Notre Dame's Passing Offense Takes Next Step in Stanford Blowout

Notre Dame’s passing offense showed significant improvement in a dominant win over Stanford, setting the tone for the rest of the season.

Oct 12, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) throws a pass for a touchdown as Stanford Cardinal safety Mitch Leigber (32) defends in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Notre Dame looked like a much more competent passing operation against the Cardinal

Entering this contest, I wrote and spoke about how vulnerable Stanford's passing defense was. With rankings in the 120s, this unit is truly one of the worst in the country and I was hopeful that Notre Dame could take advantage of this and come out of the break with a more effective passing game that instilled confidence for the second part of the year.

The Irish did just that. Riley Leonard passed for 229 yards and had 3 passing TDs, 1 each to Kris Mitchell, Jayden Thomas, and Eli Raridon. It was terrific to see this increase in production and to see this group of players be involved in scores.

The Legends Trophy is staying in South Bend ☘️#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/mVw0pboqdR

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 13, 2024

What Notre Dame did to Stanford is what good teams do

I realize that some folks will be reluctant to indulge in too much celebration after this win. After all, Notre Dame was a 23.5-point favorite. I understand this sentiment, I really do, but disagree with it. This performance, especially offensively, is a big step in the right direction.

Notre Dame blew out a team it was heavily favored over at home. Unlike the last time Stanford was in town. And unlike the first home game of the year.

This is a big step forward for the program. Good teams are capable of completely blowing out lesser teams. Notre Dame showed it could do that today. This will instill confidence. Confidence that will be needed to go 6-0 the rest of the way.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

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