SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Riley Leonard threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead No. 11 Notre Dame to a 49-7 victory against Stanford on Saturday.
Notre Dame (5-1) shut down Stanford’s offense, posting eight tackles for a loss and four quarterback sacks and forcing a fumble. The Fighting Irish also stopped Stanford three times on fourth-down attempts.
“I challenged those two seniors, Rylie (Mills) and Howard (Cross III),” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said after his team’s lackluster start. “I wanted them to be great because they’re great football players, and those two specifically stood out to me just on the field. They dominated the game. Those two big guys, we needed them to be dominant, and they played dominant.”
The game was stopped at the end of the third quarter because of lighting in the area, with Notre Dame ahead 42-7. Play resumed after a delay of about an hour.
Steve Angeli replaced Leonard at quarterback when play resumed.
Stanford (2-4), which was making its third trip to the Eastern time zone in four weeks, scored first. The Cardinal drove 63 yards on their first possession and took a lead when quarterback Justin Lamson scored on a 1-yard run.
That advantage didn’t last long. Leonard and Notre Dame responded with a 75-yard drive. Leonard scored on a 6-yard run to even the score.
Notre Dame built a 21-7 lead by halftime, cashing in on two failed fourth-down attempts by Stanford. Jayden Thomas grabbed a 15-yard toss from Leonard for one score, and Kris Mitchell caught a 5-yard touchdown pass.
Launching a passing attack was the focal point of the game plan, Leonard said.
“You trust the coaches,” said Leonard, who was 16-of-22 passing for 229 yards and rushed six times for 31 yards. “They wanted to throw the ball around. Obviously, we were getting good looks for that. We kind of knew that all week. So, yeah, it’s a great feeling to hear that, because you’re able to spread the ball to the guys who deserve it the most.”
Leonard said he was ready to launch a passing attack after a week off.
“I just began to have this carefree mindset of, I’ve only got one opportunity at this, so we’re going to let the ball fly around and not worry too much,” Leonard said.
Notre Dame’s defense set up the next touchdown, putting the Fighting Irish firmly in command at 28-7. Defensive end Joshua Burnham deflected a pitch from Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels and hauled it in before rumbling 15 yards to the Cardinal 17. Two plays later, Jadarian Price raced 16 yards for a touchdown.
“From the second series on, man, they played lights out,” Freeman said. “We really did a great job taking care of the ball. Defensively, they really stepped up and made good plays.”
Ashton Daniels went 8-for-13 for 74 yards and rushed 14 times for 42 yards. Lamson was 2-for-4 for 13 yards. Chris David Jr. carried 10 times for 45 yards.
“They outplayed us in all three phases,” Stanford coach Troy Taylor said of Notre Dame. “Offensively, we didn’t sustain blocks. Their block destruction was impressive.
“We’ve got a long season ahead of us and lots of opportunities,” Taylor said. “This one hurts, obviously. We’ll bounce back and be ready to play next weekend.”
The takeaway
Notre Dame: The Irish flexed their muscles offensively and defensively and put themselves in prime position to finish the regular season strong and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Stanford: After an impressive scoring drive on its first possession, the Cardinal struggled offensively. In its last three games, Stanford has scored four touchdowns.
Up next
Notre Dame: Travels to Georgia Tech on Saturday.
Stanford: Plays host to SMU on Saturday.
Originally Published:
