Notre Dame continued its winning tradition under head coach Marcus Freeman, collecting two game balls following a decisive victory over Stanford, marking Freeman’s fourth consecutive win after a bye week. The team now stands at 5-1 as they reach the midway point of the season. In a notable moment, senior center Pat Coogan recorded his first career catch during the game, contributing to Notre Dame’s commanding 49-7 win, which was temporarily halted due to lightning at the end of the third quarter.
The game resumed an hour later with Notre Dame leading comfortably. Quarterback Riley Leonard had a standout performance, completing 16 of 22 passes for a Notre Dame-high 229 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. His impressive pass-efficiency rating of 205.2 set a new personal best against FBS competition, surpassing his previous high of 193.8 from last season.
Backup quarterback Steve Angeli took over in the fourth quarter and quickly moved the offense down the field, leading an 11-play, 60-yard scoring drive.
Defensively, junior defensive end Josh Burnham made a significant impact after returning from injury, recording a career-high five tackles and recovering a fumble during Stanford’s first drive of the second half, which set up a touchdown for the Irish. Burnham’s versatility makes him a valuable asset on the defensive line as the team navigates challenges with injuries to key players.