Before looking ahead to Saturday's game at Notre Dame, let's take a brief look back at last season's thrilling come-from-behind win over the Fighting Irish. In the final home game of his brilliant career, Toby Gerhart delivered a compelling closing argument in his case for the Heisman.
The defining moment of the night came during Stanford's game-winning drive, when Gerhart, who finished with 205 yards rushing, ran over Notre Dame cornerback and would-be tackler Gary Gray. The punishing blow is the second most-viewed video on the Stanford Athletics YouTube channel, though the auto-tuned Andrew Luck press conference/touchdown run remix is quickly climbing the charts.
Gerhart capped the drive with his third rushing touchdown of the game. He also had an 18-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Whalen, who is unlikely to play on Saturday. Luck probably won't make a more convincing single-game Heisman pitch against Notre Dame than Gerhart did last season--it doesn't help that safety Jamoris Slaughter is returning to the lineup for the hosts--but it will take another good-to-great passing performance for Stanford to leave South Bend with a win for the first time since 1992. Predictions and a preview still to come.