Notre Dame eases by Stanford 58-7 as the season’s tougher second half awaits

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — One second into Stanford’s first snap at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Irish defensive end Boubacar Traore screamed across the line of scrimmage unblocked and ripped quarterback Davis Warren down from behind.

The football popped into the air, and Notre Dame linebacker Jaiden Ausberry fell on it at the Stanford 18-yard line. Four plays later, Nolan James Jr. charged through a hole for a 2-yard touchdown run and an early Notre Dame lead.

“I just want to be a tone-setter for the whole defense,” Traore said. “That’s kind of my mentality. If we start on defense, always looking to make a play, first drive.”

Not everything was that easy Saturday for the Irish, but it was pretty close. No. 3 Notre Dame led by 37 points at halftime on the way to a 58-7 victory. Notre Dame improved to 26-14 in the rivalry’s battle for the Legends Trophy, including 4-1 under coach Marcus Freeman.

There were other jaw-droppingly easy plays.

On the first play of the second quarter, freshman running back Jonaz Walton slipped through a hole at the 5-yard line and cruised to a 97-yard touchdown for a 20-0 Notre Dame lead.

Three plays after that, Traore leaped in front of a Warren pass for an interception and returned it 18 yards. The Irish added another three points with a Spencer Porath 33-yard field goal.

Later in the second quarter, Aneyas Williams easily beat linebacker Jahsiah Galvan off the line of scrimmage and hauled in a pass from quarterback CJ Carr for a 70-yard touchdown.

The thoroughness of the win wasn’t surprising. Stanford had lost by 28 points or more in its three losses this season, including a 54-point loss to Wake Forest last week.

Notre Dame (6-0) was supposed to roll over the 2-4 Cardinal, just like they were supposed to ease by Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State, Purdue and North Carolina before them with relatively few complications. The Irish were challenged at times in a few of those games but still won comfortably.

The entire first half of the season has felt like a six-week warm-up. Now, it’s time to bring on the real competition, the games that will truly build the Irish case for a College Football Playoff berth.

Three times over the next six weeks, Notre Dame will play a team that is currently ranked in the Associated Press poll, starting with a trip to No. 8 BYU on Oct. 17.

“They’re ultimate competitors, and they want to play the best,” Freeman said of his team. “Next week they’ll get the opportunity to play a top 10 team, and they’ll be ready. But my job is to remind them to enjoy the fruits of your labor. If you don’t enjoy this and you’re just looking to the next one, it’s miserable.

“I’ll tell you how hard it is Monday through Friday. I mean, it’s hard. If you don’t find a way to enjoy a victory on a Saturday, man, it’s not going to be a lot of fun playing the game or coaching the game. So I remind myself, as I tell them, to enjoy the victory. Then we’ll wake up tomorrow, man, eyes toward the next opponent.”

The Cougars will enter the game 5-0 after beating Iowa State 24-10 behind 329 passing yards and 109 rushing yards from quarterback Bear Bachmeier.

Three weeks later on Nov. 7, Notre Dame hosts No. 4 Miami (currently 5-0) in a rematch of the 2025 opening-weekend battle that the Hurricanes won by three. And then in the final push for a CFP berth, the Irish host No. 24 SMU (4-1) on Nov. 21.

It’s unclear whether a blowout like Saturday’s win provides a proper gauge for what the Irish can do in the weeks ahead against tougher opponents. But Freeman pointed to a few things that translate: the plus-3 turnover margin, the way the offense has taken care of the ball, and the execution on both offense and defense on the opening drives — though he would like the four penalties in the game cleaned up.

Freeman also has preached respecting all their opponents, and he said he was pleased with how his players have prepared and challenged themselves. Carr said that is the benchmark they’re using to see how they are progressing.

“We want to go into every day trying to reach our full potential,” Carr said. “It goes back to leaving no doubt. It’s an ever-changing thing. Every meeting, can we go in and try to maximize the time we have? I wouldn’t say it’s a result, but more continuing to refine our process.”

Carr completed 14 of 20 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns in about three quarters. He also had five carries for 41 yards, though perhaps the Irish didn’t need him to take all of those hits in a blowout.

A focal point over the first half of the season has been who steps up in the running game to fill the void of departed stars Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. All three of the Irish running backs came through with big plays as Notre Dame piled up 361 rushing yards. Along with the Walton and Williams touchdowns, James scored on the aforementioned 2-yarder and a 31-yard carry in the second quarter.

Walton, who had a breakout game against North Carolina a week earlier, finished with 13 carries for 181 yards and two touchdowns. The 97-yarder was his first career touchdown, and Carr said he had the best view of it. He knew what Walton could do with his breakaway speed.

“I saw it immediately,” Carr said. “I put my hand up. I knew he was gone. People don’t know about him, but you’re not going to catch him. It was fun to see.”

Walton followed that up with a 40-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. He broke the Notre Dame true freshman record of 168 rushing yards set by Josh Adams in 2015.

Walton said he has learned how to prepare and train from James and Williams, which has helped his rise.

“He’s gifted. He has a lot of ability,” Freeman said. “But what you’re seeing now is that he’s being consistent in practice, consistent in his reads, consistent in what he is every single day, that’s giving him more opportunities to go out there and play on the field. When you’re consistent in your everyday play and everyday expectations, now you’ll get more opportunities and then you can make one pop like that.

“I mean, that was a great play. One is God-given ability. He’s got some speed on him. Once he broke, I didn’t think he was going to get caught.”

James had 10 carries for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Williams had seven carries for 28 yards and the long receiving touchdown. Wide receivers Jaden Greathouse and Elijah Burress had touchdown catches, also a first for Burress.

The Notre Dame defense wasn’t at full strength for the matchup but still didn’t allow a touchdown until Stanford scored on a 3-yard Warren touchdown pass late in the third quarter.

Linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa was declared out with a thumb injury earlier in the week, and cornerback Leonard Moore was ruled out pregame with a concussion. The Irish also have been without safety Brauntae Johnson since he suffered a left foot injury against Wisconsin.

The Irish fared fine without them, holding Stanford to 202 total yards. But it will be worth watching who will be able to return against a tougher BYU opponent.

Freeman called Notre Dame’s depth “so crucial” as they move into the meat of their season.

“It’s crucial at every position to make sure you have depth, one, because of the length of the season, two, because of injuries, because it helps you as you continue to move forward to get those guys valuable game reps,” he said. “I’m very pleased with our depth. I’m pleased with the way they play when they get the opportunity. That’s a comforting feeling for a coach is that you’re not trying to just leave your starters in there because you’re worried about a stat or you’re worried about a score.

“No, put the guys that deserve to be in there, give them an opportunity to go out there and play. I’m pleased with how they performed.”

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