STANFORD – Stanford finished a winless season at Stanford Stadium with one last blowout loss.
The Cardinal allowed touchdowns on seven of No. 17 Notre Dame’s first nine offensive possessions in a 56-23 defeat Saturday night.
Stanford finished 3-9 under first-year coach Troy Taylor, matching its record in each of David Shaw’s final two seasons.
That includes an 0-7 mark at Stanford Stadium, making the Cardinal the only FBS team without a victory at home.
It also marked the team’s fifth loss by at least 33 points. The Cardinal lost 56-10 at USC, 62-17 at Oregon State, 42-6 to Oregon and 42-7 against UCLA.
“We knew we were going to play a great opponent,” Taylor said. “We hung with them for a little bit, just didn’t make enough plays. Proud of how our guys fought. Not satisfied with the outcome, but they continued to compete and give everything they’ve got, and that’s something to build on.”
Audric Estime led the Fighting Irish (9-3) with a career-high 238 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries.
“I’m not going to lie, I definitely feel like I’m one of the best running backs in the country, if not the best,” Estime said. “I definitely want other people to notice. After today, I feel like a lot of people will notice.”
The Cardinal had only forced seven turnovers entering Saturday, the second-lowest total in the country, but it had three takeaways in the first half to keep the game close.
JShawn Frausto-Ramos stripped Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman, Che Ojarikre intercepted Hartman, and Ese Dubre forced a fumble on a kickoff return.
Stanford’s offense got a 49-yard run on third-and-1 by quarterback Justin Lamson and a 53-yard pass from Ashton Daniels to E.J. Smith that led to field goals, and a 14-yard touchdown on a reverse by receiver Tiger Bachmeier. A 56-yard field goal by Joshua Karty gave Stanford a 16-14 lead with 8:57 remaining in the first half.
But the Fighting Irish eventually stopped turning the ball over and scored 42 points in the second and third quarters to claim the Legends Trophy for the fourth time in five games, and avenge last year’s shocking upset in South Bend.
Stanford sophomore Elic Ayomanor had 58 receiving yards to finish with 1,013, becoming the first Cardinal since J.J. Arcega-Whiteside in 2018 to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a season.
The Cardinal honored 26 seniors and fifth-year players before the game, but only one – backup inside linebacker Spencer Jorgensen – is not eligible to play next season. Jorgensen intercepted backup Steve Angeli in his final game.
“I’m indebted to them, and I told them we will be champions here. It will happen,” Taylor said. “Obviously didn’t happen this year. Some of them won’t be here physically when it happens, but they are a part of it.”
