After falling down 7-0 in the opening quarter, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish could not slow down Andrew Luck in the second quarter as Luck and the Stanford Cardinal pushed their advantage to 21-0 by the half.
Notre Dame began the second half with the ball, but had to punt after QB Tommy Rees could not complete a 3rd and 4 pass to Michael Floyd. Luck began driving with the Cardinal, but on 1st and 10 on the Notre Dame 35, Darius Fleming snatched Luck's pass for a clutch interception and gave the Irish a first down on the Stanford 11 yard line.
Unfortunately for the Irish, K David Ruffer missed the 20-yard field goal attempt, and the game remained 7-0. Luck responded by orchestrating a 10 play, 80 yard touchdown drive, capping it with a 28-yard bomb to Coby Fleener.
When the Notre Dame offense stalled again, it appeared a Stepfan Taylor fumble could possibly help Notre Dame get on the board. Instead, Corey Gatewood stepped in front of a Rees pass, ending the Irish drive. Luck took advantage of the interception, tossing his third touchdown of the day, giving Stanford a 21-0 lead at the half.
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.