Stanford tops Notre Dame 38-20 for third consecutive win over the Irish. The Washington Huskies also finished off the Washington State Huskies giving the Cardinal the invite to the Pac-12 Championship game. It was a great night for Stanford football.
Notre Dame and Stanford came into the game tonight with a bit of the luster gone. Notre Dame had struggled against Navy the prior week, and took a savage beating from the Miami Hurricanes the week before that. Neither team was realistically in the College Football Playoff conversation. Stanford, however, was in contention for a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game pending the outcome of the Apple Cup taking place at the same time.
Still, the quiet potential for another close game with an intense finish was there. In fact, the Irish and Cardinal often seem to find themselves in close games in recent years. Since 2007 the two have finished within one score eight times. The 2017 game figured to be another close one with Vegas and most prognosticators predicting another close game.
For the first three quarters it was a tight, back and forth game with both offenses slowly punching and counter punching their way to a Stanford halftime lead of 14-10. Notre Dame would win the third quarter to take a 20-17 lead headed into the final frame. In the fourth quarter, however, things came unglued for the Irish and Stanford ruthlessly capitalized.
In many ways this was a game of contradictions. Stanford with Bryce Love was known for having explosive offensive plays taking huge chunk yards or 50+ yard touchdown runs. The Irish would methodically pound the ball down the field with an aggressive rushing attack. Notre Dame had also established an identity as a team that both protected the football, forced turnovers, and capitalized on those turnovers.
Bryce love had a solid 31-yard run but otherwise was not particularly explosive. The two Notre Dame touchdowns though were. Notre Dame has been a run first team all year but had two huge touchdown passes one for 83 yards and another for 75. Outside of those two scores the Irish offense was anemic tonight. Notre Dame was nearing an average of 300 rushing yards per game. The Stanford offense held them comfortably under 200.
Notre Dame normally creates and capitalizes upon turnovers to great effect. Tonight in the fourth quarter, however, it was Stanford winning with takeaways. Stanford had just retaken the lead 24-20. On the first play of the next possession Brandon Wimbush threw an interception to Curtis Robinson. In three plays K.J. Costello extended the Stanford lead to 31-20. On the ensuing kickoff the Irish fumbled the return with Stanford recovering. It took four plays for Stanford to extend the lead to 38-20. The Irish feeling the urgency began to move the ball down the field until Frank Buncom intercepted Wimbush again, this time in the end zone. Buncom’s interception proved to be the final nail.
Stanford, once left for dead in the Pac-12 race now turns their attention toward winning the Pac-12 Championship with a rematch against the USC Trojans who dominated the Cardinal back in September.
Comments
So what do you say, Stanford?
Are the Huskies one step closer to paying off their debt to you?
I won’t forgive you if you don’t beat the god damn trojans.
By CreatureOfTheNight on 11.25.17 8:54pm
I will poke holes in every Trojan condom I see
for superstition’s sake for next Friday
By hpaskov on 11.25.17 8:58pm
thanks Huskies ... very impressive win
By SD2DS on 11.25.17 9:07pm
Did you ever doubt UW?
You knew they were gonna step up. Washington is a proud school, and we’ve got WSU beat in every way there is to dominate. We weren’t gonna let them win a title in front of our crowd.
By CreatureOfTheNight on 11.25.17 9:49pm
What is this debt you speak of?
And yes, thank you Huskies for blowing out Wazzu.
By StanfordAA99 on 11.25.17 9:09pm
Husky fans like me are forever in your debt for all that you did to stop Oregon from winning championships in the early 2010s.
2012, 2013, and 2015.
By CreatureOfTheNight on 11.25.17 9:47pm
Merci beaucoup!
Huskies probably get the Alamo now. We have to beat USC to get a really good bowl game. If we lose, it’s probably Holiday Bowl or worse.
By Jeff Tarnungus on 11.25.17 9:10pm
Both holiday or FF will want to scoop up that harbaugh vs shaw if we lose. But I'm more confident in the fiesta now with the momentum
By layman on 11.25.17 9:19pm
Isn't it weird how college football works that way?
That Washington does not play in the Pac-12 title game, but will still end up in a better bowl than the team that DID play in the conference championship and lose?
By CreatureOfTheNight on 11.25.17 9:51pm
Bowl assignments are at least partially dependent on name recognition and how well their fan base travels
Stanford fans don’t travel as well as some from big-time football schools (at least that’s the rep), so Stanford often ends up in the Sun Bowl or the Foster Farms if they don’t get Roses.
