Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Audric Estime (7) scores one of his four touchdowns in the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto on Sat Nov 25, 2023 (AP News photo)
STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (3-9) ended their 2023 season with a 56-23 loss to rival Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-3), on Senior Day on the Farm.
Stanford opened the contest with the initial possession, due to the benevolence of the opponents from Indiana. Notre Dame won the coin toss, but deferred the ball to the home team, in which they had possession to begin the second half.
During the four minute drive, sophomore quarterback Justin Lamson broke a 49-yard keeper down the field. Joshua Karty converted a 34-yard field goal to validate the first drive of the game. Stanford was on top 3-0 early in the contest.
When the Fighting Irish finally got their hands on the ball, they also tried to score on their initial drive. Senior QB Sam Hartman also had a large gain on a keeper (25), but his trot ended with a fumble and turnover to Stanford.
Stanford did not do much with the stolen possession, and the Golden Domers were given another crack at changing the score. Junior running back Audric Estime scampered for 25 yards into the end zone, giving the Irish the lead, 7-3.
The Cardinal was back on the attack, and sophomore starting quarterback, Ashton Daniels had a 53-yard pass to E.J. Smith, putting them deep into enemy territory. Karty converted a 23-yard boot, bringing his squad within one, 7-6.
On the subsequent kickoff, Notre Dame proceeded to fumble the ball back to Stanford. Less than a minute later, freshman wide receiver Tiger Bachmeier took a handoff and scurried 14 yards to pay dirt, propelling his team back in front by six, 13-7. That score stood after 15 minutes of play.
Early in the second quarter the Irish fought their way down the field into scoring position. That very thing happened when Hartman tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Jaden Greathouse. Notre Dame back on top, 14-13. Hartman’s attempt to put more points on the board resulted in his second turnover of the first half. His pass attempt was picked off by safety Che Ojariikre.
Stanford quickly turned that into a Karty 56-yard field goal, putting the home team back in front by two, 16-14. They held onto the advantage for a little more than five game time minutes. However, the visitors from the Hoosier State had an answer for the Cardinal.
Estime was at it again, as he reached the scoring zone for the second time in the first half. The Golden Domers went up by five, 21-16. After a Daniels interception (Jack Kiser), the Irish were in position to add more points before intermission. With seconds left in the half, sophomore running back Gi’ Bran Payne ran in for a three yard touchdown, giving midwesterners a double-digit lead at recess, 28-16.
The second half was set up perfectly by the road team, as their deferment gave them the ball to begin the second half, after being the last to score at the end of the first stanza. They capitalized on the strategy fairly soon, when the frequent rusher, Estime, carried the ball to the house for the third time, and the margin widened to 19, Irish 35-16.
Later in the third quarter, Notre Dame scored an additional two touchdowns, by air, and by land. Hartman hurled a 45-yard bomb touchdown to his freshman wide receiver Jordan Faison. (42-16) Five minutes later, the ubiquitous Estime crossed the goal line (25) for an incredible fourth time, increasing the lead to 33, Notre Dame 49-16. That daunting deficit for the Cardinal was also the score after the third quarter ended.
In the final quarter, the leprechauns were somewhat called off, for self preservation. However, the special teams and defense apparently did not get the memo.
A little more than two minutes into the fourth, Karty was lined up for a 56-yard field goal attempt. Mister Reliable had his kick blocked by the Domers, and senior defensive end Javonte Jean-Baptiste ran the ball back for 60-yard Block six touchdown. That was the largest lead of the night (40), and the Fighting Irish were pretty confident they had avenged the previous loss and regained the Legends Trophy, 56-16.
With Cardinal pride, the home team did not want to lose by a 40 point margin, and attempted to alter the scoreboard. Unfortunately on the next drive quarterback Ari Putu fumbled and turned over the ball during a quarterback keeper. Notre Dame seemed not to be in any mood to add more points to their already impressive tally, and gave the ball back to Stanford.
Stanford gave the 30,901 fans something to cheer for, as Justin Lamson scored the final touchdown on a quarterback Keeper. At that point, the deficit didn’t look as horrific, 56-23. Being good sports, St Joseph County based Fighting Irish took the obligatory knee to end the game with the 33-point victory, 56-23, and possession of the Legends Trophy back to South Bend.
Stanford will next be in action next season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), while Notre Dame will be in a significant Bowl game.
Note: Cardinal sophomore wide receiver, Elic Ayomanor eclipsed the K mark in receiving yards with his 58 in the game.
Irish’ junior running back Audric Estime found himself in the Notre Dame record books with his extraordinary performance on the farm: 238 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
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