Notebook: Notre DameNotebook: Notre Dame
Bob Drebin / isiphotos.com
Football

Notebook: Notre Dame

STANFORD, Calif. – For the first time in series history, No. 7 Stanford (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12) and No. 8 Notre Dame (4-0) collide Saturday when both are ranked in the AP top 10. The 4:30 p.m. PT game from Notre Dame, Indiana, will be televised on NBC.

The Cardinal has captured the last two meetings, but the past 14 have been split. Each of the last three at Notre Dame Stadium has been decided by seven points or less.

"The rivalry has been really good and the games have been outstanding over the years," David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football said Tuesday. "A lot of late -game victories on both sides, a lot of great players on both sides, so no wonder this game every year has been one of the highest-rated games to watch."

For the second straight week, Stanford will see a sea of green in a stadium. After a sluggish start at Oregon, the Cardinal rallied for a stirring 38-31 overtime victory, making clutch plays at the end.

"That's a testament to our guys being resilient," Shaw said. "The key now is to play like that in the first quarter and not wait until we're 17 points down. That's the key for us to take the next step and play a very, very good team on the road and see if we can play at that level for four quarters and not a quarter-and-a-half."

Coming from behind: The Cardinal trailed Oregon 24-7 at halftime, then outscored the Ducks, 31-7. Where does Saturday's comeback rank?

Since 1996, Stanford's biggest turnaround came after facing a 21-0 intermission deficit at USC in 1999, with the Cardinal winning, 35-31. Last week's 17-point comeback ranks second.

On four occasions, Stanford has reversed 14-point, fourth-quarter deficits: against Washington State in 1996 (33-17); against Arizona in 2012 (54-48 in OT); at Oregon in 2001 (49-42); and against Washington State in 1998 (38-28). . 
 


Heavy heart: On game days, senior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside from Inman, South Carolina, always receives a call from his mother, Valorie, who shares a good luck message from his grandmother, Lonnie Means. Last Saturday, she sent a video.

"She was in and out of the hospital," he said of his grandmother. "I talked to her a little bit before the game. She said score two if not three touchdowns for me. I love you."

Arcega-Whiteside caught two.

Sunday morning, she passed away.

"After the game, I found out she was in critical condition," said Arcega-Whiteside. "It was just so fast."

They were close.

"I saw her every day for eight years," he said. "Before school, I went to her house and she cooked breakfast for me and my brother. Before every (high school) game, I went to her office and hung out, and she would always come to my games. It's weird how everything works out."

National leader: After breaking up three passes against Oregon – three in overtime -- sophomore cornerback Paulson Adedo ranks No. 1 in the country in pass breakups with 11. The first-year starter also has 22 tackles, tied for third on the squad.

"We felt there was a possibility that he would be playing at this level," said veteran defensive backs coach Duane Akina. "He's still learning but is a talented young man. He's got length, speed, toughness and a great worth ethic."

The 6-1, 189-pound Adedo played defensive back and wide receiver at Mansfield High School in Texas and was a consensus four-star recruit. During his last two years, he caught 66 passes for 1,224 yards and scored 11 touchdowns, and collected 128 tackles, broke up 19 passes and had eight interceptions.

"Where he's lucky, he's got some older guys like Mailk (Antoine), Frank (Buncom) and Alijah (Holder) that are great models for him on how to prepare," Akina said.

Playing in his first college road game, Paulson was tested by Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert and helped preserve the win by defending three end zone passes in overtime.

"When you run in the Texas state track meet and you play in the (football) playoffs in front of 30,000 people, that environment was not too big for him," said Akina. "He's playing with great confidence, but he'll have another big challenge on Saturday."


Happy returns: Junior offensive guard/tackle Devery Hamilton, junior running back Trevor Speights and fifth-year senior strong safety/special teams ace Brandon Simmons are expected to play.

