Notre Dame vs. Stanford, 36-38: Full highlights, final score and more

The No. 9 Stanford Cardinal knocked off the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in an instant classic.

One of the biggest games of rivalry week didn’t disappoint, as the No. 9 Stanford Cardinal beat the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 38-36 in a wild, back-and-forth affair.

The Cardinal offense typically features a heavy dose of Christian McCaffrey, but it was quarterback Kevin Hogan who paced it early by completing five of six passes for 54 yards and a touchdown to Remound Wright on Stanford’s impressive opening drive. That lead lasted a matter of seconds, as C.J. Sanders returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards to tie the score at 7.

Stanford continued to roll offensively, starting off 6-6 on third down while holding the ball for nearly 13 minutes before Notre Dame’s first snap. Devon Cajuste’s 6 yard touchdown catch gave the Cardinal the lead back near the end of the first, as Notre Dame initially struggled to keep up with Stanford’s physicality.

When the Irish finally got the ball, they were able to move down the field, primarily on the ground as the offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage. However, Notre Dame was forced to settle for two field goals deep in Stanford territory and trailed 14-13 midway through the second.

The teams traded multiple big plays near the end of the half, as Will Fuller’s 73-yard touchdown catch from DeShone Kizer gave Notre Dame its first lead before a long Cajuste catch set up a touchdown and 21-20 lead for Stanford on the next drive. Notre Dame’s athletic front seven did a decent job of limiting McCaffrey, but the Irish were punished by missed tackles, play action fakes, and an inability to get off the field on third down.

Kizer continued to generate big plays both on the ground and through the air to open the second half, but again the Irish had to kick a short field goal. Cajuste broke free yet again for a long catch on Stanford’s next drive to set up a Wright touchdown and 28-23 Stanford lead.

Once again, the Fighting Irish  got a key performance from a backup filling in for injury. Freshman running back Josh Adams, filling in for star C.J. Prosise, broke off a 62 yard touchdown run on Notre Dame’s next drive to give the Irish a 29-28 lead midway though the third, but Notre Dame missed a two point conversion that would come back to haunt it.

Hogan continued to exploit a Notre Dame defense that sold out to stop the run, tossing his fourth touchdown pass of the game on the first play of the fourth quarter for yet another lead change. The two teams were then able to finally get some defensive stops and traded punts until Notre Dame got the ball on its own 10 with just under seven minutes remaining.

Despite some great pass rush from Stanford, Kizer was able to march the Irish into Cardinal territory on a methodical drive with a chance to take a late lead. Adams converted a fourth and one on Stanford’s 10 yard line with under a minute left before Kizer punched it in on a bootleg to put Notre Dame up 36-35 with just 30 seconds left, although it appeared he was short on the replay.

That blown call would actually come back to haunt Notre Dame. Improbably, Hogan was still not done, hooking up with Cajuste and yet another long catch to give Stanford a chance at a 45 yard field goal. Conrad Urkopina drilled it right down the middle to give Stanford a 38-36 win in arguably the best game of the season.

While the Irish averaged nearly nine yards per play, four trips to the red zone resulting in only one touchdown and a failed two point conversion in the third quarter made the difference in the game. Hogan’s ultra-efficient performance allowed Stanford to play its patented keep-away style, as the Cardinal held the ball for nearly 36 minutes.

Kevin Hogan, QB, Stanford: Played the best game of his impressive career, completing 17 of 21 passes for 269 yards and four touchdowns.

Devon Cajuste, WR, Stanford: Caught five passes, one of which set up the game-winning field goal for 125 yards and a touchdown

DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame: Put up 234 passing yards and 128 rushing yards in losing effort, including leading an outstanding drive to give Notre Dame a late lead.

Highlights

— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) November 29, 2015

— John Quinn (@johnquinninq) November 29, 2015

"Hogan ➡️ Hooper for a TD CARD! Watch @StanfordFBall on FOX 🏈 https://t.co/3hDqcn3nji— Pac-12 Networks (@Pac12Networks) November 29, 2015"

Odds

Stanford entered as a four-point favorite and failed to cover. The two teams hit the over/under of 57 early in the fourth quarter.

Next Week

Stanford takes on USC in the Pac-12 title game with hopes of going to a New Years Six Bowl or even the College Football Playoff if there’s chaos elsewhere. Notre Dame’s regular season is done, but the Irish still figure to get a very good bowl.