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Sept. 28, 1997
Notre Dame (1-3) at #19 Stanford (3-1) Game Preview
THE CARDINAL: Stanford has won eight of its last nine games dating back to last season The Cardinal enters Saturday's game with Notre Dame ranked 19th in the nation by AP and 21st by USA Today/ESPN Stanford is coming off a record-setting game against Oregon in which the 107 combined points broke the school record as the highest scoring game in Stanford history The 58 points scored and 49 allowed were both the most in Tyrone Willingham's 28-game career as the Cardinals head coach Stanford and Notre Dame have played some memorable games in their 11-game series, which the Irish lead 8-3 Notre Dame has won the last two meetings with the Cardinal in 1993 and 94 and are 3-1 vs. the Cardinal in Stanford Stadium A crowd in excess of 80,000 is expected.
GAME THEME: Saturday's game with Notre Dame is Legends Day on The Farm as Stanford honors the 1997 Hall of Fame Class The six inductees, who will be officially inducted into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame at a dinner on Friday, October 3, include former football coach Bill Walsh, tennis great John McEnroe, Olympic gold medal swimmer Sharon Stouder Clark, water polo great Jody Campbell, football star George Buehler and track standout Otis Chandler They will be honored with a special halftime presentation.
TYRONE WILLINGHAM: Now in his third season as Stanford's head football coach, Tyrone Willingham enters Saturday's game with a 17-10-1 record at the helm He has led the Cardinal to consecutive bowl games and is only the third coach in Stanford history to lead the Cardinal to bowl games in each of his first two years on The Farm (the other two are Tiny Thornhill in 1933 and 34 and Bill Walsh in 1977 and 78) Named the 1995 Pac-10 Coach of the Year, Willingham was chosen as a candidate for the Bear Bryant Award by one pre-season magazine and was named the Best Coach in the Pac-10 by another publication.
IRISH MEMORIES: The Cardinal and Fighting Irish have played only 11 games against each other, but the series has produced some unforgettable moments The first time the two teams met was on January 1, 1925 in the Rose Bowl when Stanfords Ernie Nevers led his team against the Knute Rockne and Four Horsemen of Notre Dame Notre Dame won the game 27-10 and the national championship with a 10-0 record as Elmer Layden scored three TDs for the Irish Nevers turned in one of the most heroic games in Saturday, October 4, 1997 12:30 p.m. (pst)
GAME FACTS:
TV and Radio Information
TV ABC regional ,Live, 12:30 pm (pst)
Brad Nessler (play-by-play)
Gary Danielson (analyst)
Radio - KSFO (560 AM)
Ted Robinson (play-by-play),
Bob Murphy (analyst)
KZSU (90.1 FM) - student
Stanford in the National Polls
Date Record AP USAToday
pre -- 18th 18th
8/31 -- 17th 17th
9/7 1-0 17th 18th
9/14 1-1 21st 23rd
9/21 2-1 20th 22nd
9/28 3-1 19th 21st
Pac-10 Standings (pac-10/overall)
Washington State 2-0 4-0
Stanford 2-0 3-1
Arizona State 1-0 3-1
Oregon 1-1 3-1
UCLA 1-1 2-2
USC 1-1 1-2
Washington 0-0 2-1
California 0-1 2-1
Oregon State 0-2 1-2
Arizona 0-2 0-3
THE OPPONENT:
About Notre Dame
Location: Notre Dame, IN
Enrollment: 10,126
Nickname: Fighting Irish
Colors: Gold and Blue
Conference: Independent
Stadium: Notre Dame Stadium (80,225)
President: Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C.
Director of Athletics: Michael Wadsworth
Head Coach: Bob Davie
Record at Notre Dame: 1-3 (1st Year)
Career Record: Same
1997 Record: 1-3
1996 Record: 8-3
SID: John Heisler
Noting the Irish: Notre Dame, having lost three of its first four games, is off to one of its worst starts in the schools 111-year history ... Only five times during that span has the Fighting Irish lost three of its first four, the last instance occuring in 1986 - Lou Holtzs first year ... The current three-game losing streak is the longest since the 87 squad closed out the season with three consecutive setbacks, including a loss in the Cotton Bowl ... Notre Dame is led by quarterback Ron Powlus ... The four-year starter is 92-of-136 passing on the season for 896 yards and three touchdowns ... He has also thrown four picks ... Junior running back Autry Denson leads the Irish ground game with 306 yards (76.5 yds/g) and three touchdowns on 86 carries.
