Irish offense must explode early and exploit Stanford's defense. QB CJ Carr is poised for a standout performance to finish the season strong.
Notre Dame has been dominant in November and the Irish offense has played a key role. While the unit has been quite good down the stretch there is room for it to play even better in the season finale against Stanford. If the Irish are going to earn the dominant, blowout victory it needs against Stanford, one that will impress the College Football Playoff committee, the Notre Dame offense will need to shine.
Here are the five keys to victory for the Notre Dame offense in this matchup against Stanford.
1. Start Fast - This is always a key but it's especially important against Stanford. Notre Dame has not left with a first quarter lead against Stanford since 2021, and that has to change this season. The playoff committee just doesn't look at box score, they watch film and dive into the data beyond the surface level we see from national analysts that like to weigh on and give bad takes .... I mean, takes on who should be in the playoffs. If Notre Dame is going to earn the kind of dominant victory it needs the offense needs to come out hot against Stanford and put this game away early.
Stanford has been a scrappy team in the first half of many games, including being tied with Miami at 7-7 at halftime. Notre Dame has taken a big lead into halftime of each of its last three games, including a 21-7 lead over Navy and 21-3 over Pittsburgh. The Irish will need even more dominance against Stanford, which means the offense needs to get into a groove right out of the gate.
2. Get CJ Carr Going Early - The Notre Dame run game has been on fire over the last month but the pass game has been up and down. Notre Dame ripped up Navy and Boston College, had an up-and-down performance against Pitt and it just never had a chance to get going against Syracuse when you consider the Irish were up 35-0 after just five offensive plays. This is a chance for the pass offense to not only play a key role in an Irish victory, but also to go into the period between the end of the regular season and the postseason with some momentum with the throwing game.
This is a big mismatch from a matchups standpoint and from an on paper standpoint. Notre Dame ranks 4th nationally in yards per pass attempt, 5th in passer rating and 10th in yards per completion. Stanford's defense ranks 102nd nationally in yards allowed per pass attempt, 79th in yards per pass completion and 109th in passer rating. Notre Dame also ranks 15th nationally in most 30-yard pass plays while Stanford ranks 113th in 30-yard pass plays allowed. This should be an opportunity for quarterback CJ Carr and the Irish pass game to end the season on a very high note. I just don't see how Stanford can matchup up with pass catchers Malachi Fields, Jordan Faison and Eli Raridon.
3. Use Your Speed - Stanford is an undersized defense but they are very well coached and they play very hard. Inside linebacker Matt Rose is one of the smartest, most productive linebackers the Irish will face this season. Stanford is going to come out swinging and they aren't going to back down from a fight with the Irish. Notre Dame can certainly overpower Stanford, and I expect it to do so, but where the Irish have the biggest advantage is with its speed. Whether it's running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price or the aforementioned pass catches, Notre Dame has a huge speed advantage over the Cardinal defense.
There are a number of ways the Irish can take advantage of this speed. Getting the athletes moving before the snap with motions to gain leverage advantages is one thing the Irish can do. Getting the ball to the playmakers in space - both run and pass - is key. Taking some deep shots in the throwing game is another area where Notre Dame can and must use its speed. Notre Dame should be able to gash Stanford, but it has to be willing to show some creativity on offense and be aggressive with the play-calling in order to take full advantage.
4. Red Zone Success - The one area where Stanford has an advantage from a statistical and execution standpoint is in the red zone. Notre Dame ranks 121st in the red zone after 11 games while the Stanford defense ranks 15th in red zone defense. The Irish are better with their red zone touchdown ranking, but even there they are 30th nationally while Stanford is 13th nationally. Notre Dame needs to show off its red zone improvement, if there has been some, in this matchup if they get the opportunity to do so. That means getting touchdowns every time the Irish get into the red zone.
5. Let Jeremiyah Love Do His Thing - Key number one for Notre Dame is winning this game in dominant fashion and coming out of the game healthy. But it wouldn't hurt to allow Love to have yet another dominant performance. Yes, it's a team game, but Love is up for three prestigious awards. He's a finalist for the Maxwell Award (nation's top player), the Doak Walker Award (top running back) and of course the Heisman Trophy. Another dominant performance by Love would obviously help the Irish earn the dominant victory they want and need, but it would also be a final statement for Love in those award chases.
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