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Preview: Notre Dame at #13 Stanford
UHND.com  - Joe Brunson
11/23/2001

Notre Dame (4-5) At #13 Stanford –7.5 (7-2) 8:00pm ET

Preview

Stanford seeks its third straight win on Saturday when they welcome Notre Dame in the battle for the Legends Trophy, a combination of Irish crystal and California Redwood. While Oregon already has clinched the Bowl Championship Series berth in the PAC-10, Stanford is still in contention for the Holiday, Sun and Seattle Bowls. The Cardinal has won the last two games against the Irish in Palo Alto. Stanford is 16^th in the nation and 1^st in the PAC-10 against the run giving up just over 100 yards a game. Chris Lewis has led them into battle for the majority of the year. He replaced Randy Fasani at QB, due to a Fasani injury, and has played very well. His best performance came last week as he threw for 390 yards with four touchdowns. However, this week Fasani is expected to be back in action. Before his injury, he threw for 1,064 yards and 12 scores. Stanford is averaging 38 ppg but gives up 30. They allow most yardage through the air, surrendering over 300 yards/game which ranks 113^th in the nation. On the ground, Brian Allen and Kerry Carter pace them. They have combined for 1,278 yards and 16 scores.

A loss on Saturday would give Notre Dame its second losing season in five years under Bob Davie. The Irish begin their quest to win a road game at night this Saturday. They have lost all eight times they have tried with their last victory coming on November 29, 1997 in a 23-22 win over Hawaii. Despite rumors and speculation, Bob Davie continues to assume he will return next season, but a loss could erase all hopes of a return. Five starters are likely to miss the Stanford game with the biggest in David Givens. He is questionable with a groin injury. Carlyle Holiday seemed to take a step backwards in his progression on Saturday. Offensive Coordinator Kevin Rogers said Holiday audibled out of many pass plays to run the option. Part of the confusion was his inability to read Navy’s defense throughout the game.

• Throw early and often. ND has played solid at times against the pass, but have yet to face the barrage of pass plays Stanford will run.
• Get on the board early. Everyone on the Irish sideline is aware of their woes on the road at night. The longer the Irish stick around, the more likely they will pull off the upset.
• Force ND to throw. This has been the game plan of most Irish opponents this season. Notre Dame is second to last in the nation throwing the ball.
• Force Holiday to audible. He made some bad decisions at the line at home against Navy. The Cardinal crowd and a shifty defense could create a nightmare for Carlyle.
• Take away the short throw. When ND does pass, it is usually a 5-7 yarder. Forcing the long ball with tight coverage will take the Irish directly out of their comfort zone.

• Time of Possession. The Irish need to develop their running game early and control the ball to keep Stanford’s high-powered attack on the sidelines.
• Throw on first down! All year long Irish fans have been begging for this to happen. Stanford will likely give them the chance; ND needs to take advantage.
• Pull out the trick plays early. Positives on the road are always important in the beginning of the game, but the Irish need something big to keep the crowd out of it.
• Punish Fasani. He has been out since October and should be a little rusty. After an injury, he may be leery of taking the big hit and the Irish could gain an advantage that may last all game.
• Take away the ground game. Notre Dame held Tennessee’s Travis Stephens to only 59 yards, which made the Vols one-dimensional. If the Irish can do that on Saturday, they may get some turnovers in the secondary by a frustrated Cardinal team.

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