 17-7 advantage over Stanford dating back to the 1925 Rose Bowl. The Cardinal won last season's clash, 45-38, in the Bay Area, but ND has taken the last seven meetings at Notre Dame Stadium. Stanford's last victory in South Bend took place in 1992, when the Cardinal knocked off the sixth-ranked Irish, 33-16.
The Cardinal scored TDs on 10 of its 11 offensive possessions against WF last weekend, topping the 60-point plateau for the first time since 1968. Stanford, now averaging 51.6 ppg on the year, gained 535 total yards last weekend and that includes 311 on the ground.
Following a modes performance against UCLA, QB Andrew Luck was sensational versus WF, completing 17-of-23 tosses for 207 yards and four TDs. The versatile gunslinger added 69 yards and a score on the ground and more importantly, Stanford posted a TD on all eight possessions in which he was under center.
"He played a flawless game," Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh said of his QB, who has thrown 10 TDs against no INTs through the first three games.
Last weekend's win also marked the return of playmaker Chris Owusu, who made three catches for 65 yards and two TDs in a limited role. Owusu return couldn't have come at a better time, as fellow WR Ryan Whalen was injured early on in the game. Whalen, a consistent receiver, is tied for the team-lead in catches with 10, but is unlikely to play this weekend.
Despite losing Heisman Trophy runner-up Toby Gerhart to the NFL Draft, the Cardinal has still found success on the ground, rushing for an average of 242.3 ypg thus far. A variety of runners have played their part in the ground attack, which has accounted for 10 TDs.
The Cardinal defense did a nice job against WF's triple-option attack last weekend, yielding just 283 total yards. Many of those yards came after the game had already been decided, so the performance was even better then the numbers would indicate. Stanford added five sacks to the mix, while forcing a pair of turnovers in the triumph. Michael Thomas led the way with seven stops, including two for a loss, while Chase Thomas tallied 1.5 sacks. Michael currently leads the team with 16 tackles and Chase is tops with 3.5 sacks.
Through the first three games, Stanford is limiting opponents to just 13.7 ppg and only 227.7 ppg. The pass defense has been especially good for the Cardinal, which is allowing just 90.0 ypg through the air. Stanford has yet to let up a passing TD as well.
The biggest positive for ND after three games is that QB Dayne Crist has proven capable of running the offense. The sophomore gunslinger has completed 60.4 percent of his tosses with seven TDs and two INTs thus far and is coming off a career performance. Crist threw for 369 yards and four TDs versus MSU last weekend, although also had a pair of turnovers.
"Dayne did some good things, but what he has to work on is ball control and taking care of the football," stated Kelly. "He is starting to grow as a quarterback and I'm proud of the way he competes, but we have a lot of work to do cleaning up things that keep drives alive."
WRs Michael Floyd and Theo Riddick, along with TE Kyle Rudolph give Crist plenty of options to work with and they were all effective last weekend. Riddick, a converted RB, enjoyed a breakout performance with 10 catches for 128 yards and a score. Rudolph added eight receptions for 80 yards and a score, while Floyd finished with six catches for 81 yards and two TDs.
Armando Allen paces the ground game with 253 yards, but ND has scored just two of its offensive TDs via the run thus far.
Defensively, the Irish have had some issues this season, especially against the run, yielding 197.7 ypg on the ground. Opponents are averaging 5.1 yards per carry versus ND, which has also been burnt for 246.0 ypg through the air.
ND's defensive woes were brought front and center last weekend, when MSU amassed 477 total yards, including 203 on the ground. While the Irish's defense was exploited, it was the special teams that ultimately let the squad down. MSU set up for a game-tying 46-yard field goal attempt in overtime, but faked the kick and instead converted a 29-yard TD pass for the win.
"It was the same play that MSU ran against Texas Tech, it was well executed, and our guy who was in coverage fell down," stated Kelly. "It was a good throw, he caught the ball and they executed the play. They deserved to win."
