Why the Notre Dame football team will blow out Stanford in Week 7
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team takes on Stanford in Week 7, and here is why the Irish will come away with a blowout victory at home.
Fresh off a dominating victory against BYU their last time out, the Notre Dame football team will head home to take on the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday night. While the BYU game was technically a home game, the Irish played the Cougars inside Allegiant Stadium, and Saturday night will mark their first time back home since the Cal game.
In that game, Marcus Freeman got his first win as head coach of the Irish program, and it was really the jump-off point for Drew Pyne at quarterback. Since then, the Irish have gone back to being one of the premier teams in the country, and this will be another test for them inside Notre Dame Stadium.
However, on Saturday night, this game has the opportunity to be seriously one-sided.
Why the Notre Dame football team will blow out Stanford in Week 7
The fans
Notre Dame football is a national brand, and when they are home, the crowd really gets behind their team. The matchup against Stanford will be a sold-out crowd inside Notre Dame Stadium, and you have to think that is going to give the Irish a distinct advantage over the Cardinal.
Stanford is a major underdog in this one, and if the Irish can get out to a big lead early on, the crowd is going to be deafening. That is big trouble for a team that is struggling like Stanford is right now, and will be a deciding factor in the Irish not only winning, but winning big on Saturday night.
Dominating the line of scrimmage
Over the past few weeks, the Irish have gone back to doing what they do best, and that is controlling the line of scrimmage. The run game has returned, as the trio of Chris Tyree, Logan Diggs, and Audric Estime are finding easy running lanes behind an offensive line that is one of the best in the country.
On defense, the Irish are getting pressure up the middle, and on the edges, which will make life very difficult for star quarterback Tanner McKee. If the Irish can get pressure on him early and often on Saturday night, expect some big mistakes and forced balls downfield.
Teams trending in opposite directions
Football is a game of momentum, whether it is on the field or something that your program is going through. Right now, these are two programs that are going in opposite directions, and that is going to play into the Irish favor when they meet up in Week 7.
The truth is, the Irish are beaming with confidence right now, and I do not know any team that would want to face them when they are chewing up yards on the ground, and playing punishing defense. Stanford comes into this game after a shocking loss, so they will be fired up, but the Irish can take all of that passion away with a dominant effort early on.