Throwback Thursday: ND v. Stanford

Irish Creed throws it back to the days of yore

by giving you a sample from the behind-the-scenes book

Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun

This week's throwback comes from Chapter 5: Week 12, which recalls the Battle for the Legends Trophy between Notre Dame and Stanford in Palo Alto, CA:

Exclusive Excerpt from "Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun"

...The cheerleaders and I boarded our chartered flight to San Francisco on Thanksgiving morning, arriving to the most gratifyingly extravagant feast I had ever laid eyes on.  Notre Dame really outdid itself with the unlimited helpings of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy of all kinds, Alaskan king crab legs, jumbo shrimp, lobster tails, and oceans of cranberry sauce they laid out on our tables.  We stacked plate upon plate until we could stack no more.  Then we spent the next two days digesting our meals while enjoying everything the beautiful City by the Bay had to offer.  The girls made me take photos of them stunting in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, on the notorious prison island of Alcatraz, and even while holding bowls of clam chowder at Fisherman's Wharf.  Finally relieved of my duties as they cameraman, I enjoyed returning to my usual emcee role at the pep rally put on by the Notre Dame Club of San Francisco.  The always-warm Northern California members of our Notre Dame Family welcomed us with open arms and mellow vibes that almost made me want to put a flower in my hair.

...Game day began when we snuck out of the hotel after our midnight curfew to cause mayhem on Stanford's campus.  We didn't mean any real harm, and we would certainly never do anything to deface such a beautiful place, but we did leave our mark by quoting The Little Rascals on every chalkboard we could find: 

Dear Stanford Nerds,

We hate your stinking guts.  You make us vomit.  You're the scum between our toes.

Love, Notre Dame

I had never seen a football field surrounded by palm trees before, but it made sense when I finally came across the most ridiculously absurd mascot of all time.  Stanford's Tree looked like a homemade prop from a high school musical, and he acted accordingly.  Too many alcohol-related offenses committed by inebriated Trees over the years forced Stanford to adopt a new rule requiring all mascots to pass a Breathalyzer test prior to entering their stadium.  Good thing I left my Jameson at home.  Double zeros gave me the green light to leave it all on the field one last time...

Game Day Pics: TIMBER! (Stanford @ Notre Dame)

After each home game, check with Irish Creed as TheNDleprechaun brings you a series of pics from the weekend.  You can also view the pics as they are taken by following on Instagram: "theleprecon" or on Twitter "@TheNDleprechaun"

Fightin' Words: GO IRISH! SMOKE TREES!

Fightin' Word(s): 

“Irrelevant”

By employing such buffoons as Mark May and Rick Reilly, ESPN can usually be counted on to supply more than its fair share of Notre Dame bashing (possibly out of jealousy due to our exclusive licensing with NBC).  Prior to this season, the aforementioned buffoon Mr. Reilly published a "story" (if it can even be called that) pleading with the college football world to end all praise for Notre Dame.  Well, good ol' slick Rick could not have crammed his foot any harder into his own mouth if he tried...  

The Fightin' Irish stand at #7 with a 5-0 record, and even ESPN found room on Brian Kelly's bandwagon when they announced the arrival of College GameDay to campus.  To add insult to injury, the below graphic proves poor little Ricky wrong in every way possible (Networks and their ratings don't lie).

On a weekend during which the national spotlight will shine brightly on Our Lady atop the Golden Dome and her Loyal Sons, the Fightin' Irish Faithful have an unprecedented opportunity to prove once and for all that Notre Dame is far from irrelevant.  That's right, NOTRE DAME IS BACK!  ... and the best part is, we're doing it the right way.  

What does all this mean for the average fan?  Let's not let this moment pass us by.  Let's wear our Fightin' Irish pride on our sleeves with dignity, poise, and fervor.  Let's accept our praise humbly with the class and gratitude of true champions, and let's show the nation just how powerful the Notre Dame Spirit can be.  

Score Prediction:

Fightin' Irish: 34

Fire Wood: 20

Guest Preview: Notre Dame @ Stanford

In this week's special Thanksgiving Guest Preview, Irish Creed writer IrishGirl10 breaks down the matchup between #6 Stanford and 

#22 Notre Dame:

IrishGirl10's Game Preview:

In the words of quarterback Tommy Rees, last Saturday’s win over the Eagles of Boston College “wasn't pretty, it wasn't at times the most successful offense we have had, obviously, but anytime you can get a win this late in November you'll take it.”  Considering I would like to forget everything that happened after that beautiful 80-yard opening drive, capped off with a 26-yard scoring rush by Jonas Gray, I will wholeheartedly agree with him and move on.  And thus, with the defeat of BC officially in the books, these Irish eyes will turn to the last game of the season and, undoubtedly, the toughest one yet: Stanford.