Head Coach Bob Davie: Bob Davie is in his first year at the helm of the Irish program and his first as a collegiate head coach ... Davie had spent the previous three seasons as Notre Dames defensive coordinator under Lou Holtz ... Prior to his arrival at Notre Dame, Davie spent nine seasons at Texas A&M, serving four years as the Aggies linebackers coach and five as defensive coordinator ... His defenses led the Southwest Conference in all four defensive statistical categories - total defense, rushing defense, scoring defense and pass efficiency defense - each of his last three seasons ... During his tenure at College Station, the Aggies posted an impressive 85-22 (.794) mark.
Series History: Following a two-year hiatus, Stanford and Notre Dame will resume a series which saw the two teams meet every year from 1988-94 ... The Cardinal and Irish first met in the 1925 Rose Bowl, a 27-10 Notre Dame victory ... The Irish hold an 8-3 series advantage.
The Last Time: Notre Dame defeated Stanford 34-15 in South Bend in 1994 ... Stanford took an early 3-0 lead on a 34-yard field goal by Eric Abrams, but it was all Notre Dame from that point on ... The Irish, led by Powlus three touchdown passes, ran off 34 unanswered points to seal the victory ... The Irish running game, tutored by current Cardinal running backs coach Earle Mosely, rambled for 263 yards on the day .
MEDIA SERVICES
Weekly Media Luncheon: A weekly press luncheon featuring Stanford head coach Tyrone Willingham and several players will take place every Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. in the Arrillaga Family Sports Center ... A teleconference with the opposing head coach will also take place.
Practices: All practices are open to media and fans unless otherwise noted ... Media credentials for field access are required and can be obtained by contacting the Media Relations Office ... Players and coaches will be available to the media for 15 minutes following each practice.
Willingham Availability: Monday through Thursday of each game week, Head Coach Tyrone Wilingham will be available for interviews between 2:45-3:15 pm... Please contact the Media Relations Office AT LEAST 24 hours in advance of your needs with your specific request ... Out-of-town phone interviews will also be conducted during this time period.
On-Line: Information and current press releases on all Cardinal athletic teams can be found on the Stanford homepage on the internet at www.gostanford.com. All Stanford football games are broadcast live on the internet through AudioNet. The broadcasts can be accessed through the Stanford homepage.
Photos Available on the Internet: Black and white head shots of all Stanford football players are available via the Stanford Athletic homepage at www.gostanford.com To access the files, go the the Stanford Athletics homepage, click on Sportsfinder then football and locate the requested player/coach.
Satellite Feed: The Pacific-10 Conference weekly satellite feed will begin on Wednesday, September 4 and continue through November 27 The half-hour feed includes feature highlights from the previous weekend games and interviews with selected head coaches Satellite feeds are held each Wednesday from 11:00-11:30 a.m. (pst) on Telstar 401, Transponder 3 (C-Band).
Stanford history, playing all 60 minutes and rushing for 114 yards just 10 days after the casts were removed from his two broken ankles On October 6, 1990, Stanford beat the No. 1 ranked Irish 36-31 in South Bend in a game that saw Notre Dame lead 24-7 in the second quarter Touchdown Tommy Vardell scored four TDs - all from a yard out - including the go-ahead score with 36 seconds remaining Two years later, on October 10, 1992, Stanford again went into South Bend and beat the favored Irish, this time defeating sixth-ranked Notre Dame 33-16 The Lou Holtz-led Irish built a 16-0 second quarter lead before the Bill Walsh-led Cardinal scored 33 unanswered points to win the game convincingly.
