SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Riley Leonard threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead No. 11 Notre Dame to a 49-7 win over Stanford on Saturday.
Leonard was 16 of 22 passing for 229 yards and three scores, and rushed six times for 31 yards and a TD.
The game was stopped at the end of the third quarter due to lighting in the area, with Notre Dame ahead 42-7. Play resumed after a delay of about an hour.
Notre Dame (5-1) shut down Stanford’s offense and posted eight tackles for loss, four quarterback sacks and a lost fumble. The Fighting Irish also stopped Stanford three times on fourth-down attempts.
Stanford (2-4), which was making its third trip to the Eastern time zone in four weeks, scored first. The Cardinal drove 63 yards on their first possession and took a lead when quarterback Justin Lamson scored on a one-yard run. It marks the fourth time this season that the Cardinal has scored the first points of the game.
Leonard and Notre Dame responded with a 75-yard drive. Leonard scored on a six-yard run to even the score.
Notre Dame built a 21-7 lead by halftime by cashing in on two failed fourth down attempts by Stanford. Jayden Thomas grabbed a 15-yard toss from Leonard for one score, and Kris Mitchell caught a five-yard scoring pass from Leonard.
Notre Dame’s defense set up the next touchdown, putting the Fighting Irish firmly in command at 28-7. Defensive end Joshua Burnham deflected a pitch by Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels and hauled it in before rumbling 15 yards to the Cardinal 17. Two plays later, Jadarian Price raced 16 yards for the score.
Ashton Daniels went 8 for 13 for 74 yards and rushed 14 times for 42 yards. Lamson was 2 for 4 for 13 yards with Stanford's lone rushing touchdown. Chris Davis Jr. carried 10 times for 45 yards to lead the ground game. Stanford also had a redshirt freshman lead the way in receiving yards (Cisse - 29).
A number of young players made got a chance to play on defense. Jshawn Frausto-Ramos set a new career-high with seven tackles, and he forced and recovered a fumble in the second quarter. He also did this in the first quarter against Notre Dame in 2023. Brandon Nicholson received time at corner at recorded the first three collegiate tackles of his career.
Stanford hosts SMU on Saturday.