Going home: Junior defensive end Jovan Swann hails from Greenwood, Indiana, and was a die-hard Michigan fan. He wasn't recruited by the Wolverines or Notre Dame and jumped at the chance to play at Stanford.

"I wasn't really surprised or bummed," Swann said. "It was God's plan for me to be out here."

Swann is trying to become a force up front. He shares the team lead with 4.5 tackles for loss -- including three sacks -- has 16 tackles and two pass break ups.

"I'm working to be that guy," said Swann, a human biology major who hopes to become a chiropractor.

Swann has shown good flashes and Shaw likes his explosiveness.

"When he plays at a high level, he's tough to block," said Shaw.

Stepping up: Prior to facing UC Davis, Shaw surprised sophomore walk-on free safety Noah Williams with a scholarship after practice. The Phoenix, Arizona native showed why against Oregon, forcing a late fourth-quarter fumble that led to a game-tying field goal as regulation time expired.

"That was pretty awesome," Swann said. "Big players make big-time plays. He earned the scholarship."

Room for improvement: The offensive line has been slowed by injuries and penalties, but Shaw expects more from the group.

"We still have some inconsistency up front," he said. "Yesterday, we talked about individual accountability. It's about taking the proper footwork, taking the proper targets, and then once you're blocking a guy, he's got to stay blocked. These guys are not blocking dummies … they're going to fight to get off."

Stanford has rushed for only three touchdowns, with Bryce Love supplying two in the three games he has played in.

"We still have one of the most explosive backs in America," said Shaw.  "He's only gotten a couple of legitimate shots to make plays and that's got to increase."

Fifth-year senior center Jesse Burkett has played at Notre Dame and knows the key to winning is execution and minimizing mistakes.

"We've really got to be locked into the details," he said.

Legends Trophy: Stanford has housed the Legends Trophy for the past three seasons. It is awarded to the winner of the Stanford-Notre Dame rivalry series, named in honor of the 1925 Rose Bowl meeting which was said by sportswriters to contain more legends on one field than had ever played the game. The trophy was created by the Notre Dame Club of the San Francisco Bay Area, appropriately made from Northern California redwood with an Irish crystal bowl.

Jump start: Fall classes began Monday, 24 days into the season. Swann and other veterans have reached out to help the underclassmen get comfortable and have stressed the importance of getting ahead with homework, meeting with professors, eating healthy, getting rest and time management.

All first-year scholarship players were on campus for summer school.

"We have young guys coming in that have an idea what they're interested in studying and some guys don't," he said. "Just as the older guys helped me before – Harrison Phillips, Solomon Thomas and Eric Cotton – they all put in their two cents, and that's what we're trying to do from the top down and instill in them that school matters a lot."
 


Fun fact: Fifth-year senior offensive tackle A.T. Hall from Glendale, Arizona likes to rebuild cars and computers in his spare time. He's majoring in science, technology and society.

On tap: Stanford returns home next Saturday to host Utah. Kickoff time will be determined later this week but is slated for 4:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.
The game will recognize Breast Cancer Awareness and Sexual and Relationship Violence Awareness. In addition, Stanford men's and women's teams will receive their Capital One Cups for claiming the best overall programs in the country in 2017-18. The 2018 NCAA champion women's swimming and diving team will also be honored.
 


Extra points: Stanford ranks No. 10 nationally in scoring defense at 13.5 point per game and has allowed 7.5 in the second half … Love made his first career start at Notre Dame in 2016 in place of injured Christian McCaffrey and rushed for 129 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown to seal a 17-10 win. In two games against the Irish, he's run for 254 yards … Junior quarterback K.J. Costello tossed four scoring passes against Notre Dame last year ... Most recent 4-0 starts for the Cardinal: 2010, 2011, 2013 ... Stanford's 29 fourth-and fifth-year seniors are the most of any Pac-12 team.

Quotable
"It takes all 11 guys to have a successful play." - Jesse Burkett