Notre Dame defeats the Cardinal 42-26, exacting some retribution for Stanford’s huge 1990 upset of the Irish
By Rene Ferran
1991 Scholastic Football Review
1991 NDFB Stanford Final Stats
All week before the Stanford game, Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz insisted that the Irish harbored no thoughts of revenge as they headed into Stanford Stadium.
“Revenge doesn’t factor in at all on my part, and I don’t think it does for the players as well,” Holtz said. “That was last year and that’s over no matter what you do. It’s history. “My main concern – and I think it’s the players’ as well – is how we’re going to win the football game.”
Holtz and his players certainly came up with a game plan, piling up 363 rushing yards against a depleted Cardinal defensive line, as Notre Dame defeated Stanford 42-26.
And even if in Holtz’s mind it wasn’t revenge, it was a sweet victory nevertheless.
“I knew this would be a tough football game, and it certainly was,” he said. “(Stanford) hung in there and refused to quit. We’re just happy to get out of here with a win.”
The game started out exactly as last year’s had, with Notre Dame establishing dominance in the trenches early. Stanford, meanwhile, would gain plenty of yards through the air, but those yards translated to zero points. The Irish offensive line overwhelmed a Cardinal front line that had been decimated by injuries. Two key starters on the defensive line were making their return for Stanford just in time to be steamrolled by the firm of Hall, Jurkovic, McGuire, Taylor & Knapp.
“What else can I say about our offensive line except they played a great game today?” said sophomore fullback Jerome Bettis, who rushed for a career-high 179 yards and scored four touchdowns.
“Everything I accomplished today is a credit to them.”
“Notre Dame really can take it to you with its great line,” praised Stanford coach Dennis Green. ”They did a terrific job of rushing tonight. Their running backs run hard, and with extreme power.”
Meanwhile, a change in defensive strategy was paying big dividends for the Irish. Senior Greg Davis moved from his normal strong safety position to drop end, and sophomore Willie Clark was switched back to the secondary. With five defensive backs in the game, Notre Dame was better able to handle the Stanford passing attack.
“I thought the first 25 minutes of the game, we played as well on defense as we have in a long time,” Holtz…