By g8tgod on 11.26.17 12:27am
0 debt. We won fair and square at home. It's Cal who we should be thanking
Cal played out of their brains to crush WSU early and that eventually made the tie-breakers work in our favor. With regards to UW and Stan, we won fair and square
By layman on 11.25.17 10:33pm
Well, I think CreatureOfTheNight is referring to their service in knocking off the Cougs
In 2013, Arizona did us a favor by knocking off Oregon in the final game of the regular season, which got us to the title game against Arizona State.
In 2014, we returned the favor by knocking off UCLA in the last game of the regular season, which got the Wildcats to the Pac-12 title game.
Of course, Cal also had a hand in our north division title by decimating the Cougs. And let’s not forget Arizona once again.
By Jeff Tarnungus on 11.26.17 1:45am
Eh if UW didn't win yesterday
We don’t win the North, regardless of what happened between Wazzu and Cal.
By Brendan Ross on 11.26.17 3:26am
Stanford stadium is where top-10 teams go to die!! Payback time for the trojans!!
I was there on the field!!! Wooohoohooooo!!!!!! Party on…. all night……. See you all at levi’s stadium in 6 days
By layman on 11.25.17 9:18pm
Imagine what KJ's...
..level might be now if he’d had a whole season.
Sweetness. The ND game is always a good’un…
By Plan Man on 11.25.17 9:27pm
KJC should have been the starter from day one
But he wasnt ready….he will finish this season then back to the bench. He will not start next year lol
By Slot_Man22 on 11.27.17 11:32am
"...he will finish this season then back to the bench..."
Okay, I give up. Why?
By Plan Man on 11.27.17 11:42am
Davis Mills
Although I doubt Shaw starts Mills beginning next year, KJ will have footsteps in his ears next Spring I think.
By Brendan Ross on 11.27.17 12:05pm
I can't see Mills...
…starting next year, short of torching KJ’s shorts in Spring. Shaw would have to see a night/day difference to pull a kid who basically kept us relevant this year.
By Plan Man on 11.27.17 5:55pm
Next Year will be different
This Spring KJ will get to do something he didn’t do last spring….compete for the starting job against Mills! It’s on and poppin!!
By Slot_Man22 on 11.29.17 10:31pm
KJ Beat Two Ranked Teams In A Row
With a hobbled Bryce Love lined up in the backfield. Something Chryst never did even with McCaffrey in the backfield. Costello will start next year………….but hopefully Mills will be brought along. I think the difference between this year and last year is that Costello has proven his worth against high level competition – something Chryst did not do last year or this year. Shaw was right to start the year with Chryst, but after an underwhelming Rice game and the USC loss, it was time for a change. Chryst had had enough starts to show his worth.
My sense is that Chryst is a graduate transfer somewhere and I wish him well.
By hoyaparanoia on 11.27.17 1:29pm
Maybe he will transfer to Wisconsin
and play for his uncle. That said, Burns leaves after this year. If Chryst also leaves, that means it’s up to Costello and Mills; and if one of those gets hurt, we are very thin at the QB position. But I think you’re right: he will transfer to a school where he can start immediately (which may not be Wisconsin, because they have Alex Hornibrook, who is a RS sophomore).
By Jeff Tarnungus on 11.27.17 2:21pm
Not nervous at all
My practice is to record the game, then tune in at the end of the first half. Most of the time, I’m quivering with fear and excitement as I watch the game unfold. Too often for getting into the CFP, my fear is realized. However, since the loss to WSU, there were no further degrees of freedom – it was win or die. Since then I have watched each game more or less in real time, without a qualm. I knew this team was tough as nails, and that KJ Costello was a very good QB, but the results would tell. Well, the results are in, we beat two Top Ten teams in succession, and we are Pac12 North champions. If we bet USC next Friday – huzzah. If we don’t – huzzah. The end of this season is a statement of resilience and tenacity and skill of the Stanford Cardinal, and I’m really proud of my team and their effort.
By jafco99 on 11.25.17 10:13pm
If Stanford beats USC, that will be an amazing turnaround
Then all we’ll need is a bowl game against WSU (the Holiday?) or SDSU to avenge one of the other losses!
Seriously, I’m already happy. But I’d love to see the Cardinal stick it to the Trojans.
By g8tgod on 11.26.17 12:43am
Revenge would be satisfying, but...
…part of the bowl selection process is aimed at avoiding rematches, generally.
It would do my soul good to see the Rubbers derailed and dissected next week. I mean, they’re from Ellay, to begin with, they have that guy in the skirt with the sword, they play that annoying fanfare thingy EVERY down and if they even sneeze they get ranked. Paint ’em Cardinal head to toe, says I…
By Plan Man on 11.26.17 6:51am