Inside Slant

The Sports Xchange

September 24, 2018 at 8:32 pm.

Stanford is South Bend-bound after Eugene rally

The Stanford football team had already proven it could protect a lead.

On Saturday, the Cardinal proved it could face a Top 25 team in a raucous environment on the road, in a conference game, and recover from a 17-point halftime deficit.

After trailing 24-7 at half, No. 7 Stanford scored 14 points in the third quarter and eventually shocked No. 20 Oregon 38-31 in overtime at Autzen Stadium.

Stanford (4-0) now heads to face longtime rival and No. 8 Notre Dame (4-0) on Saturday in South Bend, Indiana.

The game-winner came against Oregon came on an imperfect pass from quarterback K.J. Costello to tight end Colby Parkinson, who tipped Costello’s throw to himself and hauled it in for a TD.

“I saw the ball go in the air, held my breath, and then for Colby to come down with it was pretty awesome.” Costello said. “The game was pretty awesome. It was one of the coolest games I’ve been a part of in terms of highs and lows, and really just staying steady throughout the entire night.”

Costello threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns on a night when the Ducks nearly took a 30-7 lead. Instead, the touchdown that would have made it 30 for Oregon was overturned, and Stanford linebacker Joey Alfieri had an 80-yard fumble recovery and return for a touchdown soon after.

“We do this drill every Monday in fundamental rotation, the scoop and score drill,” Alfieri said. “We practice it every week. So I was just putting the drill to the field and it worked out pretty well.”

Stanford has also been boosted by the return of senior tailback Bryce Love, who missed a win over UC Davis with an injury. Love ran for 89 yards and a touchdown against the upstart Ducks.

Notre Dame (4-0) opened against a ranked team in Michigan, winning 24-17, and has since dispatched Ball State, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. Stanford is, on paper, the toughest test remaining on the Fighting Irish’s schedule.

Running back Dexter Williams is expected to be back for the Irish after missing their first four games for undisclosed reasons, according to coach Brian Kelly’s Sunday announcement. Notre Dame has been balanced offensively but without a singular star. Three rushers have over 100 yards on the season, but the leader is Tony Jones Jr. at 263. Jafar Armstrong, meanwhile, has five rushing touchdowns.

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