Notre Dame takes on Stanford in the battle for the Legends Trophy on Saturday afternoon in South Bend. After rolling off 3 straight wins following the loss to Northern Illinois – along with the absolute carnage inflicted on top ranked teams this weekend – the Fighting Irish are very much alive for a College Football Playoff berth. However, Marcus Freeman will need to have his team focused against a well-coached Stanford team that is better than the one that defeated Notre Dame in South Bend in 2022.
SERIES HISTORY
Notre Dame and Stanford met for the first time when Knute Rockne and the famed Four Horsemen traveled West to take on Pop Warner ’s Stanford Cardinal in the 1925 Rose Bowl. After only playing a few times over the next six decades, the series resumed in 1988 and since then, Notre Dame and Stanford have played each year except 1995, 1996, and 2020.
As Irish fans know, Rockne started the tradition of ending every season with a game in California to aid West Coast recruiting efforts. With Notre Dame wrapping up the season at USC this year, the Stanford game returns to its mid-October slot in South Bend.
Notre Dame leads the all-time series with Stanford 23-14. Stanford was Brian Kelly ’s nemesis during his tenure, as Kelly finished with a losing 5-6 record against the Cardinal, and Marcus Freeman has started his career 1-1 against Stanford, avenging the loss in his first season with a victory on The Farm last year.
RESULTS SINCE 2000
2023 – Notre Dame 56 , Stanford 23 (Away)
2022 – Stanford 16, Notre Dame 14 (Home)
2021 – Notre Dame 45 , Stanford 14 (Away)
2019 – Notre Dame 45 , Stanford 24 (Away)
2018 – Notre Dame 38 , Stanford 17 (Home)
2017 – Stanford 38, Notre Dame 20 (Away)
2016 – Stanford 17, Notre Dame 10 (Home)
2015 – Stanford 38, Notre Dame 36 (Away)
2014 – Notre Dame 17 , Stanford 14 (Home)
2013 – Stanford 27, Notre Dame 20 (Away)
2012 – Notre Dame 20 , Stanford 13 (Home)
2011 – Stanford 28, Notre Dame 14 (Away)
2010 – Stanford 37, Notre Dame 14 (Home)
2009 – Stanford 45, Notre Dame 38 (Away)
2008 – Notre Dame 28 , Stanford 21 (Home)
2007 – Notre Dame 21 , Stanford 13 (Away)
2006 – Notre Dame 31 , Stanford 10 (Home)
2005 – Notre Dame 38 , Stanford 31 (Away)
2004 – Notre Dame 23 , Stanford 15 (Home)
2003 – Notre Dame 57 , Stanford 7 (Away)
2002 – Notre Dame 31 , Stanford 7 (Home)
2001 – Stanford 17, Notre Dame 13 (Away)
2000 – Notre Dame 20 , Stanford 14 (Home)
NOTABLE GAMES
2023 – Notre Dame 56, Stanford 23
Audric Estime ran for a career high 238 yards and 4 touchdowns in his final game in a Notre Dame uniform as the Fighting Irish rolled Stanford 56-23 on the road, capping off a 9-3 regular season. After Notre Dame trailed 13-7 after the first quarter due to some sloppy play in the opening period (the Irish would finish with 4 turnovers), they outscored Stanford 42-3 in the second and third quarters en route to the blowout victory. In total, the Fighting Irish rolled up 381 rushing yards on the ground and even though QB Sam Hartman completed just 8 passes, he did throw for 2 scores, including a 45-yard strike to WR Jordan Faison . One of the biggest takeaways from the game was Marcus Freeman ’s body language on the sideline – Freeman was visibly frustrated, despite his team’s dominance, because his team was finally showing its promise – but unfortunately too little, too late, making the 2023 season a squandered opportunity. The loss ended a 3-9 season for Stanford, though the team did show promise in head coach Troy Taylor ’s first season, while Notre Dame would defeat Oregon State in the Sun Bowl to give Freeman his first double-digit win season.
2022 – Stanford 16, Notre Dame 14
Notre Dame was lethargic all night as the Cardinal seized control of the game early and led 13-0 until Audric Estime scored on a 10-yard run with 8:44 remaining in the third quarter to pull the Irish within a score. After Notre Dame’s defense forced a turnover on downs, Drew Pyne found Tobias Merriweather for a 41-yard touchdown pass to give Notre Dame a 14-13 lead and seemingly all the momentum. However, the Cardinal responded with a 10-play, 51-yard drive to retake the lead with a Joshua Karty field goal, and Estime fumbled on the Stanford 21-yard line on the ensuring drive. Notre Dame got one final shot, but turned the ball over on downs with 1:04 remaining, giving Stanford its first win in 2022 over an FBS opponent. The shocking upset seemed to wake up the Notre Dame locker room though, as the Fighting Irish ripped off 5 consecutive wins after the loss before falling to USC in the season finale.