Going into Saturday, the Cardinal will hold a #6 BCS ranking and a 10-1 record – their only loss at the hands of Oregon.  Notre Dame is sitting at #22 and 8-3.  The Irish have played 3 ranked teams this year.  Though they pulled out a win over Michigan State (#14), they had devastating losses to Michigan (#15) and USC (BCS ineligible, but currently #10 by AP).   Arguably USC is the best team the Irish have faced this season, and they walked away with a loss.  Stanford, on the other hand, brought the Trojans to triple-overtime and managed to scrape out a win.   However, there is more to this upcoming face-off than rankings and records – let’s break it down:

Offense:

For Stanford, this can be summed up in two words: Andrew Luck.  Back for another season after rumors of a move to the NFL, Luck dominates every field he steps onto – boasting 2,937 yards and 31 touchdowns thus far this year.  Although his Heisman candidacy has recently found itself on unsteady ground, there are many who believe he’s a shoe-in for the award; not to mention he’s already been flagged as the likely first overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft.  Luck may be known for his arm, but Stanford’s rushing attack is equally potent – bolstered by a strong offensive line featuring left tackle Jonathan Martin and right guard David DeCastro.  This all amounts to an offense that has scored at least 30 points in each game this year – topping out at 65.  Notre Dame’s offense, conversely, has struggled to find consistency (apart from its turnovers).  In terms of passing, quarterback Tommy Rees has some phenomenal options: Tyler Eifert, TJ Jones, Theo Riddick (in question due to a hamstring injury), Robby Toma, and, of course, Michael Floyd.  Lots of options, however, have often resulted in lots of interceptions – especially when the ball is forced to Michael Floyd, who is rarely, if ever, found in single coverage.  The running game, initially a victim of turnovers this season, has come to find steady success in the hands of Jonas Gray and Cierre Wood.  Unfortunately for the Irish, Gray is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL last week against Boston College, which effectively halves the rush options and shifts a greater share of the scoring burden onto a rocky pass game.

Advantage: Stanford.

Defense:

Among the better offensive teams they’ve seen this season, the Stanford defense has given up an average of 40 points (ND’s offense averages 32).  They have also been known to struggle significantly against the pass - ranking #78 overall in yards allowed per game and tallying only 4 interceptions, both of which will come in handy should the Irish find themselves unable to fill the shoes of Jonas Gray.  Their star linebacker Shane Skov (Freshman All-American 2009) is out with an injury, leaving the Cardinal with lineman and 5th year senior Matthew Masifilio as the lone returning starter.  Overall, the Cardinal defense is nowhere near the level of its stellar offense.  In a stark contrast, the effort of the Irish defense has often directly carried its team to a win – especially when the offense has struggled to put points on the board.  They have allowed an average of only 20 points per game this season and in their last four games they’ve managed to keep three of their opponents under this mark.  They are in the top thirty for both scoring defense and total defense and have a total of 7 interceptions for 152 yards.  Led by Manti Te’o and team captain Harrison Smith, the Irish defense is not to be taken lightly.

Advantage: Notre Dame

With a BCS Berth, Pac-12 Championship, and potential Heisman Trophy on the line, Andrew Luck and the Cardinal won’t go down easy.  They are an elite team and on a level above any of the opponents the Irish have faced thus far.  In the past two seasons, however, the Irish have caused Luck to experience his lowest passer rating (119.7), been one of only two teams to force more than 1 interception, and held Luck to under 60% completion.  In sum, Saturday is going to be a battle determined by Cardinal offense and Irish defense.  With an inspired offensive performance and consistent defense, Notre Dame has the potential to squash Cardinal dreams and regain the respect and reputation it deserves as a program.

Fightin' Irish seniors must rise above
 in their last regular season game.

TheNDleprechaun's Score Prediction:  

While Andrew Luck is undoubtedly the best all-around player the Fightin' Irish will have faced thus far, it will take more than one player to beat the Boys in Blue & Gold.  If the beasts along Diaco's defensive front can control the line of scrimmage and shut down the Cardinal running game, then we just may have a chance to throw Luck off his game with a fierce pass rush on 3rd and long situations.  Fittingly, the contest should come down to whether our three leaders (Smith, Te'o, Floyd) can rise above the rest in what will probably be the last regular season game any of them ever play for Notre Dame.  If Smith and Te'o can neutralize Luck, and Floyd can take control of the game every time he steps on the field similar to the way Golden Tate did last time Notre Dame played at Stanford, we just may be able to keep Kelly unbeaten in the month of November.

