SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Tanner McKee passed for 288 yards, Casey Filkins scored a touchdown and Joshua Karty kicked three field goals as Stanford ended an 11-game losing streak against FBS opponents, beating Notre Dame 16-14 on Saturday night.
The Cardinal (2-4), who blew a two-touchdown lead against Oregon State a week earlier, put the game away when safety Jonathan McGill broke up a Drew Pyne pass on fourth-and-7 from the Notre Dame 25-yard line with 1 minute, 4 seconds left. It was Stanford’s first win against an FBS opponent since beating then-No. 3 Oregon 31-24 in overtime on Oct. 2, 2021.
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After the game, the Cardinal ran to the end of the field near their fans and celebrated.
It was the second embarrassing home loss of the season for the Irish (3-3). They fell to Marshall 26-21 in the second game of the season but had won three straight since.
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The Irish offense couldn’t get much going against a Stanford team that entered the game 111th in scoring defense, giving up 32.6 points per game. Notre Dame scored touchdowns on back-to-back possessions in the second half but fumbled the ball away on their next possession.
Stanford scored its lone touchdown on its first possession, driving 66 yards on eight plays, capped by a 2-yard Filkins run. Karty then kicked field goals of 45, 43 and 43 yards.
McKee was 26-of-38 passing for 288 yards and the Cardinal had a 385-311 yards advantage in total offense.
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Pyne was 13-of-27 passing for 151 yards for the Irish with a fumble. He threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Tobias Merriweather, and Audric Estime had a 10-yard scoring run as Notre Dame overcame a 13-0 deficit to take a 14-13 lead. But the Irish couldn’t hold on.
It appeared Notre Dame might have a short field to work with when officials ruled McKee had fumbled, but the call was overturned when replay showed his knee was down. The Cardinal took a 16-14 lead on a 43-yard Karty field goal with 10:20 left.
The Irish were driving on their next possession, but Estime fumbled at the Stanford 25-yard line on a hit by Kendall Williamson, and Jonathan McGill recovered at the 21.
Stanford: The Cardinal, who suffered a crushing last-minute defeat against Oregon State a week ago after leading 24-10 heading into the fourth quarter, struggled but managed to hold on.
Notre Dame: The Irish couldn’t execute when they needed and repeatedly let Stanford get extra yards.
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Stanford: The Cardinal host Arizona State on Saturday.
Notre Dame: The Irish host UNLV on Saturday.
