Sundays With SoltauSundays With Soltau
Bob Drebin / isiphotos.com
Football

Sundays With Soltau

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After sustaining its first loss of the season, Stanford seeks to stay unbeaten in Pac-12 play on Saturday when it hosts Utah at 7:30 p.m. in a nationally-televised game on ESPN.

The Cardinal (4-1, 2-0) couldn't keep up with No. 8 Notre Dame (5-0) on a crisp Saturday evening, falling 38-17, in front of a noisy crowd of 77,622 at Notre Dame Stadium.  

After fighting back to tie the game at 14-14 in the second quarter, Stanford allowed a touchdown in the closing minute of the half and couldn't get untracked after intermission, snapping a three-game winning streak against the Fighting Irish in the first meeting when both were ranked in the AP top 10.

Notre Dame had its way on both sides of the ball, out-gaining the Cardinal, 550-229, including a 272-55 disparity on the ground, and collected 20 more first downs.

"As a team, we pride ourselves on being physically dominant," said Stanford junior quarterback K.J. Costello, under duress most of the night and sacked five times. "Where do we go from here? There's no magic formula. We're going to go back to work. I'm excited to get back on the field."

The Cardinal hung tough through three quarters but managed only a field goal after the break.

"We've got to run the ball better and we've got to be able to stop the run," said David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football. "They're pretty straightforward things that we take pride in."

Stanford converted only three of 13 times third down, while Notre Dame finished nine of 17.

Shaw said everyone is accountable for the offense to become more consistent and perform at a high level. Penalties continue to hamper the unit and the Cardinal committed seven all told.

"It's not just the offensive line," he said. "It takes all 11 guys. It's the whole group."
 


Mutual respect: Notre Dame regained the Legends Trophy for the first time since 2014.

"I respect that team," said senior wide receiver Trenton Irwin, who caught five passes for 57 yards. "I know a lot of them from high school. It's always going to be a battle. You know what you're getting when you play Notre Dame."

In just his second start, Fighting Irish quarterback Ian Book burned Stanford for four touchdown passes and scrambled for 47 yards.

"He's a dynamic player," said senior inside linebacker Sean Barton. "He made some big-time plays."

The Cardinal trapped Book behind the line of scrimmage several times, but he proved an effective scrambler and Notre Dame did not commit a turnover.

Love update: Senior running back Bryce Love worked hard for 73 yards and delivered a 39-yard scoring run in the first quarter. He left the field early in the fourth quarter and his status for Utah is unknown.
 


Bailey clutch: Senior punter Jake Bailey impressed again, averaging 45.6 yards on eight punts and crushed a 64-yarder. Late in the first half, he pooched a nice punt that Stanford just missing downing at the Notre Dame one-yard line.

Serving as a holder on field goals and extra points, Bailey made a great grab of a high snap to enable junior Jet Toner to boot a 46-yard field goal late in the third quarter, matching his career long.

 


Tackling leader: Fifth-year senior cornerback Alijah Holder finished with a game-high 10 tackles.
 


Scouting the Utes: Utah (2-2, 0-2) lost at Washington State on Saturday, 28-24, despite holding the Cougars to zero yards rushing. Junior quarterback Tyler Huntley threw for 118 yards and ran for 88 on 17 carries for the Utes, who also received 106 in 30 carries on the ground from Zack Moss.

It marks the ninth meeting between Stanford and Utah, with each winning four games. The Cardinal won in Salt Lake City last year, 23-20, ending a three-game losing streak to the Utes. Love ran for 152 yards and produced the game-winner on a 68-yard scoring burst in the fourth quarter.

The contest will recognize Breast Cancer Awareness and Sexual and Relationship Violence Awareness. Special Set The Expectation t-shirts will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
 
Prior to the opening kickoff, there will be a special visit from the Leap Frogs U.S. Navy Parachute Team.
 
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: Senior JJ Arcega-Whiteside caught his eighth touchdown pass of the season, making a leaping four-yard catch in the end zone in the second quarter … For the third consecutive game, sophomore wide receiver Osiris St. Brown contributed a big reception, hauling in a 45-yarder from Costello … Paul Ormond '71, MBA '73, former Stanford trustee and president, CEO and chairman of HCR ManorCare, served as honorary captain.

Quotable: "At the end of the day, we've just got to play better." - K.J. Costello