Stanford Cardinal November 26th, 2011 3:00 CT, ABC at Stanford Stadium

Head Coach – David Shaw

Career Record – 10-1

• 10-1 in one season at Stanford (2011).

2010 Season (12-1)

Opponent	W/L	SC	OPP
Sacramento State	W	52	17
at UCLA	W	35	0
Wake Forest	W	68	24
at Notre Dame	W	37	14
at Oregon	L	31	52
USC	W	37	35
Washington State	W	38	28
at Washington	W	41	0
Arizona	W	42	17
at Arizona State	W	17	13
at California	W	48	14
Oregon State	W	38	0
ORANGE BOWL
Virginia Tech	W	40	12

 

SERIES FACTS

The Fighting Irish lead the series 17-8.

STRENGTHS

1. Gotta start at the top – Quarterback Andrew Luck is one of the best (if not the best) leaders in college football 2011. Luck has completed 241 passes out of 343 attempts. He has thrown 31 TD passes and 8 interceptions. He has completed 70.3 percent of his passes this season.
2. Offensive Powerhouse – Currently 9th in the NCAA Net Total Yardage Leaders. The Cardinal have amassed 5,342 yards – 3,109 passing yards and 2,333 rushing yards. They are ranked 24th in total passing yards. They are ranked 21st in total rushing yards.
3. Solid Defense – Stanford has only allowed more than 20 points in 4 games this season. Two of those games were to offensive juggernauts USC and Oregon. They are rated seventh overall with 33 sacks by their defense. Seven times they have held opponents to less than 2 TDs.

WEAKNESSES

1. Notre Dame November Factor – Shooting for straws here – as overall, Stanford has few weaknesses. Notre Dame under Brian Kelly in his second season is undefeated in games played in November. That being said, Stanford has decided advantages playing this game at home.
2. Slow Starter? – Stanford has only scored 72 points in the opening quarter of its eleven games so far. That is about 1/2 of what it averages per each of the other quarters of football. The Cardinal however, have only allowed 28 total points in the 1st quarter all year.
3. Emotional Strain – This is the fourth tough opponent in 5 games for Stanford. First it was USC, then a cakewalk with Oregon State, followed by the big match-up with Oregon, traditional foe the California Bears, and now Notre Dame. Is a let down over-due?

GAME ANALYSIS

Notre Dame will have its work cut out for them in this game. The Irish looked very lethargic last week against Boston College. Although this team is not the same team that hammered the Irish in South Bend last year, it is just as capable of hammering the Fighting Irish again this season. Which Notre Dame group will show up? The injury to Jonas Gray that ended his season last week means a weaker running attack. Will Cierre Wood pick up the slack? It is an opportunity for someone else to step up. However, in the short two seasons that I’ve observed Brian Kelly, I see something that I don’t like.

Coach Kelly sort of reminds me of Irish basketball coach Mike Brey. To me, Brey is sometimes his own worst enemy. They are both very stubborn. Overall, that is not necessarily bad. However, Brey only plays a select few, that takes its toll over the year and at seasons end. Will another running back be given a chance, or does it all fall on Cierre? At QB, I think Rees is the better choice over Crist. But Tommy has made key mistakes and hasn’t been benched. Year two, do you see progress yet?

PREDICTION

I don’t see Notre Dame winning this football game. For progress to show, Kelly’s team needs to make a game of this. It doesn’t necessarily have to win, but the game has to be competitive. If not, well year three better be a show stopper.

NOTRE DAME 21

STANFORD 32