The Notre Dame football team has one final game to prove it belongs in the College Football Playoffs. Likewise, running back Jeremiyah Love has one final game to make a push for a surprise Heisman victory. Unfortunately, while Stanford doesn't offer much of an obstacle for the Fighting Irish as a whole, there's reason to believe the Cardinal could roadblock Love's march to New York.
While the Irish are 32-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, there is something Stanford does as well as anyone in the country. The Cardinal have managed to put together a run defense that stands out, especially considering Frank Reich's team doesn't do much else all that well.
Stanford boasts a -0.07 EPA/Rush, which has them as the 23rd best in college football. They're allowing 113.1 yards per game on the ground, which has them officially 25th in the sport. That suggests that the long-time Notre Dame rival knows how to stop some of the best rushers in the country.
Why Stanford’s defense is the one thing that could slow Jeremiyah Love
Considering what a weapon Love has become, especially in the second half of the season, it's a safe bet that Stanford will turn most of its attention to the running back.
The good news for Notre Dame is that Stanford can stop the run, but it absolutely cannot stop the pass. The Cardinal have posted a 0.11 EPA/Pass on defense, ranking them at 95th. They're allowing 284.5 passing yards per game, which puts them one spot above dead last in all of college football. Only the North Carolina State Wolfpack is worse.
Offensively, Stanford is 116th in the country in success rate at 38.2%. That's compared to the Irish who are 36th in the country in offensive success rate at 44% and is even better (No. 12 in pass offense success rate) through the air.
There's no indication that Stanford can really give Notre Dame much of a challenge overall, even coming off their big win in the Big Game. However, Notre Dame might need to turn to throwing the ball in order to move up and down the field.