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Another week, another great performance from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. The Irish are now 5-0 after a 38-17 victory over the Stanford Cardinal. It was clear that Notre Dame was the superior team in every facet of the game. The offense was humming, and the defense made many key stops. Overall, it was the best team performance of the year.
Dexter Williams
Welcome back, Dex! The most explosive offensive weapon finally returned after a four-game suspension. And did he return in a big way. Williams’ first touch of the season was a 45-yard touchdown run. He finished the game with 161 yards, while averaging 7.7 yards per carry. Yes, that will do just fine. It is great to have you back. Mr. Dexter Williams.
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Jerry Tillery
The most dominant man on the football field just might have been #99 Jerry Tillery. He was the definition of unblockable on Saturday night. Interior defensive linemen are not supposed to sack the quarterback like Jerry Tillery did last weekend. He was causing havoc for the whole Stanford offensive line. He finished the game with 4 sacks and a forced fumble. The Irish defense is scary good with a guy in the middle like Jerry Tillery.
Alex Bars
If you have not heard yet, Alex Bars is out for the rest of the year with a torn ACL, which he suffered on Saturday. I figured I would give the 5th year senior captain some love in what proved to be his final game for Notre Dame. He was anchoring a fast-improving offensive line. It is almost night and day from the Ball State game until now. Bars was the heart and soul of the offensive line. He was having a great year and will be missed up front. Best wishes to Alex Bars for a speedy recovery.
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Up Next
Notre Dame will now go on the road to play in Blacksburg, Virginia where they match up with the Virginia Tech Hokies. A night game in Blacksburg will be a tough game regardless of how talented Virginia Tech is right now. We all remember what happened last year when the Irish went on the road to play a night game against Miami. Totally unprepared and scared. Next Saturday will be a huge test to see how good Notre Dame really is this season.