When Marcus Freeman first took over the Irish program, one of the low points of his first season was a crushing home loss to Stanford. My how things have changed in just a few short years. Now, Notre Dame sits in the top tier of the sport, and in no world is it vulnerable to be beaten by the Cardinal.
The Irish outclassed and outmanned Stanford from the opening kick to the end of the game as Notre Dame collected a 58-7 blowout win to reach 6-0, and add another lopsided double-digit win to the record books.
Notre Dame entered this game wanting to build on the momentum found in the run game last week against North Carolina. The Irish can certainly check that box after running the ball for 361 yards, highlighted by Jonaz Walton's 97-yard touchdown run.
In the passing game, the Irish wanted to get more players involved than last week, and again Notre Dame succeeded, with a dozen players making grabs, including the expected receivers along with the younger depth, but also tight ends and running backs.
Defensively, Notre Dame only allowed seven points and 202 total yards. The Irish also caused multiple turnovers, including their seventh in the first quarter this season, ranking first in the nation in that category. This was a complete beatdown in all phases, and the Irish are ready for what comes next.
I look at this Notre Dame season in segments. Mission one was to make it through September unscathed, and the Irish did that.
The second segment was to reach the BYU game undefeated; Notre Dame can check that box as well. Now comes the fun part as the Irish travel to BYU to face a ranked team for the first time in 2026.
For as fun and relaxing as it's been to watch the Irish dominate bad teams, I think everyone in the Notre Dame ecosystem, including the players, is ready for a bigger challenge.
The entire country will tune in for Notre Dame's first big test in Provo, and it's up to the Irish to show they just don't beat up on bad teams, but have no problem beating ranked teams on the road as well.
Notre Dame has had the benefit of six "warm up" games to find who it is and work out all the kinks. Now it's time to deliver on a different level.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/notredame as Notre Dame Dominates Stanford, Appears Ready For BYU Test .
