Notre Dame Players of the Game vs Stanford

Notre Dame (9-3) ended the 2023 regular season in impressive fashion, going on the road and beating rival Stanford by a 56-23 score. It was a sloppy performance at times, but once the Irish got rolling they dominated action. Stanford led 13-7 after the first quarter, but Notre Dame outscored the Cardinal 42-3 in the second and third quarters.

There were plenty of standouts for Notre Dame, but two players stood above the rest, and they are getting the game balls from Irish Breakdown.

OFFENSE - Audric Estime, Running Back

Stats: 25 att., 238 yards, 9.5 YPC, 4 TD
Runners Up: OT Joe Alt, WR Chris Tyree, WR Jordan Faison

This is a no brainer. Estime had one of the best single-game rushing performances in Notre Dame history, racking up 238 yards on 25 carries and reaching the end zone four times. Estime came out hot against Stanford, and it was arguably the most physical performance of his career. The Irish junior had 86 rushing yards on just six carries in the first quarter, and he had 14 carries for 140 yards at halftime.

Yes, the Notre Dame offensive line, tight ends and wide receivers did a great job blocking in the game, but Estime made great reads, was decisive and even when the holes weren't huge he made big runs. His ability to run through contact allowed him to maximize yards and dominate the Stanford defense.

He came out in the second half and picked up right where he left off in the first half to put the game away. Estime carried the ball seven times for 58 yards on the first drive of the second half, and he capped the drive off with a 5-yard touchdown run. Two series later, Estime carried four times for 40 yards and ended the drive with a 25-yard touchdown and just like that it was 49-16 and the game was over.

Estime didn't play a snap in the fourth quarter, which shows how dominant he was in the game. Estime's four touchdowns game him 18 on the season, which is a new Notre Dame single-season rushing record.

DEFENSE/ST - Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Defensive End

Stats: 3 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks - blocked FG return for a touchdown
Runners Up: LB JD Bertrand,

Baptiste gets the top defensive honors and top special teams honors for the second time this season. His return of a blocked field goal (blocked by Jason Onye) was one of the more exciting plays of the game.

On defense, Jean-Baptiste was disruptive from the get go. He combined with Marist Liufau to get a sack on the first drive that stalled a Stanford drive and forced a field goal. He was disruptive in the run game, setting the edge effectively and making plays at and behind the line. His pass rushing game was again strong, with Jean-Baptiste finishing with 1.5 sacks and multiple hurries.

His numbers at the end of the season won't blow you away, but they mask just how productive and important he has been all season. He's been a clutch player and a consistently disruptive player, and his final regular season game was the perfectly symbolic of how he's played all season.

Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge

Irish Breakdown Content

2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense

2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

———————

Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter