Stanford Cardinal vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Match Player Stats On Sep 29, 2018

Ian Book threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns Saturday night while Dexter Williams rushed for 161 yards and a score as No. 8 Notre Dame subdued No. 7 Stanford 38-17 in a marquee nonconference matchup at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.

Making his second career start, Book completed 24 of 33 passes, including an 8-yard scoring strike to Miles Boykin with 8:16 left in the game to give the Fighting Irish (5-0) a two-touchdown lead. Boykin finished with 11 catches for 144 yards.

It took Notre Dame 14 seconds to land the kill shot. After Te'von Coney intercepted K.J. Costello's first-down pass, Book rolled right and threw back to wide-open tight end Alize Mack on the left-side numbers. Mack rumbled into the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown that made it 38-17 and ended the game's competitive phase.

Williams, who didn't play in the first four games for unspecified reasons, ripped off a 45-yard scoring jaunt on his first carry of the season. That gave Notre Dame a 7-0 lead and set the game's tone -- the Irish striking with big plays to maintain control. The Irish rolled up 550 total yards and 29 first downs against a defense that came into the night permitting just 13.5 points per game.

On the other hand, the Cardinal (4-1) couldn't make headway against Notre Dame's defense, generating just a 46-yard field goal from Jet Toner in the third quarter and creating no holes for tailback Bryce Love.

Love started off hot, ripping off a 39-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter and finishing the first half with 67 yards. But he managed just six yards on six carries in the second half before suffering a leg injury early in the fourth quarter and not returning.

Costello completed 15 of 27 passes for 174 yards, finding JJ Arcega-Whiteside for his eighth touchdown of the year on a 4-yard pass with 10:36 left in the first half to tie the game at 14.

But Book's 10-yard scoring strike to Chase Claypool with 39 seconds remaining gave Notre Dame a 21-14 halftime lead.

--Field Level Media