Michael Clubb, USA TODAY Sports
Oct 10, 2026 6:28 PM
Updated Oct 10, 2026 6:30 PM
To secure the Legends Trophy, the Irish must leverage CJ Carr’s arm talent early and dominate the trenches to bury the Cardinal before halftime in South Bend.
Notre Dame will look for its 16th straight win today when it takes on the Stanford Cardinal (2-3) in a battle for the Legends Trophy. Notre Dame has won each of those games by double digits and they are big favorites over Stanford, with the current line showing the Irish as 39.5-point favorites.
In order to dominate the way it should the Irish offense needs to flourish in four key areas. They are our keys to victory on that side of the ball.
1. Start Fast - This is always key number one and its just as important against Stanford. Starting fast has been an issue against the Cardinal in recent seasons. The Irish jumped all over Stanford last season, but it was 7-7 at the end of the first quarter in the 2024 matchup, the Irish trailed 13-7 at the end of the first quarter in 2023 and we all remember the 2022 debacle where the Irish trailed 10-0 at halftime in what was arguably the worst loss of the Marcus Freeman era.
Notre Dame has been better in this area in 2026, and that must continue against the Cardinal. The Irish offense needs to put Stanford away early and then pile on the points. If Stanford is able to go into halftime in a competitive game all bets are off in the second half. But if the Irish can bury Stanford right away by getting off to a fast start it gives them a chance to have another blowout victory. Not only does that make a statement, it would also give the coaches the opportunity to rest more starters in the second half as the Irish look ahead to the BYU game next weekend.
2. Build Through CJ Carr - Notre Dame has averaged 495.5 yards per game, 7.0 yards per play and 43 points per game in its two most recent wins. The Irish also ran the ball much better, averaging 209 yards on the ground and 5.4 yards per carry in those victories, after averaging 130 yards and 3.6 yards per carry in the first three games. Ironically, the run game has produced better while building the offense through the arm talent of CJ Carr instead of trying to build around the run game. The reality is Carr is the offense's best player, and a case could be made the next 2-3 best skill players are wide receivers. Building around Carr means the offense runs through their best player.
Notre Dame came out aggressive with its pass game early against both Purdue and North Carolina, which softened up the defense, which created more room for the run game. Improved play from the offensive line played a big role as well, but this offense simply works better when it runs through Carr's arm talent and not just his mind. If the Irish do that again in this matchup it will likely result in Carr having a big game and the offense rolling.
3. Dominate at the Point of Attack - While Carr is the team's best player, this team is still going to go as far as the offensive line can take it. Last week's performance against North Carolina was outstanding, as the Irish were able to move the Tar Heel defenders off the ball and open up consistent run lanes. Even when UNC knew the Irish were going to run they couldn't stop them from gashing the defense. That must continue in this game against a Stanford defense that lacks the talent, and production, of the UNC defensive line. if Notre Dame has truly turned a corner with its offensive line this is a game where it should completely dominate.
Another big day from the offensive line should also spring running backs Jonaz Walton and Nolan James Jr. for big games yet again.
4. Play Good Situational Football - This is an intriguing part of this matchup. Notre Dame has been quite good on offense in many areas this season, but it's situational performance has been subpar. Notre Dame ranks just 77th on third-down conversion rate (40.4%) and it's just 37th in red zone touchdown rate (70.8%). These are two areas where Notre Dame must show dramatic improvement during the second half of the year. That makes Stanford the ideal opponent to get that going, as the Cardinal rank 134th in third-down defense (50.8%) and 136th in red zone touchdown defense (67.0%).
If Notre Dame is going to show improvement in these important areas it needs to start showing in this matchup.
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