Notre Dame Football Prediction: Irish vs. Cardinal
By Andrew Hall
The Notre Dame football team takes on the Stanford Cardinal in Palo Alto at 8:00 pm tonight. Since 2007, the Irish have not beaten Stanford at “The Farm.” Tonight, Notre Dame will look to end their losing streak.
Notre Dame Offense vs. Stanford Defense
Despite giving up a lot yardage, the Stanford defense ranks 26th in the country in points allowed. The Cardinal are allowing 20.7 points per game.
Stanford is giving up a lot of yardage on the ground. The Cardinal rank 72nd in the nation in rushing defense. They are yielding 171.73 yards per contest.
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If Notre Dame can neutralize Defensive Tackle Harrison Phillips, they should be able to run the football very effectively against the Cardinal. Offensive Guard Quenton Nelson will factor into taking Phillips out of the game.
The Cardinal rank 57th in the country in passing defense. They are giving up 216.3 yards per contest. With an effective Brandon Wimbush, Notre Dame should be able to take advantage. But, as fans have seen over the past few weeks, this is a big assumption that Wimbush can play a clean game.
Notre Dame Defense vs Stanford Offense
A lot of tonight depends on whether or not Heisman candidate Bryce Love plays against the Irish. Head Coach David Shaw claims that Love will be good to go. However, how effective will he be with an injury?
If Love does not play, this does not mean the Cardinal will be ineffective. Cameron Scarlett and KJ Costello are more than capable of playing well for the Cardinal.
Bottom Line
On paper, this looks like an Irish victory. However, historically, Brian Kelly cannot beat David Shaw. He has never beaten the Cardinal in Palo Alto.
Brandon Wimbush is the X-factor. Can Wimbush play a clean game and not turn the ball over? Further, can he be relatively accurate? This does not mean hitting a 50-yard bomb. It simply means completing a 5-yard pass to a wide open Alize Mack.
Notre Dame picks up their 10th victory tonight against a Stanford who is scoreboard watching to see if they will play in the Pac 12 championship.