With a massive top-10 matchup against BYU on the horizon next week, Notre Dame football and head coach Marcus Freeman took care of business Saturday. The Fighting Irish beat Stanford 58-7 at Notre Dame Stadium.

Freeman had his team ready to go from the jump. The Irish jumped out to an early lead against Tavita Pritchard’s Stanford squad. The game was lopsided on paper, and it got even worse in real time.

When you win by a score this comfortable, there are no true “losers.” That made this piece hard to put together. Still, somebody had to land on the underwhelming list. The decisive win pushed Notre Dame to 6-0, and the Irish should stay at No. 3 in the updated AP poll.

Here are the winners and losers from the blowout victory.

The winners

Boubacar Traore

You can make the argument that this was Traore’s best game of his Notre Dame career. The 6-5, 255-pound pass rusher set the tone with a strip sack on the very first defensive play of the game. Notre Dame recovered the fumble, and the offense turned it into a quick score.

Traore has been a very good player throughout his Irish career. Over the last couple of weeks, however, he has taken his game to a whole other level. He finished with a sack, a forced fumble, and a tremendous interception, then dazzled in the open field after making the catch.

His stock is rising drastically for the 2027 NFL Draft. For now, he is a complete and utter menace for this Notre Dame defense.

Jonaz Walton

Walton didn’t receive a carry on Notre Dame’s first 12 rushing attempts. Then he asserted his presence with a 97-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and that play cut the game fully open for the Irish offense.

Walton broke several big runs and finished with 13 carries for 181 yards and two touchdowns. A 13.9-yard-per-carry average is an impressive feat. He also hauled in two receptions for 28 yards. That showcased the power, explosiveness, and overall talent to be the top running back on this team if the staff chooses to go that way.

At 5-9, 214 pounds, the Georgia native brings 10.6 100-meter speed and is a home run waiting to happen. Walton has certainly lived up to the preseason hype.

The other running backs

While Walton stole the show, Nolan James Jr. and Aneyas Williams both had quality days. James ran 10 times for 73 yards, a healthy 7.3-yard-per-carry average. Williams’ day on the ground wasn’t nearly as flashy, with seven runs for 28 yards. However, his lone reception of the day, a slot fade, went for a touchdown.

This is another reminder that Notre Dame’s running back room is very talented, but the staff has to use it a certain way. Williams functions best in the passing game, where he is a good pass blocker and receiver. James is a great functional runner who complements Walton’s physical, explosive style. When used correctly, this group has a chance to be a really good running back room.

Big plays

On top of his 97-yard touchdown run, Walton added another long touchdown. Nolan James Jr. chipped in a 31-yard scamper of his own. Notre Dame also got a touchdown catch from Williams and a 30-yard touchdown from Elijah Burress.

This was a game of big plays in both the run and pass game. CJ Carr threw just 20 passes, but he completed 14 of them for 181 yards and three touchdowns. That works out to a very solid 9.1 yards per attempt. Overall, it was a very efficient day for the Notre Dame offense.

DJ McKinney and Jayden Sanders

With Leonard Moore out due to the concussion he suffered last week against North Carolina, DJ McKinney and Jayden Sanders both had tremendous days. The box score doesn’t jump off the page outside of Sanders’ two pass breakups. Still, Notre Dame fans saw the impact both players made.

McKinney’s physicality has stood out. On top of that, the improvements he has made in the run game and perimeter screen game since his time at Colorado have been nothing short of fantastic. Add in the aggressiveness Sanders showed in coverage, and this was more proof of Notre Dame’s depth. Moore is the best cornerback in college football, but the Irish have a wealth of talent on the back end even without him.

Kick coverage

Notre Dame gave up a kick return for a touchdown last week. Because of that, improvement had to be a point of emphasis for special teams coordinator Marty Biaggi.

The kicking game was really good, and the coverage unit was great overall. Stanford routinely had to start drives facing long fields. With how good Notre Dame’s defense is and how much Stanford’s offense struggles, that put the Cardinal in a really bad situation.

CJ Carr’s legs

For the last couple of weeks, I have been begging Notre Dame to activate Carr’s running ability, or at least his ability to extend plays and help the run game. In this one, Carr kept the ball on a zone read for a 14-yard gain. He picked up another chunk on a quarterback draw and even scampered for a first down.

In the end, he had just five carries for 41 yards. That was exactly the performance you want to see from this talented pocket passer. Carr doesn’t have to run often. However, he needs to be able to pick up a first down or extend a play when Notre Dame needs it in a big moment.

Now that defenses have seen that ability, they will have to play the Irish differently. They can’t crash all the time, or we will see more 14-yard scampers from Carr.

The losers

Early game running back rotation

Coaches tend to like experience, and I’m sure that is part of why offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock continues to bring Walton along slowly. He’s a freshman, and there will be some inconsistencies in pass protection and the little nuances of the position. I understand the approach.

It is very apparent, however, that Walton is the most talented runner on the roster. For two straight weeks, he has arguably been Notre Dame’s most dynamic and efficient back. Even so, the Irish ran the ball 12 times without getting him a single touch.

I like the idea of letting him wear teams down late in games. At this point, though, your best running back needs to touch the ball earlier. There is a really good running back rotation in South Bend right now. James needs touches, Williams needs touches, and Walton needs touches. The key is using each of them where they thrive.

As soon as Walton busted his 97-yarder, the game was over, and Notre Dame began leaning on Stanford’s defense. Feeding him earlier would have set up the other backs to contribute in the roles that suit them best. Make no mistake, Walton is a future star, and he can be one for the Notre Dame offense right now.

Spencer Porath’s extra point streak

After Walton raced 97 yards for a touchdown early in the contest, Spencer Porath lined up for what would have been his 70th straight made extra point. That streak dates back to his time at Purdue. Unfortunately, Porath missed it.

This inclusion is a bit in jest. Porath has been outstanding since transferring from the Boilermakers and has been a godsend for Notre Dame’s special teams unit. Still, his streak finally came to an end after 69 straight extra points made (nice).