STANFORD, Calif. — A battle of two College Football Playoff hopefuls lived up to its billing and went down to the wire. No. 9 Stanford downed No. 6 Notre Dame 38–36 on a 45-yard field goal from Conrad Ukropina as time expired. Here are three thoughts on Stanford’s win:
1. Kevin Hogan came through consistently and in the clutch
Running back Christian McCaffrey draws the bulk of the attention on Stanford’s offense for the variety of ways he can crush an opponent: rushing, receiving and returns. But on a night when Notre Dame mostly kept McCaffrey in check, Hogan stepped up to carry the offense in a shootout.