Audric Estime Leads Notre Dame To Dominant Win Over Stanford

Notre Dame running back Audric Estime had a record setting night in a 56-23 win at Stanford

Audric Estime was snubbed by the Doak Walker Award earlier this week. The Notre Dame running back has been one of the top backs in the nation all year, but the organization that hands out the award to the nation’s top back every year didn’t deem him good enough to be named one of its 10 semifinalists for the honor.

Bet.

Estime took out his anger on Stanford on Saturday night in Palo Alto, rushing for a career-high 238 yards and four touchdowns to put an exclamation point on what could be his last college football season while leading the Irish (9-3) to a 56-23 win over the hapless Cardinal (3-9).

The junior running back now has a decision to make on whether or not he will declare for the NFL draft. He exited the game with 1,341 yards this season, which moved him into 5th place in Notre Dame history. He is just two yards behind Reggie Brooks for 4th place. Estime's 18 touchdown runs this season are a single season school record.

The only thing that gave Stanford a fighting chance early in the game were Notre Dame turnovers. The Cardinal scored 10 points off three first-half turnovers and 17 points off turnovers in the game after a late second-half score. The Irish committed four turnovers on the night and had allowed just 16 points off turnovers in their first 11 games of the season.

The Fighting Irish offense scored on all but two possessions in which they didn't turn the ball over. The first was a punt with 7:13 to play in the game and the second was when they took a knee to end the game. 

Stanford faced 3rd and 1 on the game’s opening possession and switched from starting quarterback Ashton Daniels to Justin Lamson. The sophomore took the direct snap and ran into the line but broke free to his right and scrambled 49 yards to the Irish 17. Daniels came back and was sacked on second down by Marist Liufau. He scrambled on 3rd and 18 and Stanford settled for a 34-yard field goal.

Notre Dame’s first drive started with promise. Estime gained nine yards on first down. After Sam Hartman hit Rico Flores for a short gaine and a first down, he scrambled for 25 yards on the next play but fumbled, giving the Cardinal the ball at its own 36.

Keyed by a sack by Rylie Mills, the Irish defense forced a punt. It took just four plays for Notre Dame to cover 78 yards to find the end zone on a 39-yard run by Estime. The bruising back carried two other times for 13 more yards on the drive that gave the Irish a 7-3 lead.

Stanford’s offense hit another explosive play when Daniels scrambled right and hit EJ Smith, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith for a 53-yard gain to the Irish 21. The drive stalled at the six and Josh Karty hit his second field goal of the first quarter to make it 7-6.

Jadarian Price dropped the ensuing kickoff but opted to return it. He fumbled at the 30 for the second Irish turnover of the quarter. It took Stanford just two plays to score when Daniels handed to Tiger Bachmeier on an end around that went 14 yards to the end zone, giving Stanford a 13-7 advantage.

The Irish offense kept the pace by marching 75 yards in 10 plays for a second touchdown drive. Hartman capped it after a play fake when he hit Jaden Greathouse for a 15-yard score to put the Irish back on top 14-13.

Hartman committed Notre Dame’s third turnover of the first half with an interception by Che Ojarike to give the Cardinal the ball at the Irish 38. Notre Dame’s defense stuff three plays, but Karty booted a 56-yard field goal to put Stanford back on top 16-13.

Estime was a workhorse when the Irish got the ball back. He carried on the first three plays of the drive for 28 yards and then went to the sideline for a breather. He came back on with the Irish facing 4th and 1 at the Stanford 38 and used a stiff arm to burst around the left for a 10-yard gain and then scored from six yards out three plays later to make it 21-16 Irish with 3:53 to play in the first half.

The Fighting Irish finally forced a turnover of their own when Jack Kiser intercepted Daniels deep in Irish territory. Notre Dame took possession with 1:25 to play in the half at their own 44.

Notre Dame hit the end zone again nine plays later when Gi’Bran Payne scored from three yards out. He was originally ruled to have fumbled while reaching for the end zone, but replay overturned the call and ruled the ground caused the fumble and Notre Dame led 28-16.

Estime had 140 yards on 14 carries in the first half while Hartman was 6 of 11 for 83 yards in the half. Stanford had 67 rushing yards on 13 carries with 115 passing yards for Daniels in the half.

Estime scored his third touchdown of the night at the end of the first drive of the second half. He carried the ball seven times for 58 yards, including a five-yard score that tied him with Irish greats Allen Pinkett and Vegas Ferguson for the single season Notre Dame record with 17.

The Irish scored again quickly after taking over at the Stanford 45 after the Cardinal was stopped on a 4th and 1 incomplete pass. Hartman hit Jordan Faison on a 45-yard touchdown pass on the next play to make it 42-16 Irish.

Estime scored his fourth touchdown of the night on a 25-yard run on Notre Dame’s next drive, which again started after Stanford was stopped after going for it on 4th and 1. The record setting touchdown made it 49-16 and Javontae Jean-Baptiste turned the game into a total blowout when he returned a blocked punt 60 yards for a score to make it 56-16.

Jaylen Sneed forced a fumble that Ramon Henderson recovered after a run by Ari Patu on the third play of Stanford’s ensuing drive. The Irish took over at the Cardinal 48.

Steve Angeli entered the game at quarterback to start Notre Dame’s next possession. He threw his first career interception on a short throw to his right on the first play of the drive.

Hartman finished his 57th career start by going 8 of 14 for 140 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He has a 159.4 single season passer rating, which would be third all-time behind Jimmy Clausen (2009) and Bob Williams (1949) who each had ratings of 161.4. His two touchdown passes give him 134 in his career, tying former Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell for No. 3 all-time. 

Stanford turned the Angeli interception into a touchdown run by Lamson, who scored from four yards out to make it 56-23. Notre Dame’s first punt of the night followed after three consecutive handoffs resulted in in a three and out.

Notre Dame ended the night with 521 total yards to top 500 yards of total offense for the fourth time this season. 

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