Notre Dame rival head coach steps down after 12 seasons
For the first time in 12 seasons, Stanford football is looking for a head coach. David Shaw, Stanford’s coach since 2011, announced on Sunday he was stepping down. The announcement came a day after the Cardinal concluded a 3-9 season. However, one of those three wins came at Notre Dame in mid-October: one of the more stunning upsets in college football in 2022.
Shaw brought Stanford to heights it hadn’t seen since Jim Harbaugh started the Cardinal turnaround from 2006-2010. Shaw’s run at Stanford concludes with a 96-54 overall mark. Notre Dame fans probably will not miss him and his stout look on the sideline, largely because Shaw’s 6-5 mark against the Irish accounts for nearly half of Stanford’s all-time wins in the rivalry.
Here is a look back at Notre Dame’s 11 all-time meetings with Shaw and Stanford. In what I’d call an otherwise dud of an annually rivalry game, Shaw certainly helped bring this game to a level or relevance that it hadn’t previously seen.
2011: Luck throws for four touchdowns in Irish takedown
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Shaw’s first game against Notre Dame came in the 2011 regular-season finale. Eventual first-overall NFL draft pick Andrew Luck threw for 233 yards and four touchdowns in Stanford’s 28-14 win that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.
2012: Goal-line stand for ages
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The 2012 clash between two of college football’s most physical teams ended in a goal line stand for the ages by Notre Dame. The Irish stayed undefeated with a comeback victory to beat the Cardinal, 20-13, in overtime.
2013: Two late Rees interceptions doom Irish
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Notre Dame fell for the third straight time at Stanford in 2013 when Tommy Rees threw a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions. Both were by Wayne Lyons. The win improved Stanford to 10-2 while the Irish fell out of the rankings and to 8-4.
2014: More last-second Notre Dame heroics save day
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For the second time in as many trips to South Bend, Stanford suffered late heartbreak. Everett Golson found tight end Ben Koyack in the corner of the end zone with just over one minute left to give the Irish a 17-14 victory over the Cardinal as Notre Dame improved to 5-0 on a miserable Midwest afternoon.
2015: Ultimate Irish Heartbreak
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Notre Dame was knocking on the door of a College Football Playoff appearance in 2015 and appeared headed there when DeShone Kizer ran for a touchdown to put the Irish up, 36-35, with just 30 seconds remaining.
One problem: the Brian VanGorder led defense played a cushion defense that allowed Stanford to swiftly move down field, and Conrad Ukropina hit from 45 yards out as time as expired to put an end to Notre Dame’s playoff dreams.
2016: Forgettable year for Irish sees another loss vs. Stanford
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A 10-0 halftime lead wasn’t enough for Notre Dame. Quenton Meeks 50-yard interception return in the second half ignited a 17-0 Stanford run and another victory over the Irish.
2017: More heartbreak for Irish in Northern California
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Notre Dame entered the fourth quarter leading Stanford, 20-17, and a New Year’s Six bowl seemed imminent. However, a pair of Brandon Wimbush interceptions in the final quarter set up Stanford’s 21-0 run that resulted in a 38-20 win for Shaw and the Cardinal.
2018: Book's first home start a memorable one
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Brian Kelly’s first win over a top-10 opponent at Notre Dame Stadium came in Ian Book’s first career home start. Following obvious pregame hype, Notre Dame rolled, 38-17, in what ended as an unbeaten regular season.
2019: Kelly finally breaks through at Stanford
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Notre Dame overcame a slow start, but, thanks to a blocked punt and an incredible catch by Chase Claypool, the Irish stomped their way to a 45-24 victory to finish the regular season 10-2. Shaw and Stanford wound up 4-8.
2020: No game - COVID
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Due to COVID-19 causing havoc on the college football season (and world as a whole), 2020 was the first time Notre Dame and Stanford didn’t meet in football since 1996.
Related: 10 things that happened last time Notre Dame and Stanford didn’t meet
2021: Kelly draws even in finale
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Brian Kelly went 5-6 in his 11 games against Stanford and 5-5 against David Shaw while at Notre Dame. Notre Dame routed the Cardinal, 45-14, on the Saturday night following Thanksgiving in 2021 in Kelly’s last game as Notre Dame head coach.
2022: Shaw and Stanford's stunning upset
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David Shaw’s final game coaching against Notre Dame was perhaps the most memorable. No, it didn’t ruin College Football Playoff hopes for the Irish; those were already done after a loss to Marshall. But Shaw led the Cardinal to their first win over a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent in more than a year with a 2022 upset of Notre Dame. Stanford entered the game as roughly a 17-point underdog.
in conclusion
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Time had been running out for a while with David Shaw at Stanford. The Cardinal have struggled mightily in recent years. That said, at no point has the Notre Dame-Stanford rivalry been more compelling than from when Shaw’s teams were routinely playing for Rose Bowl appearances and trying to ruin Notre Dame’s playoff or big-time bowl appearance hopes.
Shaw was a pain to watch the Irish against, even in the trying year of 2022 for Stanford, but all the best to him in the next phase. Here’s to hoping if Stanford is going to stay on the schedule like it appears they will, that they’ll find a replacement who can take them somewhere near the heights Shaw helped them reach.
