What Stanford coach Troy Taylor said about Notre Dame football

Notre Dame is on the road this weekend. Or is it? Stanford Stadium has been home to every team that has played there in 2023. The Cardinal are the only FBS team to not have a win at home this season.

That is not lost on head coach Troy Taylor.

“You want to win them all, but obviously being at home is supposed to give you an advantage,” Taylor said. “We haven’t won a game at home, is the reality well. We haven’t played well enough. Part of that is our opponents; we’ve played some good teams. But part of that is we’re not playing well enough to win for whatever reason.”

Another good team is on the way. No. 18 Notre Dame (8-3) brings a defense ranked No. 5 in the FBS in yards per play allowed and an offense ranked No. 10 in yards per play to the Bay Area this weekend. Taylor said in his Tuesday press conference beating a team with those kinds of numbers — and a program like Notre Dame in general — would do wonders for what he’s trying to build going from year one to year two of his tenure.

“It would be fantastic for the program and momentum and all those things,” he said. “But that being said, no matter what happens, our expectations, how we work, what we’re going to do in the offseason, none of those things will change. My hope and belief in this program and where we’re going to be has not been diminished at all no matter what happens on Saturday or not. We’re going to be a fantastic program. We’re going to win conference championships. All those things are going to happen regardless of Saturday, but we want to win on Saturday deeply.”

Here is everything else Taylor said about the Fighting Irish.

On Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman

“Really, really good. Mature. Makes good decisions. You can tell a leader of the team. A very steady approach. Steady personality. All those things you want in a quarterback.

On the Notre Dame defense

“These guys are really good. It might be the best defense that we’ve faced all year. Just very well coached. Outstanding secondary players. Physical up front. Downhill linebackers. Very challenging.

On the Fighting Irish in general

“We’re finishing off with a really good opponent. Obviously they’ve lost a few games against really good opponents, but they’re outstanding. Got a chance to watch their game versus USC. It was really impressive what their defense was able to do against a really talented USC offense. This is a great challenge.”

On his players finishing the season with such a big rivalry game

“It’s a good question, how they view Notre Dame. Obviously one of the more historic programs — maybe the most historic college football program. That might tend to motivate somebody more. I like to hope most of our guys realize they only get 12 games and they’re all super important. That’s kind of how I look at it, but everybody’s different.

On Notre Dame wide receiver Rico Flores Jr., a Sacramento native (Taylor coached at Sacramento State and at Flores Jr.’s Folsom High School)

“Very familiar with Rico. Saw him play a lot on tape and saw him play live a couple of times. Outstanding player. Really competitive. Great adjustment to the ball. Competitive when the ball is in the air. Physical. Tough. All those things. Outstanding player. He can play anywhere in the country. I have great admiration for him.”

On Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman

“I think Marcus has done a great job. I don’t know him personally but he seems to be a very consistent person in how he goes about his business. Great reputation. Really bright defensive mind. Does a great job in recruiting. His teams are consistent. Although I don’t know him, I certainly admire the job he does. His defenses plays really hard. They’re really physical, so I know that is a reflection of him and Al Golden, the defensive coordinator.

“I respect that team a lot. When you put on the tape, you can see how disciplined they are with their eyes and their assignments on the defensive side of the ball. And how hard they play and how well they tackle. A lot of those things are reflections of not only being a good athlete and a good football player but being a good coach. Tons of respect for him and their program.”

On the Irish’s knack for getting interceptions

“We’ve been watching it now for two days straight. When you talk about getting interceptions, it’s going to start with the pass rush. They do a great job of pressuring the quarterback. They add on their linebackers a lot. They play a ton of man coverage. If you put on the USC game, they’re in man coverage almost every snap against really talented wide receivers and their coverage is tight… So the passing windows are really tight.

“Typically, no one is wide open. I think they’ve given up an insane less amount of passing yards — 148 a game, which is unbelievable. Really impressive. [Xavier Watts] is a great player. Their corners are really good. Their safeties are good. Their linebackers, [JD Bertrand and Marist Liufau] are really physical. They come off the ball up front. They’re a vertical rush team. So they’re going to knock you back, and they don’t miss tackles. There is really no weakness in the defense. They do an outstanding job.”

On if he wants to continue the rivalry with Notre Dame beyond 2024

“Absolutely. It’s a great football program. They do things the right way. I think it’s been a really good rivalry. I think with the relationship Notre Dame has, I know they’re in the ACC besides football, I believe they play four games against the ACC every year. I could be off on that. I think we will continue to play them periodically. Would I like to play them every year? I think it would be great. But I understand there is a lot that goes into that.”