In the end, Luck's Cardinal falls prey to the Luck of the Irish: 34-30.

Hopefully the Leprechaun can pump out 34 handstand pushups this year.

Big Picture After 1-3: Growing Pains

In his post game press conference after our Week 4 loss to Stanford, Coach Kelly emphasized moving forward and continuing development.  He assured us that his players have taken ownership of this team and that everyone wants to be remembered as part of the process that will bring Notre Dame Football “back to where it needs to be.”

Kelly and his lads are working
to bring toughness back to the Fighting Irish

After 4 weeks that included 2 heartbreaking losses followed by 4 hours of frustration inside ND Stadium two days ago, it seems as though we are still a team without an identity.  The most recent chapter of the 2010 campaign saw us get outplayed by a clearly superior opponent.  There is no question that we are not on the same level as the teams with numbers listed next to their names.  So, where is our season headed?  What does the 1-3 start really mean?  How does it help us see the big picture?

It’s tough to tell.  It’s painful for all of us who want to see these players and coaches find a way to bring glory back to our program and hope back to our campus.  Prior to this season, Coach Kelly claimed that he needed to have a “5 minute plan” rather than a “5 year plan” at Notre Dame because he is expected to win right away.   His language provided a great upstart motivational soundbyte at the time, but as I look back on it now, I disagree with the “5 minute plan” metaphor.  Building a winning program takes longer than 5 minutes… I’m not saying it has to take 5 years (and I hope it doesn’t since I will only be a student for 2 more seasons after this one) but it is simply irrational for us to expect immediate success in the wake of sweeping changes.  It will take some time to instill the culture, the discipline, and the overall toughness that Kelly wants to bring back to Notre Dame.  Many changes must take place before we can see ourselves making strides back towards the top of college football, and those changes will take time.


Looking at our first 4 games from this perspective leads me to believe that our rough start can be summed up in two words: “growing pains.”  As Coach Kelly has pointed out, we have already played 4 very physical teams.  In the process, hopefully we have learned what kind of toughness it takes to win week in and week out against quality opponents.  Hopefully we have ultimately taken a step forward by taking three steps back…


It is now clear that the 2010 Fighting Irish will not be remembered as an elite team.  Even so, they still have a chance to be remembered as a team that sparked the revival of Notre Dame Football.  Sure, it will be painful along the way… but since when does anything worthwhile ever come easily?  As our coaches and players get knocked down and kicked in the face, they learn what it will take to pick themselves back up, strap their golden helmets back on, wipe the blood from their mouths, the mud from their faces, bear down, and earn it.  Step by step, this team can begin to realign the words "Fighting Irish" with the images of mental and physical toughness they once inspired.  It has been a painful start to a long process, but I do believe that tremendous changes have begun to take shape.  Dedication, discipline, and steadfast resolve are now the keys to bringing Notre Dame “back to where it needs to be.”


My advice to the Fighting Irish Faithful is this:  Don’t hang your head on Coach Kelly.  As painful as it is, try to be patient.  Try to look at the big picture and take this season for what it is, a starting point.  Try not to lose hope.  Try to keep the faith. It may not be easy, but the pain will make it that much sweeter when we do finally return to glory.  For now, it seems as though it’s going to take slightly longer than 5 minutes.  Here’s to hoping it doesn’t take as long as 5 years.

Recapping Stanford

Finally winning the turnover battle and getting consistency from Te'o were all for naught against a Stanford team that dominated the Irish on both lines.

ND's ends and outside backers failed to generate any pass rush. By contrast, Harbaugh's three-man rush meant trouble for Crist against 8 dropped defenders. Reminiscent of the '08 BC game, the most troubling part was that ND still couldn't run the ball.

Called runs on two of the first three snaps netted a combined 2 yards (which was average yesterday, sadly), showing a willingness to run but failed execution.

Kelly reflected on Sunday. "I'd like to have a little more balance...We have to evolve a little further in running the football."

The offensive ineptitude reversed its previous progression, but the line of scrimmage most importantly revealed just how far ND has to go in terms of physical and mental toughness. Weakness up front likely led to unsound playcalling (throwing on 3rd and 1) and game mismanagement at the end of the first half. Crist will bounce back, but Stanford highlighted our more pressing problems.

ND rushed 23 times against Stanford and an average of 31.3 times in the previous three games. The YPC average was an even wider difference when comparing Stanford to the other opponents, though. Kelly knows we need to run the ball better. While the defense was previously the overwhelming question mark, implementing the rushing goal has joined it as the major keys to the rest of the season.