Notre Dame defensive lineman Josh Burnham returned after missing three games and has made an impact in the third quarter with an athletic interception.
Burnham wasn’t able to take it to the house — for a split-second it appeared he might have a pick-six — but he did kill a Stanford drive that seemed promising for the Cardinal after they were backed up against their own goal line.
It also gave the Fighting Irish a short field, making it easier for the offense to extend the lead.
Joshua Burnham DL of the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame football practice at the Irish Athletic Center on August 7, 2023.
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Notre Dame offensive lineman Pat Coogan made an athletic play to get a first down on what could’ve been a Stanford interception of a Riley Leonard pass.
Stanford Cardinal linebacker Gaethan Bernadel batted the pass up in the air and the ball found its way to Coogan who caught it and carried for the first down.
Usually offensive linemen have to report as eligible before catching a pass. In this case, an alert Coogan made sure the Irish retained the football — and got a key first down.
Sep 30, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Audric Estime (7) follows a block by offensive lineman Pat Coogan (78) against the Duke Blue Devils during the first quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
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Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard has run for one touchdown so far and thrown for another against the Stanford Cardinal in South Bend.
This time, Leonard faked a handoff to Jeremiyah Love on a run-pass option and then found Jayden Thomas for a 15-yard touchdown pass that capped off a 7-play, 52-yard drive that took 3:20 off the clock.
The Fighting Irish started the drive at midfield after Howard Cross sacked Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels on fourth-and-5.
Notre Dame now leads the Cardinal 14-7 early in the second quarter.
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard warms up before a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Stanford at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in South Bend.
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Notre Dame ties it, sighs of relief sound across South Bend.
Notre Dame once again got off to a rough start against an underdog opponent — this time the Stanford Cardinal.
A holding call against Anthonie Knapp and a sack allowed by Knapp stalled a promising first drive for the Fighting Irish. Then the Notre Dame defense struggled to stop Stanford and the Cardinal punched it in from the goal line.
The Irish answered by moving the ball downfield with a mix of runs and passes, though observers were wondering why Jadarian Price got all the carries and Jeremiyah Love wasn’t in the game. Love came in on the final play of the drive — but it was quarterback Riley Leonard taking the ball into the end zone on the ground to tie things up.
Once again, Leonard’s legs have capped off a Notre Dame drive with a touchdown.
Sep 21, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) runs for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Miami Redhawks at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
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Notre Dame is pretty healthy for the matchup with Stanford.
The injury report is out for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish against the Stanford Cardinal, and all but one of the players listed on the two-deep roster this week are available.
Junior defensive lineman Jason Onye is out for personal reasons.
While it’s good news to see the Irish have a relatively clean bill of health going into the game against Stanford, the defensive line is already depleted with the losses of Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore for the year.
Even though Notre Dame is expected to beat Stanford, the Irish can use all the help they can get on the defensive line.
Sep 28, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish long snapper Rino Monteforte (39) prepares to snap the ball on an extra point in the fourth quarter against the Louisville Cardinals at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
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College Football News runs a College Football Playoff prediction each week, and thanks in part to Notre Dame’s win over Louisville, along with a wild weekend of upsets during the Fighting Irish’s bye, Notre Dame is projected to be back in.
CFN has the Irish hosting Boise State in South Bend on December 21. Not only that, but the outlet has Notre Dame beating Boise State before playing Utah in the next round. It projects Notre Dame to win that game, too, before losing to Ohio State one round short of the national championship game.
Other outlets, including USA Today, also have the Irish in the playoffs, though some as a lower seed that will have to play on the road. And a few outlets still think the Irish are destined for the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Still, at least outlet thinks the Irish are capable of a deep playoff run. That seemed unthinkable after the loss to Northern Illinois.
What a difference a few weeks makes.
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – SEPTEMBER 28: Beaux Collins #5 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in action against Tahveon Nicholson #23 of the Louisville Cardinals during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium on September 28, 2024 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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Riley Leonard could be comeback player of the year.
