Notre Dame will put their unbeaten 4-0 record on the line when they square off with the Stanford Cardinal this coming Saturday. The Fighting Irish have coasted through their first four games but will face their toughest test yet when they lock horns with the best defensive team in the country.
Read on for a complete preview of this game and while you’re at it, check out our preview of the Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State matchup.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Stanford Cardinal vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Preview
Where: Notre Dame Stadium, Indiana
When: Saturday, October 4, 2014, 3:30 PM ET
Line: Stanford Cardinal (-1.5) at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+1.5) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Stanford Cardinal
Stanford’s defense stood tallest when the team needed it most as the Cardinal escaped with a tight 20-13 victory over a gritty Washington Huskies team to improve their record to 3-1.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]The Cardinal produced a defensive performance for the ages as they limited the Huskies to just 179 total yards and a paltry 2.6 yards per play. Redshirt freshman Peter Kalambayi was the star of the show as he sacked Washington quarterback Cyler Miles three times as the Cardinal defense stepped up once again for their struggling offensive unit.
In fact, Miles was sacked a total of four times as the Huskies finished with just 98 passing yards, their lowest output in a game since 2010 when they managed to record just 88 passing yards against, of all teams, the Stanford Cardinal.
The Huskies’ offense was so ineffective that with the game tied at 13-13 in the fourth quarter, Washington coach Chris Petersen decided to resort to a fake punt in a fourth-and-9 situation which was easily smothered by the waiting Cardinal defense.
That defensive stop led to quarterback Kevin Hogan’s eventual game-winning five-yard TD run. Even in the win, however, head coach David Shaw wasn’t happy with his offense which has struggled mightily so far this season.
“When you look at us right now we’re a semi-efficient, sloppy offense and that’s not one thing we’ve ever been known for and it is one thing we better not be known from here on out this season,” Hogan said.
QB Kevin Hogan completed just 17 of 26 passes for 178 yards, a touchdown and one interception as the Cardinal compiled 364 yards in total offense last week. Through four games, they are averaging just 413 total yards per game. Currently, they are 81st in the country in scoring with the Cardinal averaging just 27.5 points per game.
And that’s before they played Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have been one of the best defenses so far this season, allowing just 11.5 points per game, good for fourth-best in the FBS. They are also 22nd in the nation in total defense with opponents averaging 356.6 yards per game against them.
One thing the Cardinal must address before the game against the Fighting Irish is their turnover numbers. In the game against the Huskies, they committed three turnovers to hike their tally to nine this season. It was the main reason why Washington were able to keep the game close even though Stanford had majority of the possession.
The Cardinal are 8-2 in their last 10 away games dating back to November 2012.
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Betting on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame continued its perfect start to the season on Saturday night as they outclassed the Syracuse Orangemen 31-15 to nab their fourth-straight win.
Quarterback Everett Golson was sensational as he completed 32 of 39 passes for a career-best 362 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. At one point, he completed 25-straight passes to set a new Notre Dame record for most consecutive passes completed.
Golson’s 14-1 career record (.933) is the best ever by a Notre Dame starting QB with a minimum of 15 starts edging past legend John Lujack’s .932 record (20-1-1) established back in 1943-47.
Golson will face his toughest yet, though, this coming Saturday when he faces the defensive machine that is the Stanford Cardinal. Through four games this season, the Cardinal have limited their opponents to just 6.5 points per game, which is the best mark in the FBS defensively this season.
For the Fighting Irish to stand a chance this coming weekend, wide receiver William Fuller must continue his fine play. Fuller caught six passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the win against Syracuse as he was the primary beneficiary of Golson’s fine play.
He will find it much more difficult against Stanford, however, as he will have to contend with the excellent Cardinal secondary which is allowing just 74 passing yards this season which is the best in the entire country.
If the passing lanes are clogged, the Fighting Irish’s running game must come to the fore. They are 74th in the FBS in the rushing yards department with a 158.0 average.
The Fighting Irish are 4-1 in their last five meetings with Stanford at Notre Dame Stadium.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cardinal (-1.5) put an end to Notre Dame’s perfect start.
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