THE LAST NINE: Stanford has won eight of its last nine games dating back to last season when it finished the year by winning its final five games The Cardinal had the longest winning streak in the nation (six) before losing at North Carolina on Sept. 13 In the last nine games, however, Stanford has defeated UCLA, USC, Washington State, California, Michigan State in the Sun Bowl, San Jose State, Oregon State and Oregon with the only loss coming at North Carolina Stanford has averaged over 32 points per game during this time while winning the turnover battle 26-14 The Cardinal has also picked off 19 passes in the last nine games.
TROYS TALE: Junior flanker Troy Walters, who has been Stanfords most productive receiver in 97, came within one catch of tying the school record for most receptions in a game last Saturday vs. Oregon when he caught 13 balls for 169 yards and two TDs Walters now has 33 receptions for 483 yards (14.6 ypc) and is among the national and conference leaders in receptions per game and receiving yards He ranks fourth in the nation and second in the Pac-10 with 8.25 receptions/game and his 120.8 receiving yards/game places him seventh nationally and third in the conference His performance against Oregon places him in a three-way tie for fifth on Stanfords single-game receiving list Walters is also among the nations best punt returners His 13.2 average places him 20th in the nation and fourth in the Pac-10 and his 157 all-purpose yards per game ranks Walters sixth in the conference and 24th in the country.
Single Game Receptions 14 Eric Cross, 1972 14 Vincnt White, 1982 14 Brad Muster, 1985 14 Jim Price, 1989 13 Troy Walters, 1997 13 Gene Washington, 1968 13 Darrin Nelson, 1981
LOMBARDI FINALIST: Senior DE Kailee Wong is among the final 12 for the 1997 Lombardi Award, presented to the nations top lineman Wong, a First-Team All-Pac-10 selection last season, is attempting to become the first Cardinal defensive lineman since Duncan McColl in 1976 to earn All-America honors Through four games, Wong has recorded 17 total tackles, 4.5 quarterback sacks and seven tackles-for-loss In his last 15 games, he has accounted for 16.5 quarterback sacks and 28 tackles-for-loss A year ago, Wong tied for second in the Pac-10 with 12 quarterback sacks and was third in the league with 21 tackles-for-loss The Sporting News ranked Wong as the sixth best DE in the nation while Lindys ranked him ninth.
DYNAMIC DUO: Even though Anthony Bookman and Mike Mitchell are both among the top five rushers in Stanford football history, they had never before rushed for over 100 yards in the same game - until the last two games For the second straight week, Bookman and Mitchell both reached the 100-yard plateau Against Oregon, Bookman rushed for a career-best 150 yards on 17 carries while Mitchell gained an even 100 on 24 carries The week before at Oregon State, Bookman gained 120 yards on 14 attempts and Mitchell netted 102 on 18 carries The OSU game two weeks ago (Sept, 20) marked the first time a pair of Stanford running backs had rushed for over 100-yards in the same game since Glyn Milburn (9-106) and Tommy Vardell (29-114) on September 28, 1991 vs. Colorado Combined, Stanfords halfback tandem rushed for 472 yards on 73 carries (6.5 ypc) the past two games Mitchell, who is fourth on Stanfords all-time rushing list, raised his career total to 2,115 yards while Bookman, in fifth place, now has 2,061 career rushing yards Mitchell needs 64 yards to pass Milburn for third place on the schools all-time rushing list Bookman, who accounted for 236 all-purpose yards vs. Oregon, passed Mitchell for the No. 5 spot on the career all-purpose running chart with 3,324 yards Mitchell follows at No. 6 with 3,298 career all-purpose yards.
