Notre Dame's offense has put together solid performances through the first five games of the season. There's areas they can continue to improve and will continue to improve as the season progresses. Tomorrow, they take on the Stanford Cardinal who have a reeling defense and are coming off of a massive 57-3 loss to Wake Forest. This is a prime opportunity for the Fighting Irish offense to build some series momentum as the prepare for the bulk of their regular season schedule. Here are the three biggest storylines, two crucial battles and one player to watch in tomorrow's battle for the Legend's Trophy. 

CJ Carr Is On A Roll 

Junior quarterback CJ Carr is the first Notre Dame quarterback in 30 years to throw for at least three touchdowns and rush for an additional score in back to back games. The Saline, Michigan native is on an absolute tear right now and is showing no signs of slowing down against a reeling Cardinal defense. Stanford ranks 137th in the country in passing yards allowed per game (299.8) and 129th in the country in passing touchdowns allowed (12). Carr has yet to put up a 300-yard performance and I have a strong feeling that streak comes to an end Saturday afternoon. 

Will The Run Game Take Another Step? 

Against Purdue, the Notre Dame run game showed some much-needed signs of life. Last week against North Carolina, the Irish ground attack finally arrived for the 2026 season. They had season highs in rushing yards (241) and attempts (45). This weekend, they're going against a Stanford rush defense that could be without their best player, linebacker Matt Rose, and even with Rose, they still rank 110th in the country in yards per carry allowed and 134th in the country in rushing touchdowns allowed. This could be another strong performance by the Notre Dame rushing attack. 

The Final Tune-Up Before BYU

Notre Dame's offense has faced some quality defenses in their first five games of the season and a strong argument could be made that Stanford's might be the worst of the P4 bunch. But this is their final tune-up before traveling out to Provo, Utah to take on a BYU defense that currently ranks 17th in the country in points per game allowed, 21st in the country in yards per game allowed and have only given up seven touchdowns all season through four games. The Fighting Irish offense and coordinator Mike Denbrock will looks to put Stanford away early and work out some kinks before their biggest test of the season. 

Will Black vs Omar Staples

Sophomore left tackle Will Black has put together a solid season up to this point and continues to get better with each passing start. Now, the 6-7, 316-pound tackle is headed into his sixth career start and will be going up against Stanford's most productive edge rusher this season, defensive end Omar Staples who currently leads the team in total pressures and hits plus sacks on the quarterback. Staples is a 6-3, 270-pound player that has shown the ability to get after the quarterback. Is this a matchup that Black should win? Absolutely, but he's still a young player and will have to keep Carr's jersey clean on his blindside tomorrow afternoon. 

Jaden Greathouse vs Darrius Davis

We've established that Stanford's pass defense has struggled mightily this season. Slot defensive back Darrius Davis has also had a rough season up to this point. Through five games, the 6-0, 200-pound defensive back has allowed an 80% reception rate when targeted, 237 receiving yards and one touchdown. Meanwhile, Notre Dame slot receiver Jaden Greathouse is starting to heat up. This past weekend, he caught his first touchdown pass since the national title game against Ohio State and I believe he's going to continue getting work down in the red zone. We've seen Jordan Faison and Micah Gilbert get going. Now, it's Greathouse's opportunity to flip the switch.  

Notre Dame's rushing attack came alive against the Tar Heels. One of the driving factors of that was freshman ball carrier Jonaz Walton. The 5-9, 200-pound Georgia native led the team in rushing yards with 120 against a gritty North Carolina defense. Over the past few weeks, Walton has shown that he can make a strong impact during meaningful moments on Saturdays. Stanford's rush defense is one of the worst in the country. Be on the lookout for Walton to put together another eye-popping performance in the battle for the Legend's Trophy. 

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