ISD Notebook: Stanford
ADAMS VERSUS LOVE: Heisman hopeful Bryce Love and Irish backfield workhorse Josh Adams headlined the highly anticipated rivalry coming into the contest, but from the start, it was clear that both defensive fronts were not going to make it easy for the star backs to pad their stats.
The duo combined for just 58 total yards (Adams 12-for-27 and Love 10-for-31) and it was through the air where both teams did most of their damage since all three first-half scores came through the air.
Coming out of the half despite not being 100 percent, Bryce Love showed why he is in the Heisman talk. Complementing Costello well by averaging over nine yards a carry in the second half, Love finished with 125 yards, highlighting his performance was when he got loose for a 31-yard dash down the right sideline to help set up the game-tying field goal early in the third quarter. Despite the rough first half, Love bounced back rushing 10 times for 94 yards.
A stout defensive front for Stanford made for a long night for Irish workhorse Josh Adams. Adams couldn’t get loose in the first half, and it was the same struggle for the junior standout in the second half. He finished with 49 total yards on 20 carries, and his best run was for a measly seven yards.
These two talented backs headlined the game, but during the showdown, the air assault took over the show.
AIR ATTACK: A game between Notre Dame and Stanford on paper looks to be a battle of the trenches and who can beat up whom, but while watching it was the complete opposite. In the first half, both quarterbacks threw for more than 120 yards each and three combined touchdowns (Brandon Wimbush 7-for-14 127 yards and one touchdown- KJ Costello 9-for-14 121 yards and two touchdowns).
This was not the way this game was supposed to go, but it sure was fun to watch. Coming out of the half it was clear both defenses were still going to pile the box and force both quarterbacks to make plays with their arms. First play from scrimmage in the second half, Wimbush bulleted a ball just behind the Stanford linebackers to a streaking Equanimeous St. Brown, and he did the rest taking it 75 yards for a score.
Wimbush showed signs of a great arm in this game, but it wasn’t consistent enough, and it showed in his final stats and in the final box score.
The Irish signal-caller ended the game 11-for 28 with 249 yards to go along with two scores and two interceptions. Inconsistency has been his worst nightmare all season throwing the ball, and it was tonight against Stanford.
“Yeah, I mean, he knows in those kinds of situations where he's working the ball into the short field that he's got a progression," said Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly. "He's got to take care of the football. He knows where he needs to be with the football in those situations,” expressed Kelly. “He'll bounce back. He is who he is. He wants to win as bad as anybody. He'll go back to work and work on his craft. He's our starting quarterback. He'll be starting in the bowl game.”
On the other side of the football, KJ Costello had a great night against a good Irish defense. Taking advantage of his size advantage matchups on the outside, Costello lit up the Irish secondary two consecutive scoring drives in the first half. Adding two more touchdowns to his stat line Costello finished 14-for-22 with 176 yards and four touchdowns. The yards don’t show the pose that he showed in the pocket and timing throws that he completed.
It was third down, and eight early in the fourth quarters and Costello hit his roommate Kaden Smith for a 19-yard strike to start the rally of 21 unanswered points that ultimately won the game for the Cardinals. This one passing touchdown was the story of the night for the Stanford signal-caller. His numbers were not off the charts especially in the yards category, but he made smart decisions with the football and put the ball on the money to his big target wideouts.
DON’T BLAME THE IRISH DEFENSE: Don’t get me wrong, Costello and Love may have had good games that helped the Cardinals win, but the Irish defense put up a fight and had a decent game in their regard.
First off, the Notre Dame defense had the tall task of stopping the electrifying Bryce Love who came into the contest averaging over nine yards a carry. They shut him down in the first half holding him to three yards a carry on 10 rushes, which forced Costello to make plays with his arm.
Since Costello was making plays with his arm and taking advantage of matchups on the outside, it opened up room for the Heisman hopeful in the second half. The Irish held Love to 6.3 yards a carry to end the game, so you can consider that a win for the defense.
Now that we talked about how the Irish defense held in check their tall task order let’s talk about how they forced three consecutive punts to start the game and how they controlled the trenches for much of the game, until they were left vulnerable when the Irish turned the ball over two consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter. To prove they controlled the trenches, they totaled nine tackles for loss as a team and recorded two sacks.
“We were tracking downhill, overloading gaps, really forcing them to do some things in the passing game,” expressed Kelly. “It was really to try to take away any continuity that they could get in the running game. I think at one time they might have been 0-6 or 7 in third-down conversions. We were doing a pretty good job of forcing them to throw the ball in third-down situations. Again, they made some plays.”
The defense isn’t to blame for this loss because they did their job, they gave the offense opportunities and chances to score. They could have forced a turnover or two to help the offense, but overall they got off the field to give the offense chances.
“Yeah, I don't think that was an issue tonight,” Kelly stated about the defense.
“We needed to make some plays on the ball in the air. I think if you were to, like, break down the defense, we've got to make some plays on the ball in the air, and we can't put the defense on the short field like we did twice.”
IRISH WR DUO BOTH GO OVER 100 YARDS: Coming off a week where he was a focal point in the Irish offense, it was interesting to see of Kevin Stepherson would have the same role against Stanford. From the start, it was clear he would be a key ingredient to the moving the ball against the Cardinals.
Early on to put the Irish on the board first Stepherson took a crossing route that was bulleted by Wimbush to the house for an 83-yard touchdown. Throughout the game, the young wide out was targeted nine times in the passing game and ran the ball once. Stepherson ended with three catches for 112 a touchdown and 10 yards rushing.
Over the course of the year Equanimeous St. Brown has always been the clear-cut number one receiver on the Irish team, but he has been up and down due to Wimbush’s inconsistency throwing the ball.
Tonight St. Brown got loose for a 75-yard touchdown to open the second half and put together one of his most productive games of the year. He caught five of his eight targets for 111 yards and a touchdown.
“Played well, both of them,” Kelly said about the duo. “Played fast. That's the way we've got to have them play. They're both guys that can be game changers.”
SPECIAL TEAMS WAS CRUCIAL: Late in the third Cardinal punter Jake Bailey who was excellent throughout sent a 53-yard punt down the field to Irish returner Chris Finke who returned it 41 yards until he was pushed out of bounds at the 19-yard line in Stanford territory. This ultimately set up the second of Justin Yoon’s (38, 38) field goals to give the Irish a 20-17 lead.
That was the bright spot for the Irish special teams, but a play later on in the fourth quarter when kicker returner CJ Sanders fumbled a kick return that helped complete the 21-point swing for the Cardinals. Unfortunately, this play outweighed the good the Irish did on special teams because it put the game out of reach a potential Notre Dame comeback.