Career Yards Rushing 1. Darrin Nelson, 1977-81 4,033 2. Brad Muster, 1984-87 2,940 3. Glyn Milburn, 1990-92 2,178 4. Mike Mitchell, 1993-97 2,115 5. Anthony Bookman, 1994-97 2,061 6. Tommy Vardell, 1988-91 1,789 7. Ray Handley, 1963-65 1,768 8. Vincent White, 1979-82 1,689 9. Jon Volpe, 1987-90 1,674 10. Bill Tarr, 1953-55 1,593 Career All-Purpose Running 1. Darrin Nelson, 1977-81 6,885 2. Glyn Milburn, 1990-92 5,857 3. Vincent White, 1979-82 4,665 4. Brad Muster, 1984-87 4,624 5. Anthony Bookman, 1994-97 3,324 6. Mike Mitchell, 1993-97 3,298 7. Jeff James, 1984-87 2,659 8. Ron Inge, 1973-76 2,635 9. Mike Dotterer, 1979-82 2,541 10. Ken Margerum, 1977-80 2,495
BOOK REPORT:In four games this season, Anthony Bookman has already surpassed his rushing total for the entire 1996 season As a starter in 10 of 11 regular season games last year (Sun Bowl stats do not count toward season or career stats), Bookmans numbers looked like this: 82 carries, 274 yards, 3.3 average, no touchdowns, long run of 27 yards and 25 yards rushing per game In four games in 1997, Bookman has rushed for 338 yards, scored three touchdowns, is averaging 6.6 yards per carry and 84.5 yards per game with long runs of 60 and 67 yards.
Bookman - 1996 vs. 1997 Year Gms Att Yds Avg TD LG Yds/gm 1996 11 82 274 3.3 0 27 24.9 1997 4 51 338 6.6 3 67 85.5
TWO-SPORT STAR: Junior Chad Hutchinson (two years of eligibility remaining after the 97 season) is one of the top two-sport athletes in the nation A former first round draft pick in baseball (26th pick overall by Braves, June, 1995), Hutchinson is in his second season as Stanfords starting quarterback He has been a starting pitcher for the Cardinal baseball team the past two seasons (15-6 record) and will enter the 98 season as one of the top pitching prospects in college baseball He is eligibile for the major league baseball draft in June, 1998 following his junior season As a quarterback, Hutchinson entered the 97 football season rated by Lindys as the fifth best QB in the nation and number six in the nation by The Sporting News He began the 97 campaign by throwing for 302 yards in the season opener vs. San Jose State - the second 300-yard effort of his career He threw his third 300-yard game last Saturday vs. Oregon when he completed 21-of-31 for 340 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions The four TD passes were a career-best and tied him with several others for eighth place on Stanfords single-game TD passes list In his last two games, Hutchinson has completed 40-of-57 (.702) for 511 yards, five TDs and one interception In the last two years on The Farm, Hutchinson has participated in two bowl games (the 1995 Liberty Bowl as a redshirt freshman and the 96 Sun Bowl as the starting QB), two NCAA baseball regional playoffs and one College World Series, that coming last season He was a Freshman All-American in baseball in 1995 and last year he was the Offensive MVP of the Sun Bowl.
Season Sport Stats/Notes Fall 95 Football redshirt QB Spring 96 Baseball 7-2, 3.51, Freshman All-America Fall 96 Football starting QB, Sun Bowl MVP Spring 97 Baseball 8-4, 5.76, College World Series Fall 97 Football 74-127-1,004-7, 5 int.
NOTEBOOK
- Records dating back to 1965 indicate that no pair of Stanford record running backs have ever each rushed for 100-yards in back-to-back games as Anthony Bookman and Mike Mitchell have the past two weeks Prior to 1965, records are incomplete, but it is not likely that this feat has ever been accomplished at Stanford.
- Damon Dunn and Chad Hutchinson placed their names in the record book after hooking up on a 80-yard touchdown pass last Saturday vs. Oregon That ties them for the seventh longest TD pass play in Stanford history and the longest since a 91-yard TD play from Steve Stenstrom to Brian Manning in 1993.
- Kevin Miller regained his role as the Cardinals starting placekicker after relinquishing the job to junior Patrick Shinnefield in the Oregon State game Miller made both his field goal attempts last Saturday vs. Oregon and is 12-for-12 on extra points.
- Miller continues to lead the conference and is now fifth nationally with a 46.5 punting average The school record is 45.7 held by Doug Robison in 1987.
