Irish Best The Cardinal 49-7 – Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Official Athletics Website

By Justin O'Neal

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

The game began with a quick stop by the Cardinals defense that forced a Notre Dame punt. Led by junior quarterback Ashton Daniels, Stanford's offense was mostly on the ground early. Daniels then managed to evade pressure in the pocket and rush 27 yards into ND territory. A few plays later, Stanford knocked on the door to the end zone. The Cardinals chose a QB sneak, found paydirt and took a 7-0 lead on their first drive of the game.

Notre Dame entered its next drive trailing by a touchdown but was able to find its 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 the firing line. They continued their success and Leonard managed to run untouched into the end zone with a targeted QB run and equalize the score at 7:7.

The Fighting Irish defense was able to pressure the quarterback repeatedly during the next drive. Early in the second quarter, Notre Dame forced a fourth down at midfield, but the Cardinals were able to convert with another QB sneak. Afterwards, DT Howard Cross had a strong performance and got a sack that resulted in a loss of eight yards. Stanford had a few positive plays after that, but was forced into a fourth down where they decided to try again. Howard Cross showed up 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 into the end zone. Leonard showcased his athleticism at the highest level, repeatedly using his legs and getting Notre Dame into the scoring zone. Then senior wideout Jayden Thomas ran a beautiful slant route into the end zone. 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 began with an explosive play by Jeremiyah Love as he threw a short pass 25 yards down the field. Leonard then threw a pass that was deflected at the line of scrimmage, but center Pat Coogan was able to catch the tipped ball. As if that wasn't wild enough, he managed to run through a few defenders and score a first down for Notre Dame. Stanford was able to get some stops and force a fourth-and-2 from Notre Dame. Jeremiyah Love burst through the middle in the first to keep the drive alive. Then Kris Mitchell caught his first touchdown of the season after running a slant route into the end zone, using his body to keep the defender away from the ball. Notre Dame now led 21:7 and was able to go into halftime with momentum.

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

Thanks to the favorable starting position and all the momentum, Notre Dame scored quickly. Jadaraian Price rushed 16 yards into the end zone and extended the lead to 28-7.

At this point it was clear that Notre Dame was playing with a lot of confidence. On the next drive, the Irish defense forced their way to the ball with full possession and forced a Stanford punt. Notre Dame continued to accelerate. Leonard found sophomore receiver KK Smith 25 yards further for a big gain. After a penalty forced the Irish to get even closer to the end zone, Jeremiyah Love showed off his blistering speed as he ran 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 with a sack by senior defensive tackle Riley Mills. Stanford was forced to punt again and gave the ball back to a red-hot Irish offense.

Notre Dame's dominance continued. Early in the drive, Leonard found Collins all alone in the middle of the field for a 53-yard completion. A few plays later, junior tight end Eli Raridon caught a pass from an RPO play for a five-yard touchdown. The Irish now led 42-7.

Due to weather concerns, the game was delayed an hour before the start of the fourth quarter. However, this did not stop the Irish from continuing to perform at a high level. To summarize the fourth quarter: It was more of the same. There was a rushing touchdown from freshman Aneyas Williams, a fourth-down sack from Ben Minnich and Loghan Thomas and smiles from Irish fans throughout the stadium as the Irish marched to victory.

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

Justin O'Neal is a student employee in the Notre Dame Athletic Communications Office.