The Opening Kickoff
• Stanford makes its third trip to the Eastern Time Zone in the last four weeks, taking on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 pm PT on NBC and streamed on Peacock.
• Saturday is a non-conference game for the Cardinal after playing its first three ACC games over the last three weeks. Stanford won its inaugural ACC game at Syracuse on Sept. 20.
• Stanford's defense has been much-improved in 2024. Last year, the Cardinal defense allowed 461.7 yards per game, the most in program history. This season, they are limiting opponents to just 358.6 yards per game, a difference of over 100 yards per game.
• A theme of Stanford in wins under Coach Taylor has been the Card's ability to stop the run. Stanford is allowing an average of just 36.4 rushing yards per game to opponents in wins since the start of the 2023 season, or 182 yards in five games. Through six weeks of the 2024 season, Stanford's run defense ranks 12th in FBS and is second in the ACC, allowing just 88.2 rushing yards per game.
• Young players have been making an impact for the Cardinal all season long. Freshman running back Micah Ford has been the team's leading rusher over the last three games, with 216 yards since the start of ACC play, and threw a touchdown pass vs. Virginia Tech. The top two receivers for Stanford are underclassmen, with Elic Ayomanor (R-So.) and Ismael Cisse (R-Fr.) combining for 46 receptions, 503 yards, and five touchdowns.
• A number of defensive players racked up career-bests in tackles last week against Virginia Tech. The leading tacklers on the team, Tristan Sinclair and Gaethan Bernadel, tied for the team lead with 12 apiece. For Sinclair, it was a career-best, while it was a Stanford-best for Bernadel, who had 15 in a game while at FIU. Scotty Edwards (10) and Tevarua Tafiti (8) also posted new career highs in tackles.
• Stanford and Notre Dame are playing for The Legends Trophy this weekend. The Cardinal most recently won this coveted trophy after its trip to Notre Dame Stadium in 2022, beating the Fighting Irish 16-14. The rivalry has been nearly split over the last decade-plus, with Stanford winning eight of the last 14 games against Notre Dame.