Irish Best The Cardinal 49-7

By Justin O’Neal

On October 12th, 2024, in Notre Dame Stadium, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dominated in a 49-7 victory over the Stanford Cardinals.

The game started with a quick stop by the Cardinals defense, forcing a Notre Dame punt. Led by Junior quarterback Ashton Daniels, Stanford’s offense was mostly on the ground to start. Then, Daniels managed to evade pressure in the pocket and rush for 27 yards into ND territory. A few plays later, Stanford was knocking on the door to the endzone. The Cardinals dialed up a QB sneak and found paydirt, taking the lead 7-0 on their first drive of the game.

Notre Dame went into their next drive trailing by a touchdown, but were able to find their rhythm on the ground. JaDarian Price ran the ball well and then a strike over the middle from Riley Leonard to Kris Mitchell put the Irish in scoring range. They continued their success and on a designed qb run, Leonard was able to run into the endzone untouched to tie the score 7-7.

The Fighting Irish defense was able to pressure the quarterback repeatedly during the next drive. To start the second quarter, Notre Dame forced a fourth down at midfield, but the Cardinals were able to convert with another QB sneak. After that, DT Howard Cross showed up big time, getting a sack resulting in a loss of eight yards. Stanford had a couple positive plays after that, but were forced into a fourth down in which they elected to go for it again. Howard Cross showed up once again and sacked the quarterback to force a turnover on downs.

The Irish offense was able to carry the momentum gained from the fourth down stop all the way to the endzone. Leonard showcased his elite athleticism as he used his legs repeatedly, getting Notre Dame into scoring range. Then, senior wideout Jayden Thomas ran a beautiful slant route into the endzone. Leonard placed the ball right on his numbers for an Irish touchdown and the lead, 14-7.

The next Irish offensive possession that ended in points started with an explosive play from Jeremiyah Love as he took a short pass 25 yards down the field. Then, Leonard threw a pass that was deflected at the line of scrimmage, but center Pat Coogan was able to catch the tipped ball. If that wasn’t wild enough, he was able to run through a few defenders and get a first down for Notre Dame. Stanford was able to get a few stops, forcing a fourth-and-two for Notre Dame. Jeremiyah Love rushed up the middle for the first down to keep the drive alive. Then, Kris Mitchell caught his first touchdown of the season after running a slant route into the endzone, using his body to shield the defender away from the ball. Notre Dame now led 21-7, and were able to go into the half with momentum.

To start the third, Stanford started with the ball from their own three-yard line. Daniels was able to rush for 14 yards to give their offense some breathing room. Then he scrambled to his right and found a receiver down field for a 20 yard gain. On the next play, DE Joshua Burnham got in the backfield and tipped a pitch intended for the running back. He grabbed the tipped pass out of the air with nothing but green grass in front of him, taking the deflection 15 yards the other way as the crowd cheered before being brought down.

With favorable starting field position and all the momentum, Notre Dame scored quickly. Jadaraian Price rushed for 16 yards into the endzone to extend the lead 28-7. 

It was clear Notre Dame was playing with tons of confidence by this point. On the next drive, the Irish defense swarmed to the ball all possession, forcing a Stanford punt. Notre Dame continued to keep their foot on the gas. Leonard found Sophomore receiver KK Smith 25 yards down the field for a big gain. After a penalty advanced the Irish even closer to the endzone, Jeremiyah Love showed off his blazing speed as he rushed for a 39 yard touchdown. The score was now 35-7 Notre Dame.

Stanford’s offensive unit  continued to struggle against the Notre Dame defense. Their drive ended in a sack by senior defensive tackle Riley Mills. Stanford was forced to punt once again, giving the ball back to a scorching hot Irish offense.

Notre Dame’s domination continued. To start the drive, Leonard found Collins all alone down the middle of the field for a 53 yard completion. A couple plays later, Junior tight end Eli Raridon caught a pass off an RPO play for a five yard touchdown. The Irish now led 42-7.

Due to weather concerns, the game was delayed for an hour before the start of the fourth quarter. However, this did not stop the Irish from continuing to execute at a high level. To sum up the fourth quarter, it was more of the same. There was a rushing touchdown by freshman Aneyas Williams, a sack on fourth down by Ben Minnich and Loghan Thomas and smiles from Irish fans all around the stadium as the Irish marched to victory. 

The final score was 49-7, and Notre Dame moved to 5-1 on the season.

Justin O’Neal is a student assistant in the Notre Dame Athletic Communications Office.