Notre Dame vs. Stanford game balls
We’d expect that a 56-23 blowout win for Notre Dame Saturday over Stanford to provide several options to pass along game balls.
But in actuality, only a small number of Irish players stood out, mainly in the Notre Dame ground game.
Here are the three most deserving.
Running back Audric Estimè
Perhaps playing his final game in a Fighting Irish uniform, the Notre Dame junior tailback saved his best for last, leading all Irish rushers against Stanford with 25 carries for a career-high 238 yards and 4 touchdowns, his sixth 100-yard rushing game this season.
Estimè became the first Irish tailback to rush for 200 yards since Dexter Williams did so in 2018.
Estimè finished the regular season with 18 rushing touchdowns, setting a new Irish single-season record after breaking the previous mark of 17 set by Allen Pinkett in 1984 and Vegas Ferguson in 1979.
Linebacker Marist Liufau
The Irish graduate finished what could be his final regular season game at Notre Dame with 5 tackles, 2 solo, 2.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and 1 quarterback hurry.
Liufau’s great work in the first half helped the Notre Dame defense hold Stanford to only 10 points off of 3 Irish turnovers in the opening two quarters.
His 2.5 tackles for loss were a career high and they lifted his total for the season to 6.0.
Liafau’s 5.0 total tackles were also a season-high and moved him to 44 stops on the season.
Irish offensive line
With 381 rushing yards on 48 carries, this collective game ball was an easy one to pass along.
The effort was highlighted by Estimè’s career performance and it ended with a 7.9-yard per-carry average for the team in the best rushing effort for the Irish this season.
Notre Dame’s start-to-finish performance in its ground game included a first half when it won the rushing battle over Stanford 238-67.
It’s rushing yardage mark in the first half eclipsed its season high for an entire game of 236 yards set in a 41-17 win against Central Michigan on Sept. 16.
