SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame defensive end Joshua Burnham answered a question in the postgame press conference following ND’s 49-7 beatdown of Stanford that likely didn’t reflect how he truly felt.
Burnham, who played his first extended game action since returning from an ankle injury that sidelined him near the end of the loss to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7, was asked at what percentage of health he played in Saturday’s victory.
“We’re 100%. We’re good to go,” Burnham said before smiling and laughing.
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The adrenaline from a job well done likely helped Burnham feel better after playing both defensive end positions for Notre Dame’s defense. He did so admirably with five tackles, one tackle for a loss and a fumble recovery he returned for 15 yards when he caught a backward pitch by Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels.
“It's a gutsy performance because there are times in the week that you watch him, and it's like he is practicing on one leg,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said of Burnham. “Just has to continue to get confidence in that left ankle. He is tough, man. He's tough.
“I remember asking him, ‘Are you going to be able to go?’ He said, ‘Coach, there's no way I'm not going to be able to play.’ He really did some good things and made a huge interception. But just take your hat off to him because some people maybe wouldn't have played with the pain that he goes through, but he's a tough individual. I'm glad we have him out there.”
The state of Notre Dame’s defensive line requires performances like Burnham’s. The Irish have already lost two vyper ends — Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore — for the season with knee injuries. The Irish played without reserve defensive tackle Jason Onye, who missed the game for personal reasons. But Burnham returned to a larger role after playing just four defensive snaps in his return for the Louisville game on Sept. 28.
“Coming off an ankle injury has been pretty painful the whole week,” Burnham said. “I don’t really necessarily know a certain day. I’ve been ready. Waiting for the opportunity to come back, and today was the day.”
Senior defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio played for the first time this season after working his way back from a foot injury suffered on the first day of preseason practice (July 31).
Rubio was listed as questionable in the football program’s Monday availability report and wasn’t listed on Notre Dame’s depth chart. But he still played Saturday despite no formal update on his availability. Freeman said after the game that he knew all week that Rubio was expected to play.
“I haven't watched it, but I'm just glad he's out there and he's going to help this football program,” Freeman said.
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Rubio’s lone tackle came on a tackle for loss in the third quarter. He provided extra depth with Onye out of the rotation. But the Irish really benefitted from high-level play from interior defensive linemen Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills. The two graduate seniors played closer to the expectations many had for them after skipping this year’s NFL Draft to stay at Notre Dame.
Cross made sure the first half didn’t become a back-and-forth affair. Stanford scored the first touchdown of the game following a nine-play, 63-yard drive that came after Notre Dame punted to end its first offensive series. After Notre Dame scored on a six-yard touchdown run by quarterback Riley Leonard to tie the game at 7, Stanford drove into Notre Dame territory once again and converted a fourth-and-1 with a three-yard run by backup quarterback Justin Lamson.
Then Cross wrecked Stanford’s drive. He sacked Daniels for an eight-yard loss on first down then corralled Daniels for another sack on fourth-and-5 to give Notre Dame’s offense the ball back.
Cross’ sack of Daniels was the first of two fourth-down stops for the Irish defense in the second quarter. A third came in the fourth quarter, which was delayed by one hour due to lightning, when Notre Dame’s backups were in the game.
“Obviously, it’s massive,” Cross said of getting fourth-down stops. “But fourth-down stop after fourth-down stop is a morale booster for sure. We were all excited, and it really fired everybody up.”
Notre Dame’s offense scored touchdowns on the ensuing drives following the defense’s two fourth-down stops in the second quarter to build a 21-7 halftime lead. The Irish extended their lead with another touchdown after Burnham’s highlight play early in the third quarter.
Burnham described the play, in which Daniels attempted to pitch the ball to freshman wide receiver Emmett Mosley V, matter-of-factly after the game.
“It just so happened I was at the right place at the right time,” Burnham said. “I threw my hand out, was able to tip it and came down with it.”
Mills, who finished with four tackles, contributed to the defensive line pressure with an 11-yard sack of Daniels on third-and-11 in the third quarter. Cross also finished with four tackles.
“I challenged those two seniors, Rylie and Howard,” Freeman said. “I wanted them to be great because they're great football players, and those two specifically stood out to me just on the field.
“I'm sure I'll go back and watch film. They dominated the game. Those two big guys, we needed them to be dominant, and they played dominant. That helps everybody around them. So, really proud of those two guys.”
Stanford managed just 200 yards of offense in Notre Dame Stadium with 87 passing yards coming from Daniels (8-of-13 for 74 yards) and Lamson (2-of-4 for 13 yards). Stanford averaged just 2.8 yards per carry with 113 rushing yards.
The Irish defense limited its opponent to fewer than 250 yards for the fourth time this season. Only Northern Illinois (388) and Louisville (395) far exceeded that total.
Notre Dame’s defensive line will need to keep finding answers to help the Irish stay on their intended path to the College Football Playoff. If Cross and Mills can play like future NFL players, that can help alleviate the losses on the edges. So can a resurgent Burnham. Rubio and the pending return of Onye should give the Irish plenty of depth inside, too.
“We’re getting back to full strength, and we’re all excited to see them back on the field,” Cross said. “All week really, the second [Rubio] came in and said, ‘I’m putting the pads on,’ we all started cheering. It’s great to see everybody start doing well and getting their stuff back together.”
Halfway through the regular season, Notre Dame still has only one loss even if it came in shocking fashion. Cross was adamant after the loss to Northern Illinois that it would provide a very good lesson for Notre Dame. The Irish have emphasized weekly preparation, and that’s led to a growing confidence given the results that have followed.
“Pretty high,” Cross said of the team’s confidence after Saturday’s win, “but obviously, we’re very grounded. But we’ve learned a lot about havoc this season already. Pretty crazy, but we’ve learned a lot, but we are confident. Smart confident, not overconfident. We’re confident for sure.”
Maybe even 100%.
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