Notre Dame @ Stanford preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 29, 2018 ) Stanford 17, Notre Dame 38

Notre Dame seeks a third straight 10-victory season on Saturday when the 15th-ranked Fighting Irish visit Stanford, which has proven to be a tough opponent over the past decade. The Cardinal have won seven of the last 10 meetings against Notre Dame but enter this year’s matchup riding a three-game losing streak.

Quarterback Ian Book completed 26-of-40 passes for 239 yards and threw three touchdown passes in last week’s 40-7 victory over Boston College as Notre Dame won its fourth straight following a 45-14 loss to Michigan. Freshman safety Kyle Hamilton recorded his fourth interception to lead the defense, which has allowed an average of 13.5 points during the team’s winning streak. “We wanted to be the best defense in November, and I think we’ve grown to that,” linebacker Drew White told reporters. “You’re getting better, you’re not plateauing during the season. You’re constantly working on your craft in practice. That pays dividends in the game in November.” The tenacious Fighting Irish defense figures to be a tough matchup for injury-plagued Stanford, which is 11th in the Pac-12 in scoring offense at 21.5 points per game.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Notre Dame -16.5

ABOUT NOTRE DAME (9-2): Book has thrown 14 touchdown passes over the last four games – including six to senior wide receiver Chase Claypool, who has 56 catches for 828 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. The Fighting Irish defensive line is dealing with a spate of injuries but should have little trouble against Stanford’s running attack, which ranks 112th in yards per carry, 124th in carries per game and 127th in rushing touchdowns. Junior kicker Jonathan Doerer has connected on 10 of his last 11 field goal attempts, including four that were 45 yards or longer.

ABOUT STANFORD (4-7): Junior quarterback Davis Mills has completed 70 percent of his passes for 1,325 yards and eight touchdowns over the past four games, but running back Cameron Scarlett has been held in check since rushing for 102 yards and two touchdowns against Arizona on Oct. 26. Mills’ favorite targets are tight end Colby Parkinson and wide receiver Michael Wilson, who has 11 receptions for 177 yards over the last two games. Outside linebacker Casey Toohill has eight sacks to lead the defense, which allowed 424 total yards in last Saturday’s 24-20 loss to rival California.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Notre Dame posted a 38-17 win in last season’s meeting and holds a 20-13-0 lead in the all-time series.

2. Stanford is 17-0 at home under David Shaw in non-conference games.

3. Notre Dame has allowed an average of 3.09 points in the first quarter this season.

PREDICTION: Notre Dame 41, Stanford 27