Notre Dame vs Stanford: Matchups That Matter For The Irish Offense

The 9th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish travel out west to take on the Stanford Cardinal in a showdown for the Legends Trophy this Saturday night. The Irish are riding a nine-game winning streak and look to close the regular season strong in one final push to the playoffs. Notre Dame's offense has been a major driver of success throughout this win streak led by Heisman candidate running back Jeremiyah Love. Quarterback CJ Carr is close to finishing his first season at the helm and has amassed 2,536 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns with one game left.

The offense as a whole ranks No. 7 in the country in scoring, No. 22 in the country in yards per game, No. 2 in the country in yards per play and No. 4 in the country in yards per passing attempt. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has one final test in the regular season as the prepare to face a scrappy Stanford defense. Their season overall hasn't been a success, but they're still home to the No. 25 rush defense in the country. Let's take a look into some of the Cardinal's key players on defense.

Clay Patterson is their most productive interior defensive lineman. He currently leads the team in sacks with 4.0 and has a combined 12 hits plus sacks on the quarterback this season. The 6-3, 280-pound interior defensive lineman is second on the team in total pressures and has stacked up some impressive games throughout the last couple of weeks. He recorded a sack against California in their last outing and one against Pittsburgh a few weeks back. Patterson has racked up four hits plus sacks on the quarterback in his last three games.

Matchup To Watch: The interior of Notre Dame's offensive line is starting to click. Redshirt sophomore Joe Otting will be the starter the remainder of the season and it looks like he's starting to hit his stride. He played extremely well against Syracuse on Senior Day. Fellow redshirt sophomore Sullivan Absher might be playing in his final start of the 2025 season pending a return from Billy Schrauth. This pair of redshirt sophomores will look to close out the regular season on a high note against Stanford's most impactful interior defensive lineman.

Tevarua Tafiti is Stanford's version of Notre Dame's Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. The 6-3. 240-pound linebacker's specialty is rushing the quarterback as he currently leads the team in total pressures with 32. He has 11 total hits plus sacks on the quarterback and tallied nine total pressures in their last outing against Stanford. Tafiti is also second on the team in tackles for a loss with 7.0 behind fellow linebacker Matt Rose. He has 29 total tackles on the season and plays a big role in Stanford having the No. 25 rush defense in the country. Despite their defensive deficiencies, this Cardinal defense is relatively stout against the run.

Matchup To Watch: Notre Dame's offensive tackles have played admirably throughout their nine-game win streak. Left tackle Anthonie Knapp and right tackle Aamil Wagner have only allowed a combined seven total pressures in the last nine games according to PFF. This Saturday night, they'll be going against Stanford's best rusher off the edge in Tafiti and will have to maintain their streak of excellence as they gear up for the playoffs. I don't know if Tafiti is a player who can completely take over a game the same way a Rueben Bain or Boubacar Traore can, but Notre Dame's passing offense looks to end the season on a high note. In order to do so, they'll have to keep Carr's jersey clean.

Sophomore Brandon Nicholson is far and away Stanford's best cover corner. He currently leads the team in interceptions and passes defended with five total on the year. The 6-0, 190-pound corner has the lowest target to reception rate on the team amongst starters. Nicholson has been targeted 32 times in 11 games and has only allowed 18 receptions. His two interceptions leads the team and he has yet to allow a receiving touchdown. Tackling hasn't been his strong suit this season, but it also hasn't been an overall weakness; Nicholson has nine total missed tackles on the season but six of them have came in his last four games.

Matchup To Watch: Both Malachi Fields and Jordan Faison will have their opportunities to make plays against Nicholson Saturday night. Notre Dame's pass offense looks to end this season on a high note. If they wish to make that a reality, their two leading receivers will have to make some plays in one on one situations against Stanford's best cover corner. Overall, Stanford's pass defense has been the clear weak spot on this unit. They rank 135th in the country in passing yards allowed, 102nd in yards per attempt, 100th in touchdowns allowed and only have three interceptions on the season. Nicholson has two of the three and has been the lone bright spot in their secondary.

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