In the matchup with No. 6 Stanford, which provides another opportunity for Brian Kelly and the No. 22 Notre Dame Fighting Irish to make a statement, the Fighting Irish have fallen behind 7-0 after the opening quarter.
The lone TD of the game came on an impressive drive by the Stanford Cardinal, which was finished off by a TD pass from Andrew Luck to Levine Toilolo. Luck has been excellent in the opening quarter, completing 7/10 for 50 yards and the TD. The Cardinal have also utilized the rushing attack, with Tyler Gaffney leading the way with 24 yards.
After struggling to generate much production on their first couple of drives, the Fighting Irish saw a successful drive come to an end because of a fumble. Notre Dame was able to move the ball into Stanford territory, but Chase Thomas stripped QB Tommy Rees and Stanford recovered to take over possession. Rees was productive in the opening quarter, throwing for 48 yards.
For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Notre Dame blog One Foot Down and Stanford blog Rule Of Tree. Here’s the complete Week 13 college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.