Notre Dame Fighting Irish Slappy Awards: Best Team Performance

Notre Dame taking care of Stanford

There’s just something different about a rivalry game and that was no different in Notre Dame’s dominance of Stanford. The Irish showed tremendous togetherness in the Stanford game and the aura of what happened in Notre Dame Stadium on that early October night was difficult to miss.

This game was as well-rounded of a win as one could see. The stats show that:

Dexter Williams took his first carry of the season 43 yards for a score in the first quarter and finished the game carrying the ball 21 times for 161 yards.

In his first start at Notre Dame Stadium, Ian Book went 24-for-33 for 278 yards and 4 touchdowns. He did not throw an interception.

Miles Boykin was on the receiving end of many of those passes, catching 11 balls for 144 yards and a touchdown.

The Irish offense was as dominant as it was all season, but it didn’t stop on the offensive side of the ball:

Jerry Tillery dominated the Stanford offensive line on his way to 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles, while Te’Von Coney and Drue Tranquill quietly held Heisman hopeful Bryce Love in check.

Coney’s interception in the 4th quarter with the Irish leading 31-17 sealed the game for the Irish, but as if that wasn’t good enough, Chip Long dialed up a misdirection pass on Notre Dame’s next offensive possession that saw Ian Book hit Alize Mack for the easiest 35-yard touchdown pass one would ever see.

Making a quarterback change the week before at Wake Forest was easy. Stanford was the new Notre Dame’s first test and the Irish passed with flying colors.