Notre Dame wasted little time taking control against Stanford on Saturday, taking the ball away from the Cardinal on the first offensive play of the game, turning that into a touchdown and never allowing the visitors to get comfortable.
The Irish built a 37-point halftime lead and continued to pull away in the second half on their way to a 58-7 victory.
Notre Dame piled up 598 yards of offense, including 361 rushing yards, while limiting Stanford to 202 total yards and forcing three turnovers.
Jonaz Walton led the rushing attack with a Notre Dame freshman-record 181 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, breaking Josh Adams' previous mark of 168 yards. Walton's performance was highlighted by a 97-yard touchdown run on the opening play of the second quarter.
Nolan James Jr. added 73 yards and two touchdowns on 10 attempts, while quarterback CJ Carr completed 14 of 20 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
The Irish averaged 8.1 yards per play and converted eight of 12 third-down opportunities while holding Stanford to just two conversions in 11 attempts.
Notre Dame's defense set the tone before the offense had taken a snap.
On Stanford's opening play, Boubacar Traore sacked Davis Warren and forced a fumble that Jaiden Ausberry recovered at the Cardinal 18.
James gained three yards on the first play before Carr connected with Micah Gilbert for 10 yards to set up first-and-goal at the Stanford 5.
James finished the possession with a 2-yard touchdown run to give Notre Dame a 7-0 lead barely two minutes in.
After the Irish forced a three-and-out, their next possession stalled, but they put together a 12-play, 70-yard touchdown drive on their following series.
Aneyas Williams carried seven times during the possession, gaining 28 yards, while Carr converted third-and-four with a nine-yard scramble and found Jaden Greathouse for gains of 11 and 16 yards.
Carr capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown pass to Greathouse, extending Notre Dame's lead to 14-0 with 2:55 remaining in the opening quarter.
Stanford again failed to sustain a possession, and a punt pinned Notre Dame at its own 1-yard line late in the first quarter.
Carr gained two yards on the final play of the period before Walton took a handoff and broke free for a 97-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter.
The extra point was missed, leaving Notre Dame ahead 20-0.
Stanford's next possession ended with another turnover.
Traore intercepted Warren and returned the ball 18 yards to the Cardinal 19, setting up a 33-yard Spencer Porath field goal to give the Irish a 23-0 advantage.
Notre Dame's defense continued to keep Stanford from generating any offensive momentum, while the Irish capitalized on favorable field position.
Jordan Faison returned a punt 37 yards to the Stanford 39 midway through the second quarter. Two plays later James broke through for a 31-yard touchdown. That pushed the lead to 30-0 with 7:05 remaining in the half.
Notre Dame added another explosive touchdown on its next possession.
After Carr found Faison for 11 yards, he connected with Williams for a 70-yard touchdown pass down the left side.
The score extended the Irish lead to 37-0 with 3:26 remaining before halftime.
Stanford managed just 52 rushing yards and struggled to protect Warren or establish any consistent passing attack as Notre Dame took its commanding lead into the break.
The Irish extended their advantage in the third quarter.
James gained 26 yards on four carries during the possession, while Carr added a seven-yard scramble and a nine-yard keeper. Carr also found James Flanigan for three yards on third-and-two to keep the drive moving.
From the Stanford 30, Carr connected with Elijah Burress for a touchdown, pushing Notre Dame's lead to 44-0 with 4:37 remaining in the third quarter.
Stanford finally got on the scoreboard on its ensuing possession.
Warren found Caden High for a 52-yard gain to the Notre Dame 6. A roughing-the-passer penalty moved the ball to the 3, where Warren found Benji Blackburn for a touchdown.
The extra point cut Notre Dame's lead to 44-7 with 2:43 remaining in the third quarter.
With the outcome well in hand, Notre Dame turned to backup quarterback Noah Grubbs.
Grubbs completed passes of 14 yards to Jack Larsen and 16 yards to Walton as the Irish moved into Stanford territory. Walton gained eight yards on the first play of the fourth quarter to reach the Cardinal 30.
A holding penalty later pushed Notre Dame back to the 40, but Walton broke loose for another touchdown, this time from 40 yards out on second-and-20.
Micah Drescher added the extra point to make it 51-7 with 13:47 remaining.
After another Stanford punt, Notre Dame took over at its own 10 with 11:46 remaining and put together a 16-play, 90-yard touchdown drive that consumed 8:46.
Walton gained 20 yards on three carries early in the possession before Grubbs connected with Ian Premer for 14 yards. Kedren Young picked up a pair of first downs on the ground before Javian Osborne carried six consecutive times for 31 yards, finishing the possession with a three-yard touchdown run.
Drescher's extra point extended Notre Dame's lead to 58-7 with three minutes remaining.
Notre Dame’s Mark Zackery picked off Stanford quarterback Charlie Mirer on the Cardinal’s final possession.
Grubbs finished 5-of-7 passing for 56 yards, while Osborne added 31 rushing yards and a touchdown on six carries.
Greathouse finished with three receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown, while Williams and Burress also caught touchdown passes.
Notre Dame did not commit a turnover.
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