- ILB Chris Draft missed his second consecutive game last Saturday vs. Oregon due to a hamstring injury Draft had played in 37 straight games prior to his injury, including starting 24 of 26 He is listed as day-to-day for this weeks game with Notre Dame.
- QB Chad Hutchinson has thrown for 3,138 yards in his Cardinal career and is nearing the schools all-time top-10 list He is 418 yards shy of Mike Cordova (1973-76) for 10th place on the all-time passing list with 3,556 yards.
- RB Mike Mitchell scored his first TD of the season and 20th of his career, moving him into a tie for 8th place on Stanfords career TD list Mitchell is now tied with Justin Armour (1991-94) and Phil Moffatt (1929-31).
- Stanford has scored on eight consecutive trips in the Red Zone, six by TDs and two field goals The Cardinal has three-for-three (all TDs) vs. Oregon State and five-for-five (3 TDs, 2 FGs) vs. Oregon For the season, Stanford has scored 11 TDs and kicked three field goals in 18 trips in the Red Zone Cardinal opponents have scored 11 times in 13 trips in the Red Zone (9 TDs, 2 FGs).
- Stanford running backs coach Earle Mosley, in his first season on The Farm, was the running backs coach at Notre Dame for five seasons (1992-96) under Lou Holtz Mosley was a member of the Irish staff in 92 when the Cardinal beat Notre Dame 33-16 .
- Irish head coach Bob Davie was the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M in 1992 when the Aggies beat Stanford, in Bill Walshs first game back, 10-7 in the Pigskin Classic.
FIRST TIME SINCE... In a game that produced 107 points and 1,108 yards in total offense, there were a number of first time sinces The 107 points set a new school record for most points in a game, breaking the old mark of 98 set in 1981 (62-36 loss to ASU) Stanfords 58 points scored were the most since a 63-9 win over Oregon State in 1981 The 578 yards in total offense by the Cardinal were the most since the 1981 ASU game when Stanford produced 593 yards in total offense The 236 yards rushing by the Cardinal were the most in a regular season game since a 246-yard effort vs. Cal in 1995 (Stanford gained 257 on the ground in last years Sun Bowl vs. Michigan State).STANFORD INDIVIDUAL STAT RANKINGS (NCAA top-50 only) Name Category Avg. Pac-10 NCAA Chad Hutchinson Total Offense 230.25 5th 33rd Chad Hutchinson Passing Efficiency 135.0 7th 34th Troy Walters Receptions 8.25 2nd 4th Troy Walters Receiving Yards 120.75 3rd 7th Troy Walters Punt Returns 13.18 4th 20th Troy Walters All-Purpose Yards 157.0 6th 24th Anthony Bookman Kickoff Returns 31.8 2nd 4th Anthony Bookman All-Purpose Yards 133.50 9th 41st Kevin Miller Punting 46.55 1st 5th Than Merrill Interceptions/gm .50 t6th t33rd
STANFORD-NOTRE DAME STAT COMPARISON (ncaa rank)
Stanford Notre Dame
3-1......................................Record...........................1-3
19th / 21st.............................Ranking..........................none
32.5 (t 22nd)...................... Points/game.......................13.8 (107th)
28.3 (81st).................... Pt.s. Allowed/game...................21.3 (47th)
575............................... ...Yards Rushing......................528
143.8 (58th).................. Yards Rushing/game.....................132.0 (66th)
129.3 (50th)......... Yards Allowed Rushing/game...................175.0 (83rd)
9.......................................Rushing TDs.........................4
74................................Pass Completions..........................92
127...................................Pass Attempts.........................137
5...................................Passes Had Intercepted...................4
7...................................Touchdown Passes.........................3
1004..................................Yards Passing.........................896
251.0 (30th)................. Yards Passing/game.....................224.0 (48th)
127.7 (69th)............... Pass Defense Rating.......................126.4 (63rd)
394.8 (37th)............... Total Offense/game.......................356.0 (t64th)
375.3 (73rd).......... Total Offense Allowed/game...................369.5 (71st)
15.5/92................................ QB Sacks By.........................7/40