By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, October 15, 2016

AP photo: The Stanford Cardinal running back Cameron Scarlett bursts for a first down against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend Indiana

In bad need of a win, Stanford traveled to South Bend, Ind., Saturday and emerged with a 17-10 come-from-behind non-conference football victory over Notre Dame.

The Cardinal won on the road despite not having Heisman Trophy candidate Christian McCaffrey in the lineup. The junior running back suffered what is described as an “undisclosed” injury in the second half of last week’s loss to Washington State. His playing status was undecided up until hours before kickoff, and there’s no immediate word about his availability for next week.

Filling in for McCaffrey was sophomore Bryce Love, who gained 129 yards on 23 carries, as the Cardinal improved to 4-2 overall.

The Fighting Irish (2-5) took a 10-0 lead into halftime on an 8-yard touchdown run by quarterback DeShone Kizer with 1:57 left in the first quarter, and a second-quarter field goal of 29 yards by Justin Yoon.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, this is the third consecutive game in which the Cardinal was held scoreless in the first quarter while scoring six total points in the first half of their previous three games.

Stanford roared back nearly two minutes into the second half, when Quenton Meeks returned a Kizer pass 50 yards on a pick-6. With 1:17 left in the third quarter, the Cardinal defense trapped a Notre Dame running back in the end zone for a safety, pulling the Cardinal to within 10-9.

Kizer was Notre Dame’s leading rusher (83 yards on 11 carries) before leaving the game early in the third quarter in favor of backup Malik Zaire. Kizer, who returned later, also completed 14 of 26 passes for 154 yards and was picked off twice.

The Cardinal took the lead with 10:38 remaining in the fourth quarter when Fighting Irish linebacker James Onwualu forced a Love fumble after running six yards. Center Jesse Burkett recovered the loose ball in the end zone for a Stanford touchdown, and Love ran in a 2-point conversion.

Notre Dame had the ball in the closing seconds with an opportunity to tie the game. But Kizer was unable to execute a pass on fourth-and-10 from the Stanford 14. As Kizer was about to be sacked, he pitched the ball to lineman Quentin Nelson, the ball was ruled dead, and Stanford escaped with its fourth win of the season.

Next week, the Cardinal return to Pac-12 action at home against Colorado. Stanford has a five-game winning streak against the Buffs.