Fighting Irish expecting a 'blitz-a-thon'

Notre Dame has made history for all the wrong reasons this fall, setting records for ineptitude almost every week.

It's somewhat surprising then, that the Fighting Irish can secure a mini-milestone when they wrap up the season Saturday at Stanford (2:30 p.m., ESPN). And no, it's something a bit better than avoiding loss No. 10.

"We haven't won the last two games of a season since 1992," third-year coach Charlie Weis explained. "That's a stat that I want to attain."

Back-to-back wins, regardless of the competition, would send Notre Dame into a critical offseason on a good note. With nine offensive starters returning along with several promising young defenders, the Irish are hoping to build momentum.

They picked the right opponent Saturday. Stanford (3-7) will test Notre Dame's weakest unit, the offensive line, by employing an aggressive blitzing scheme. The Cardinal are tied for 11th nationally in sacks (3.1 spg), and Notre Dame has allowed more sacks (53) than any FBS team.

"It's a blitz-a-thon," Weis said of Stanford's defense. "If you're waiting to see whether they're blitzing or not, they are. They're coming. So you better be ready to block."

The Irish gave up only 2 sacks in last week's win against Duke, allowing Jimmy Clausen to throw 4 touchdown passes. Though Clausen's completion percentage remains low (55.9 percent), he has made strides since returning from injury and would benefit from a third consecutive solid performance.

Protecting the freshman is paramount Saturday for the Irish, who have struggled against blitzing teams. Weis said Stanford's blitz packages aren't tricky but still require good awareness and disciplined blocking.

Senior center John Sullivan is doubtful after missing the Duke game with a leg injury.

"What they've shown, we've seen some of it," senior tight end John Carlson said. "But they could bring something that we maybe haven't seen very much."

Notre Dame is on pace to finish with its best pass defense (162.5 ypg) since 1996 but faces a challenging final exam this weekend. Stanford, coached by former Bears quarterback Jim Harbaugh, is a pass-first team that features several dynamic wide receivers.

Sophomore Richard Sherman, who leads Stanford in receiving yards (646) and touchdowns (4), will play Saturday after being suspended a game for throwing a sideline tantrum against Washington. The Cardinal also feature senior Mark Bradford (team-high 39 receptions) and 6-foot-7 senior Evan Moore.

"The biggest problem is when you get in the red zone," Weis said. "There's a couple legitimate concerns that you have to do some things scheme-wise."

Tavita Pritchard is expected to start his seventh consecutive game at quarterback and faces a Notre Dame defense that has held eight of its 11 opponents to less than 200 yards passing.

Both teams have some uncertainty at running back entering the game.

Notre Dame sophomore James Aldridge injured his ankle against Duke and could sit in favor of freshman Robert Hughes. Stanford junior Anthony Kimble (429 yards, 6 TDs) is expected to play after missing the last four games with a separated shoulder.

Though Notre Dame's season has been unsalvageable for weeks, players note that a win Saturday still carries long-term value.

"It puts you in the right direction," linebacker Maurice Crum said. "It's a step for the program, just to let you know that things are on the way up versus going the other way."

Notre Dame (2-9) at Stanford (3-7)

When: 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Stanford Stadium

TV: ESPN Radio: WLS 890-AM Series: Notre Dame leads 15-6

Coaches: Charlie Weis (21-15, third year at Notre Dame and overall); Jim Harbaugh (3-7, first year at Stanford; 29-6 in three years at San Diego, a Football Championship Subdivision school)

Players to watch: ND defensive end Trevor Laws needs 10 tackles to break Steve Niehaus' single-season school record for tackles by a lineman. Laws, who has 104 stops, is the only defensive lineman ranked in the top 100 nationally in tackles.

Stanford linebacker Clinton Snyder is the only player ranked among the Pac-10 leaders in tackles (8.4 tpg, eighth), sacks (.60 spg, 10th), fumbles forced (sixth) and fumbles recovered (sixth).

The skinny: The Irish face a Stanford team that has done very little since pulling off the upset of the millennium. Stanford has only one victory since beating top-ranked USC on Oct. 6 and enters Saturday on a three-game slide. Notre Dame nose tackle Pat Kuntz (leg), safety Sergio Brown (leg) and punter Geoff Price (leg) will miss the game. The Irish have won their last five meetings against Stanford but needed a last-minute touchdown to beat the Cardinal on their last trip to the West Coast.