If that was Audric Estimé’s final game in a Notre Dame uniform, he ended his prolific career with his biggest night, leading the Irish to a 56-23 rout at Stanford on Saturday. The junior running back scored four touchdowns, tying a modern single-game record and setting a single-season record with 18.
If the Cardinal had been at all competitive, Estimé may have had a chance at the Notre Dame single-game yardage record, 262 yards last reached by Julius Jones in 2003, but instead the Irish established such a decisive lead, Estimé found the bench for the night with only 238 yards on 25 carries, averaging 9.5 yards per attempt.
“What a tough, physical, special football player,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said Saturday night after notching some measure of redemption for the most flummoxing loss of his debut season in 2022. “Obviously, he’ll have a decision to make here after the season on what he’s going to do, but I’ll tell you what, he’s a special talent who has given Notre Dame everything he’s had for the past three seasons.”
Halting Estimé's record-setting night fit in line with Freeman’s comments a week ago, showing physical discomfort when discussing leaving Estimé in the blowout of Wake Forest to reach 100 yards in what was likely his last game at Notre Dame Stadium.
“I’m never a huge fan of that,” Freeman said after Estimé gained 115 yards on 22 carries last week. “I’m thinking, this game is over — it’s only fair to the kid. We talked about it, and we wanted to get him over 100 yards. ...
“That was important to us for possibly his last game in Notre Dame Stadium, to get him over 100 yards.”
More than 200 yards on Saturday was enough excessiveness even for Freeman’s player-leaning thinking.
The presumption of Estimé heading to the NFL is so distinct, there was absolutely no surprise when Freeman acknowledged that likelihood last week or again Saturday night. Estimé did not confirm such a decision, but he also allowed for such a broad thought.
“I don’t really have a timeline right now,” Estimé said after his career-high night. “I’m just worried about coming in on Monday, getting a lift in, going over this game, see how I could have been better, and then we’ll start having conversations.”
A week ago, Estimé was as skillful evading the wonder, though also acknowledging it: “I could come back. I could not. That’s not a decision I made yet.”
Logic says Estimé will opt out of Notre Dame’s bowl game, no matter what that destination may be. (Saturday’s results increased the likelihood of the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa on New Year’s Day.) If he surprisingly plays in that postseason exhibition, Estimé is only 72 yards away from setting the Irish single-season record for rushing yards, currently held by Vagas Ferguson with 1,437 in 1979.
But if he takes the usual running back path, opting out of the bowl game to prepare for early entry into the NFL draft, then Estimé's farewell on Saturday was certainly emphatic.
BUILT DIFFERENT.
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 26, 2023
4️⃣ TOUCHDOWNS FOR ESTIME.#GoIrish☘️ | @AudricEstime pic.twitter.com/pT9QLqX1lp
For a bit, Notre Dame needed him to dictate the game’s terms. Three first-half turnovers helped Stanford to a 16-14 lead halfway through the second quarter. The Cardinal employ an unorthodox offense, the sheer uniqueness of it keeping opposing defenses on their heels, especially to start a game. And Stanford opened the game with a 49-yard rush from quarterback Justin Lamson to set up a field goal on its first possession.
“We have to take care of the ball,” Freeman said. “They did a couple things on offense that we had not seen, and they made some big plays.”
Similarly, a 53-yard catch-and-run to junior running back E.J. Smith got the Cardinal into position for a second field goal.
But outside of those two moments of its intriguing and frustrating offense creating worthwhile results, Stanford gained just 257 yards on 71 plays, averaging 3.6 yards per play. Also remove the meager successes in the fourth quarter — if Estimé was on the bench, it feels appropriate to deem the entire quarter garbage-time — and the Cardinal averaged 3.0 yards per play through the first three quarters outside of those two explosive moments.
A Sam Hartman interception, the third of those three first-half turnovers, put Stanford within range of its third field goal, not even gaining a yard on the drive, and that 16-14 lead.
The Irish then scored the next 42 points, including three straight rushing touchdowns, two of them from Estimé. The regular-season finale was capped by defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste picking up a blocked field goal, courtesy of defensive tackle Jason Onye, and dancing 60 yards for a return touchdown, the Notre Dame defense scoring as many touchdowns as Stanford did.
Everybody eats 🍽️#GoIrish | @NDFootball
— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) November 26, 2023
pic.twitter.com/siAlcK0xKq
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
10:59 — Stanford field goal. Joshua Karty 34 yards. Stanford 3, Notre Dame 0. (7 plays, 59 yards, 4:01)
5:37 — Notre Dame touchdown. Audric Estimé 39-yard rush. Spencer Shrader point after. Notre Dame 7, Stanford 3. (4 plays, 78 yards, 1:45)
2:23 — Stanford field goal. Karty 23 yards. Notre Dame 7, Stanford 6. (8 plays, 70 yards, 3:14)
1:31 — Stanford touchdown. Tiger Bachmeier 14-yard rush. Karty point after. Stanford 13, Notre Dame 7. (2 plays, 30 yards, 0:37)
Second Quarter
11:56 — Notre Dame touchdown. Jaden Greathouse 15-yard pass from Sam Hartman. Shrader point after. Notre Dame 14, Stanford 13. (10 plays, 75 yards, 4:35)
8:57 — Stanford field goal. Karty 56 yards. Stanford 16, Notre Dame 14. (4 plays, 0 yards, 0:25)
3:53 — Notre Dame touchdown. Estimé 6-yard rush. Shrader point after. Notre Dame 21, Stanford 16. (10 plays, 75 yards, 5:04)
0:21 — Notre Dame touchdown. Gi’Bran Payne 3-yard rush. Shrader point after. Notre Dame 28, Stanford 16. (9 plays, 56 yards, 1:04)
Third Quarter
10:25 — Notre Dame touchdown. Estimé 5-yard rush. Shrader point after. Notre Dame 34, Stanford 16. (10 plays, 75 yards, 4:35)
6:08 — Notre Dame touchdown. Jordan Faison 45-yard pass from Hartman. Shrader point after. Notre Dame 42, Stanford 16. (1 play, 45 yards, 0:09)
1:12 — Notre Dame touchdown. Estimé 25-yard rush. Shrader point after. Notre Dame 49, Stanford 16. (5 plays, 45 yards, 2:29)
Fourth Quarter
12:41 — Notre Dame touchdown. Javontae Jean-Baptiste 60-yard blocked field goal return. Shrader point after. Notre Dame 56, Stanford 16.
7:16 — Stanford touchdown. Justin Lamson 4-yard rush. Emmet Kenney point after. Notre Dame 56, Stanford 23. (9 plays, 47 yards, 4:58)
