Stanford will end the 2025 season Saturday with what appears to be its toughest test.
Fresh off reclaiming the Axe in a dominant 31–10 win over Cal, the Cardinal (4-7) will host No. 9 Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. The Fighting Irish (9-2) have won nine games in a row and almost certainly has to beat Stanford to remain in the hunt for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Stanford interim coach Frank Reich said that the opportunity is exactly the kind of test he envisioned when general manager Andrew Luck convinced him to come for one season.
“When I put the tape on yesterday, I was like ‘Wow,’” Reich said. “This is the real deal. This looks like the best team we’ve played all year. … It’s an opportunity to measure our program against someone like that.”
Stanford’s defense is coming off its most dominant showing of the season, scoring two defensive touchdowns and holding Cal to just 10 points. Linebacker Matt Rose, who recorded 14 tackles, a TFL, and a sack, said the performance was the product of complete cohesion.
“I thought all 11 across the board were executing,” Rose said. “Our coaches put a good game plan together, and our D-linemen did a great job being aggressive. The O-linemen really weren’t getting to me at all.”
Rose has been one of the breakout players of the year, going from a rotational contributor to one of the ACC’s leading tacklers.
“Being kind of a bench rotation player the past couple years, finally getting the chance,” Rose said. “I’m just super grateful I was able to take advantage of it.”
He’s also fully aware of the challenge Notre Dame presents, particularly with running back Jeremiah Love, who is third in the FBS in rushing yards (1,306) and rushing touchdowns (17) and will be looking to make one final statement with the Heisman Trophy voters.
“It’s physicality,” Rose said. “That’s something we’re already talking about early in the week. If we bring that physicality, be gap-sound, and work together like last week, we’re excited to show what we can do.”
Stanford’s offense has been dramatically better at home, and running back Micah Ford has been central to that surge. Ford is coming off a 150-yard performance in the Big Game, and his physicality – along with the return of star right guard Simione Pale — seemed to wear Cal down in the second half.
“I knew if we just kept at it — kept putting the same intensity out there — they’d eventually break,” Ford said. “Things started to slow down, and I was seeing the field really well.”
Ford knows Notre Dame’s defense presents a much tougher test.
“They’re 13th in the country against the run,” he said. “We’ve just got to attack what they give us. Don’t try to do too much—trust the coaches, trust the players around you, and execute.”
Against one of the nation’s most opportunistic defenses – Notre Dame scored two defensive touchdowns last week against Syracuse before its offense even took the field — Reich emphasized staying ahead of the chains.
“You don’t want to get in third and long against this team,” he said. “We’ve got to be efficient on first and second down. Mix run and pass. Play smart football early and stay in it.”
The Cardinal carried different motivations into the season finale. For Ford, it’s the chance to win the Legends Trophy that goes to the winner in this annual rivalry. For Rose, whose grandfather played for Notre Dame, the game holds special meaning for his family.
For Reich, this will be his final game as Stanford coach, though he wasn’t looking ahead yet.
“The only plans I’m making,” Reich said, “are how to make a first down against Notre Dame.”