Notre Dame's Biggest Winners in Blowout Win Over Stanford

We've reached the midway point of the 2026 regular season, and Notre Dame is yet to be challenged.

Its latest win was as one-sided as you'll see at Notre Dame Stadium, with the Fighting Irish routing Stanford 58-7.

It was compelling for next to no time as Notre Dame forced a turnover on the first scrimmage play, scored a few plays later, and piled it on until the clock hit 0:00 and the winning streak officially hit 16.

In a blowout victory like Saturday, plenty of star performances were had.

But who were Notre Dame's biggest winners on Saturday?

A few stood out even moreso than others.

Boubacar Traore - Defensive End

Boubacar Traore started the game with a bang for Notre Dame, forcing a fumble on the first snap of the contest. Traore set the tone early and kept it applied later, intercepting a Stanford pass in the second half.

The Notre Dame defensive line looks as good as any we've seen so far in college football this season, and on Saturday, Traore's star shinned brightest in the group.

Jonaz Walton - Running Back

Notre Dame has looked for explosiveness in the run game since early in the season, and over the last two weeks, has seen Jonaz Walton take that step.

Walton rushed for more yards in a single game than any true freshman in the history of Notre Dame football, going off for 181 yards and just 13 carries, two of which went for scores.

97-YARDS TO THE HOUSE FOR JONAZ WALTON! 🤯

📺 Stanford at Notre Dame on NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/TDdfL4U2W5
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) October 10, 2026

Honestly, this could have gone to the entire backfield or the offensive line for its growth and dominance together, but in trying to put the focus on one person, Walton gets the flowers.

CJ Carr - Quarterback

On a day the running game went off for 361 yards, the passing game is easy to overlook - like CJ Carr's season largely has been to date.

Carr has been steady, rarely put the ball in harm's way, and largely taken what the defense has given him.

Although Saturday wasn't a perfect showing, Carr had another strong showing Saturday. Carr threw for 181 yards on 20 pass attempts, tossing three touchdown passes along the way.

On the year Carr now has 16 touchdown passes to just one interception and even added another 41 yards on the ground against Stanford.

The Fans

Congratulations, Notre Dame fans - you've made it!

No, I'm not saying that because I think Notre Dame looks every bit the part of a national championship contender, but because you've made it through what feels like an extended preseason.

Notre Dame hasn't been tested to date and finally gets what should be a road game next week at BYU.

While the lopsided results have been pleasant not to have to stress over, it hasn't exactly been nerve-racking, either.

The preseason is over, Notre Dame looks the part, and fans should get excited not only for what they've already seen, but for what the next seven weeks (and then some) should bring.

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