Keys To Victory For Notre Dame And Stanford

Breaking down the keys to victory for Notre Dame when it takes on Stanford

Notre Dame (3-2) will look to keep rolling when it hosts the Stanford Cardinal (1-4) on Saturday night. Marcus Freeman and his squad are looking to take another step towards overcoming their rough start to the season.

Notre Dame has steadily improved in the last month and Stanford presents it with an opportunity to take another big leap forward. The Irish are certainly capable of dominating this game, but the inconsistency we've seen from the team this season makes it hard to know just how well Notre Dame will play.

In our latest show we break down the keys to victory for the Notre Dame offense and defense.

Keys - Offense

1. Start Fast - Control The Line Of Scrimmage - Notre Dame has scored just six first quarter points this season, a truly abysmal early game performance. The Irish have often struggled out of the gate, which has allowed each opponent to stay in the game. Notre Dame needs to make sure Stanford knows early that it cannot win this game, which means coming out early with a strong game plan that is executed at a high level.

A key to that early success will be the play of the Notre Dame offensive line, which on paper should dominate Stanford. The line has played much better in recent games, and it needs to come out early and throttle the Stanford front seven.

2. Take Advantage Of The Speed Difference - Notre Dame's wide receiver and running backs have a significant athleticism and speed advantage over the Stanford linebackers and safeties. There is a gap at cornerback as well. It's up to offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to figure out ways to get Braden Lenzy, Lorenzo Styles and Chris Tyree in isolation and movement situations where they can outrun the Cardinal defenders.

3. Protect The Football - Stanford has been poor at forcing turnovers, and the reality is if Notre Dame plays a clean game it will be hard for the Cardinal to come out on top. The Irish offense cannot afford to give Stanford cheap points, or lose points by turning it over when in scoring situations. Play clean and the Irish likely win, and win convincingly.

4. Keep Building Momentum - The matchup against Stanford is one that Notre Dame should dominate, and that needs to be carried out. If Notre Dame can build on its recent offensive ascendence the unit can really get rolling, which sets it up to really make the strides necessary to play with the best teams in the country, something it will need to do in November.

Keys - Defense

1. Shut Down The Run Game - This might not make a lot of sense when you consider Stanford has struggled to run the ball during its last three games, and the fact its passing game is its strength. The point here is that making Stanford one dimensional makes it much, much harder for the offense to be effective enough to stay in the game, much less win it. If Notre Dame can dominate the point of attack with the box it also allows the secondary to focus more and more on the pass game.

2. Pressure McKee - If Notre Dame's front four is shutting down the ground game it will likely result in it also putting pressure on Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee. Not overly mobile, McKee can be vulnerable to good pass rushes. Stanford hasn't been very good at protecting the quarterback this season, and it will be without left tackle Walter Rouse and left guard Jake Hornibrook. 

If Notre Dame can consistently pressure McKee he'll make mistakes, and the Irish defense will dominate. This is the kind of game that veterans stars like Isaiah Foskey and Jayson Ademilola need to be at their best and take over this game.

3. Win Outside - Stanford has great size on the perimeter, which combines with McKee's powerful right arm to make them dangerous on the outside. This is where the Cardinal are dangerous. If McKee gets time and the Irish can't handle the size and talent of the outside receivers there is no doubt Stanford will rip off big plays in the pass game. This is the only hope the Cardinal have, so the Irish need to win on the outside.

4. Get The Ball - Stanford ranks 117th in turnovers lost. Notre Dame has struggled to force those types of mistakes this season. This is exactly the kind of game that could get Notre Dame right in this area. It's simple, dominate the line of scrimmage means forcing Stanford into more mistakes. More mistakes equals turnovers, and turnovers equal a Notre Dame rout.

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