2021 – Notre Dame 45, Stanford 14
Jack Coan threw for 345 yards and 2 TDs and Kyren Williams added another 2 scores on the ground as Notre Dame wrapped up an 11-1 regular season in style with a 45-14 victory at Stanford, one in which Notre Dame outgained the Cardinal 509-227. The Irish led 24-0 at halftime and coasted to the easy win, keeping alive the chance for a second straight CFP berth heading into to Championship Weekend. However, the week after the 2021 Stanford game was one of the wildest in modern Notre Dame history and massively overshadowed anything that had happened on the field. News broke early the following week that Brian Kelly was leaving Notre Dame to take the LSU coaching job. By that Friday – just 6 days after the game – Marcus Freeman was announced as the 30 th head coach in Notre Dame history.
2019 – Notre Dame 45, Stanford 24
Notre Dame achieved its third straight double-digit win season with a 45-24 win. This victory was the first for the Irish at Stanford since 2007. Notre Dame got off to a slow start and trailed 17-7 with 6:16 left in the first half when freshman DE Isaiah Foskey blocked a punt. The Irish recovered on the one-yard line, scored on a touchdown pass from QB Ian Book to TE Tommy Tremble , and would put up 31 unanswered points to take control of the game.
2018 – Notre Dame 38, Stanford 17
Notre Dame ended a three-game losing streak against Stanford when the 8 th -ranked Irish blew out the 7 th -ranked Cardinal. In just his second start of the season since taking over for Brandon Wimbush , Ian Book threw for 278 yards and four TDs. RB Dexter Williams came back from a four-game suspension to rush for 161 yards – including a 45-yard touchdown on his first carry of the season – and WR Miles Boykin had eleven catches for 144 yards. This game flipped the entire nature of the series, as for the first time in years, Notre Dame was by far and away the more physical team. The Irish defense held Stanford to just 229 yards and had five sacks, nine TFLs, and eight passes broken up.
2016 – Stanford 17, Notre Dame 10
Notre Dame lost 17-10 to Stanford to fall to 2-5 in the forgettable 2016 season. What this game is remembered for is the postgame interaction between Brian Kelly and one of the Stanford strength coaches. Apparently, the Stanford strength coach told Kelly “bye, bye” after the game, speaking to how heated this rivalry has become. Kelly got the last word though, as after the season, he completely overhauled the program, which has resulted in five straight double-digit win seasons, while Stanford has become an afterthought nationally.
2015 – Stanford 38, Notre Dame 36
Brian Van Gorder ’s Notre Dame defense squandered the Irish’s first chance at a College Football Playoff berth. QB DeShone Kizer had a monster game with 234 passing yards and 128 rushing yards and led the Irish offense on a fifteen-play, 88-yard drive to take a 36-35 lead with thirty seconds remaining. However, the defense allowed Stanford to drive 45 yards in just 24 seconds, and Conrad Ukropina drilled a 45-yard field goal as time expired to give Stanford a 38-36 win. The Irish would go on to lose to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
2014 – Notre Dame 17, Stanford 14
Notre Dame moved to 5-0 as QB Everett Golson found TE Ben Koyack in the corner of the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown on fourth down, and then Jaylon Smith and the Irish defense sealed the win. Notre Dame would defeat North Carolina 50-43 the following week before dropping a heartbreaker at Florida State.
2012 – Notre Dame 20, Stanford 13
In one of the biggest games on campus since the 2005 matchup with USC – even College Gameday was there – Notre Dame overcame a downpour and 10-3 and 13-10 deficits in the fourth quarter to force overtime. After QB Tommy Rees threw a touchdown pass to WR T.J. Jones on the opening drive of overtime, the Notre Dame defense – led by All-American LB Manti Te’o – stonewalled RB Stepfan Taylor four times on the goal line to secure the win.
2009 – Stanford 45, Notre Dame 38
The Charlie Weis tenure had started with so much promise but ended in disappointment. As was typical of the Weis era, the Irish played hard and had offensive success (with Jimmy Clausen throwing for 340 yards and five TDs) but were absolutely dominated in the trenches. Stanford RB Toby Gerhart had 205 yards rushing and three TDs to help the Cardinal overcome a 38-30 fourth quarter deficit and pull out a 45-38 victory. Weis would be fired two days later and end his Notre Dame career with a 35-27 record.
1925 – Notre Dame 27, Stanford 10
In Notre Dame’s first-ever matchup with Stanford and first-ever (and only) Rose Bowl appearance, Knute Rockne and the Four Horseman defeated Pop Warner ’s Cardinal team 27-10 on January 1, 1925. Elmer Layden ran for three touchdowns as the Irish put a cherry on top of their first national championship.
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