Notre Dame Football: 4 reasons the Irish will beat Stanford in Week 5
By Dana Becker
Brian Kelly hasn’t always pushed the right buttons with Notre Dame football, but the head coach did last week when he tabbed Ian Book the starting quarterback.
Now, after leading the Fighting Irish past Wake Forest, Book will be put to the biggest test of his career when Stanford visits South Bend for a Top-10 showdown on Saturday night.
Book accounted for five touchdowns and over 350 yards of total offense, completing 25-of-34 passes. Not bad for a debut under center against a Power Five school.
The Irish run game also seemed to get on track, albeit vs. Wake Forest, as they averaged six yards per carry and scored six touchdowns on 40 attempts. Three different players, including Book, ran for at least 43 yards, with four having seven-or-more carries and averaging at least 4.3 yards per crack.
Stanford, though, will be a completely different beast. The Cardinal have already scored wins over Pac-12 rivals USC and Oregon, with K.J. Costello throwing for over 300 yards in two of those games.
How will the Irish prevail on Saturday night? Here are four reasons to bet the house on Notre Dame.