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard is on the October watch list for College Football Comeback Player of the Year.
This follows Leonard’s decision to transfer from Duke to Notre Dame in 2023. Leonard suffered a season-ending ankle injury on his final play against the Fighting Irish in Notre Dame’s 21-14 road victory over the Blue Devils.
Cynical Notre Dame fans might also say it applies to Leonard’s 2024 season — Leonard struggled in the passing game early but has looked better in the two most recent games.
We’re betting he’s on the list because of the injury and only because of the injury, but given his early struggles, we understand where Irish fans are coming from.
Regardless, Leonard has a shot at the award if he continues to play well over the remainder of the season.
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard (13) takes his helmet off as he walks off the field at the end of a drive during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Louisville at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in South Bend.
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Two former Notre Dame tight ends faced off in Chicago Sunday.
Notre Dame fans who also follow the NFL may have taken an interest in Sunday’s game between the Carolina Panthers and the Chicago Bears at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
That’s because Bears tight end Cole Kmet was playing against ex-teammate Tommy Tremble, who is now a Panther. Both played tight end at Notre Dame and both saw action during the same season in 2019.
If Fighting Irish fans were hoping to see the two former teammates out-dueling one another, that didn’t happen. Tremble left the game with an apparent concussion after being targeted just twice. He caught one pass for 7 yards, and he fumbled the ball after that reception. It was the same play in which the concussion appeared to happen.
Sep 25, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble (82) during warm ups at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Kmet, meanwhile, was quiet early but eventually he was targeted four times, catching three of those passes for 57 yards, with a long of 26.
Even if the matchup was quiet, it’s a reminder of how many tight ends Notre Dame has sent to the NFL in recent years.
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Notre Dame didn’t benefit much from upsets, at least not in the experts’ eyes.
One might think that with Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, USC and Michigan losing all on the same Saturday, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish might get a bit more love from pundits even though the Irish were idle.
That’s not quite how things have shaken out, despite Notre Dame moving up in the AP Top 25 poll.
Joel Klatt does give the Irish the “almost” treatment, but he still leaves them outside his Top 10. Danny Kannell still has Notre Dame outside of his Top 12.
Klatt goes Texas, Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon and Penn State with his top five. Kannell has his top five as Texas, Ohio State, Miami, Oregon and Penn State.
Perhaps the Irish would’ve been placed higher on these folks’ lists if they’d played and won on Saturday. Either way, the rash of upsets is probably good news for Notre Dame — assuming the Irish don’t fall victim to another upset of their own.
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Notre Dame moves up three spots without even playing.
Even though the Notre Dame Fighting Irish had the week off, they gained three spots in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, moving up to No. 11.
A slew of upsets on Saturday caused a lot of movement on the poll. The Alabama Crimson Tide dropped from No. 1 to No. 7 after being upset by Vanderbilt. Not to be outdone, Tennessee lost late to Arkansas and fell four spots to No. 8.
Missouri plummeted 12 spots to No. 21 after losing to Texas A&M, which jumped from No. 25 to No. 15. Defending national champion Michigan slipped 14 spots to No. 24 after falling to Washington in a title-game rematch.
POLL ALERT: Texas returns to No. 1 in AP Top 25 college football poll after Vanderbilt upsets Alabama, Tide drop from No. 1 to No. 7
Schools that moved up included Texas, which went from No. 2 to No. 1, and Ohio State. The Buckeyes moved up from No. 3 to No. 2. The Nittany Lions of Penn State jumped three spots to No. 4 and the Oregon Ducks also moved up three spots — they now sit at No. 3. Georgia remains in No. 5.
Miami hung on to beat Cal and moved up two spots to No. 6. With Alabama at No. 7 and Tennessee at No. 7, the top 10 gets rounded out by Ole Miss moving up three spots and Clemson shooting up five spots to No. 10.
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