No. 7 Stanford at No. 8 Notre Dame  

Notre Dame Stadium |7:30 p.m. ET | NBC

Game Week Articles | Roster| Depth Chart | Schedule | Staff Predictions | Visit List

Playing A Full 60-minute Football Hame Key For Notre Dame

Stanford won its third straight game against Notre Dame in last year’s matchup in Palo Alto 38-20 due to a fourth-quarter collapse. The Cardinals scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. With a 2-6 record head-to-head against their Pac-12 foe, Brian Kelly looks for his third win in his tenor with the Irish. However, Notre Dame leads the overall head-to-head series 19-13 dating back to January 1st, 1925.

The matchup to watch will be Notre Dame's front seven against Stanford’s senior running back Bryce Love. Love hasn’t been as electric as he was during his Heisman campaign last season, but he is still a threat to take over a game with his big play ability. Look for linebackers Te’von Coney and Drue Tranquill to be active and lead a dominant Notre Dame front seven if Notre Dame is going to continue their hot start to 2018.

On top of the front seven's importance of containing Love, the Irish secondary will have to be on their A-game covering Stanford's tall receiving core on the perimeter. KJ Costello, Stanford’s signal-caller has been effective in the passing game over the course of the first four weeks.

Notre Dame cornerbacks Julian Love (5-foot-11), Troy Pride Jr. (6-foot-0), and safeties Alohi Gilman (5-foot-11) and Jalen Elliott (6-foot-1) are undersized against Stanford’s wide-outs and tight end duo, JJ Arcega-Whiteside (6-foot-3), Donald Stewart (6-foot-3), Kaden Smith (6-foot-5) and Colby Parkinson (6-foot-7). Technique and attention to detail will be crucial for Notre Dame’s defensive backs if they want to be successful.

Offensively, for the Irish signal-caller Ian Book will look build off last week's performance against Wake Forest, Stanford will field a better defense then he saw last week. Book will have to continue to progress in the passing game getting the ball to tight end Alize Mack, and big wideouts Miles Boykin and Chase Claypool. 

Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame QB Ian Book:
Last week Book was great, but it came against one of the worst defenses in the country. If Book can keep things simple and make three plays downfield on Saturday, Notre Dame will be in great shape. 

Notre Dame RB Dexter Williams:
The Juice, Flex, Dex, or whatever you want to call him, No. 2 will be back on the field on Saturday night after missing the first four games. It comes at a perfect time as fellow running back Jafar Armstrong will miss the game. If Williams can break one big run, it could open many things up for the Irish offense.

Notre Dame Right Guard: 
Will be it Trevor Ruhland? Will it be Tommy Kraemer? Ruhland was a great option last week against a quicker defense, but Notre Dame brought Kraemer to Notre Dame to play in these games. If Kraemer can't go due to an ankle injury, Ruhland will get his second straight start. 

Stanford WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside:
This one is obvious, but Arcega-Whiteside against Julian Love will be must-watch TV. The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder leads Stanford in receiving with 17 catches for 408 yards and seven scores. Stanford will throw jump ball after jump ball, so it will be interesting to see if and when Clark Lea decides to double him with a safety. 

Stanford DB Alameen Murphy:
You will see him line up in a few spots, but nickel is his primary home. Murphy's 22 tackles and two interceptions look good through four games, but he is also the weak link in the Stanford defense. Notre Dame has a chance to pick on him quite a bit on Saturday, so it will be interesting to see who Chip Long puts in the slot to work against Murphy.

Quotes of the Week

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly on who will start at quarterback:
“We prepared both quarterbacks. They’re both ready to play. We think it’s in our best interest to have them both ready. They’ll be ready to play.” 

Notre Dame DE Khalid Kareem on Stanford's offensive line giving up just five sacks on the year:
“I’m aware. But I feel like this defensive line will definitely change that. We have to be stout up front. We have to be physical with their offensive line. They’re known for being physical, so we have to match that physicality and do our job.” 

Countdown to Kickoff

10 - Saturday’s game marked the most Irish receivers to notch at least one catch (10) in the same game since a 44-6 win over Army in 2016 (11).

9 - Julian Love leads all Notre Dame players with nine official pass breakups this season.

8 - Jafar Armstrong needed just eight carries to rush for a career-high 98 yards and two touchdowns at Wake Forest last Saturday.

7 - Notre Dame is one of only seven teams nationally that remains undefeated after week four that has exclusively played FBS competition.

6 - Tony Jones Jr. scored his sixth career rushing touchdown during the rout of Wake Forest in Winston-Salem.

5 - A win over Stanford would give Notre Dame not only possession of the Legends Trophy, but officially all five of the competitive trophies for the first time since 2012.

4 -  Notre Dame raced out to its fourth 4-0 start under head coach Brian Kelly with its 56-27 win at Wake Forest last Saturday.

3 - Nationally, Notre Dame, Alabama and Ohio State are the only FBS undefeateds to have won at least three games against Power Five competition (ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12) after four weeks.

2 - Jafar Armstrong notched his second multi-touchdown game of the season by scoring from one and 30 yards out against Wake Forest.

1 - Notre Dame has scored four different rushing touchdowns from one-yard out this season. Jafar Armstrong has two, while Tony Jones Jr. and Ian Book each have one.

0 - Notre Dame has not had an empty seat for a home game since 1973. The 265-game sellout streak is the second-longest in NCAA history.

Yoon Watch 

Justin Yoon (47 FGs) sits just 11 career field goals shy of breaking the program record of 57 set by Kyle Brindza in 2014.

Yoon is just 16 points shy (305) of breaking Allen Pinkett’s Notre Dame career record of 320 points set in 1985.

For Your Nerves