Stanford vs Notre Dame: Highlights, score and recap

In a game that was as ugly as advertised, Stanford edged out Notre Dame 17-10 in what will surely be one of Brian Kelly’s last games as head coach.

It was hard to find a game in Week 7 as even on paper as Stanford vs. Notre Dame. At the start of the season, it looked like the winner of this game might go a long way towards solidifying their playoff resume. But after Notre Dame have stumbled to a 2-4 record while Stanford have fallen drastically after a 3-0 start, both teams came into tonight fighting for pride.

Prior to the Michigan State game, Notre Dame hadn’t lost at South Bend since 2014. They’ve already lost twice at home, but the atmosphere was still electric. And with Stanford missing Christian McCaffrey, it looked like Notre Dame had the advantage. However, the Cardinal’s first two drives consisted of a missed field goal and a fumble. They were lucky the Irish only got a touchdown out of that.

For as much as Notre Dame have struggled, firing Brian VanGorder did make a real difference. They shut out Stanford in the first half, taking their tally to six quarters without allowing an offensive touchdown.

And while that streak continued in the start of the second half, Stanford got a much-needed momentum swing when Quenton Meeks got a 51-yard pick six. DeShone Kizer’s second-half performance, meanwhile, resembled his game against NC State, as he threw picks on his first two drives. And just like with that game, Malik Zaire came into the game after that. Notre Dame didn’t fare much better with him, as his first three drives netted -9 yards.

The start of the fourth quarter made Stanford fans say “McCaffrey who?” His replacement, Bryce Love, was already up to 82 yards, and he got the go-ahead score –kind of– to give the Cardinal their first lead.

Notre Dame demonstrated they have no idea what they’re doing when they went back to Kizer on the next drive. He did well to engineer a late-game drive, but he couldn’t overcome the Cardinal defense.

Three Stars

Bryce Love, Stanford – It’s not easy to replace Christian McCaffrey, but Love did enough to win his team the game. He took on the workload, and had 129 yards on 23 carries, and while he didn’t officially get the go-ahead touchdown, it happened because of him.

Quenton Meeks, Stanford – His pick-six changed the whole game. After a sluggish first half, he got the Cardinal on the board, and as a result their offensive game picked up. Their defense played great too by shutting out the Irish in the second half.

Torii Hunter, Notre Dame – Not much went right for Notre Dame’s offense, but Hunter was their best pass-catcher. He came up with some clutch conversions, and could’ve done a lot more if he had some competent play at quarterback.

Highlights

"¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #NDonNBC https://t.co/qndRARzbP6— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) October 15, 2016"

".@DKizer_14 makes it 7-0 @NDFootball! #NDonNBC https://t.co/2CBnaATShP— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) October 16, 2016"

"Cover your eyes @NDFootball fans.. https://t.co/TKc6h2ue0O— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) October 16, 2016"

"Final Play – Notre Dame falls to Stanford 17-10. #NDonNBC #STANvsND https://t.co/7Rn1ay63m4— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) October 16, 2016"

Next Game

Notre Dame’s next contest comes against The U, once again on NBC. They have now lost three games at home, and will face a 16th-ranked team. Good luck getting the fans excited about this one.

Stanford, meanwhile, returns to Pac-12 play by hosting Colorado. While this win doesn’t impact their conference record, they should get back on track against the Buffaloes. It was hardly a great performance, but it should give them something to rally around.