Notre Dame Football: The Stanford Hangover

It was a brilliant game, and one that I saw coming — but I didn’t expect such dominance. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish remain undefeated after chopping down the Stanford Cardinal 38-17.

The hangover stands vindicated and yet still in so much?

WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU ENJOYED A GOOD BOOK?

Mike Miller/One Foot Down

Unless you hammered one out over the past two nights, Saturday night should be you answer, WOW... Ian Book was pretty incredible, and it’s kind of hard to sum up exactly what he means to this offense and this team now. Against Stanford, Book threw for 278 yards with a 73% completion percentage. He connected with TEN different receivers, and Book’s 4 touchdown passes went to 4 different players (Nic Weishar, Chase Claypool, Miles Boykin, and Alize Mack).

This offense is so diverse thanks to Book and offensive coordinator Chip Long, that defenses will have (as they have shown already) a difficult time trying to lock in on anything. Book was also the second leading rusher on Saturday night with 47 yards to add to the 272 yard output on the ground.

It’s no longer a theory, and it’s no longer a guess... Ian Book is so good — like for real you guys. I highly recommend one on your trip to Virginia.

IT’S THE DEEPENSIVE LINE NOW

Mike Miller/One Foot Down

Jerry Tillery hasn’t received the type of praise he should this year for the job he has done. Against Stanford, he completely took over and it wasn’t just the sack (4 of them y’all) it was the way he split the double teams, the other quarterback hurries he created, and his ability to help make the rest of a really good Irish defensive line better.

This rotation they have going on with Tillery, Kurt Hinish, Khalid Kareem, Daelin Hayes, Jonathan Bonner, Julian Okwara, and Ade Ogundeji has literally been a game changer. Even back in 2012 Notre Dame wasn’t this deep along the defensive line. With fresher legs, and a lot of talent, this unit has took over football games — especially the one played last Saturday night.

GREATNESS WITHIN REACH

Mike Miller/One Foot Down

It seems as if anytime we (or anyone else for that matter) start talking about the possibilities for this season, people want to start shouting ONE GAME AT A TIME or HOLD YOUR HORSES or whatever else they can think of to make themselves feel better.

I am not a player and I am not the coach. I will shout from here to there... this is a damn good football team, and 12-0 is certainly attainable. There are still plenty of obstacles on the path:

• 5 of the last 7 games are on the road.
• The USC Trojans would love some revenge.
• Playing Navy still sucks.
• The Syracuse Orange are a good team — and hey there Yankee Stadium.
• Injuries.

It’s that last one that is starting to chip away at the Irish, and although Notre Dame has been able to absorb the blows so far, it might only take one more to really put this team in danger and help cause a loss.

And OH YEAH... the Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg at night.

It’s still a difficult road, but one that the Irish can navigate (albeit very cautiously). So, if you want to talk about it, I’m here for you. What difference does it make anyways? We talk about things like this in the preseason all the time, and this is just an extension of that.

I’m excited — get excited.

Leprechaun Lumberjacks Shirt

• $28

Welcome to South Bend, where big trees fall hard.

White, green and gold print on a super-comfortable heather navy tee. Premium, lightweight blended crewneck (60% cotton/40% polyester). Durable, yet ultra-soft. Unisex sizing with a snug fit. Men should size up; women should size down. Designed by Nick Torres. Screened in the USA.

• $28 at Breaking T