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On Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, the Stanford Cardinal (2-3) will visit the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-0), marking another week where the Irish face a new opposing quarterback. The Cardinal enter the game after a 57-3 loss to Wake Forest, their most lopsided defeat of the season.
Notre Dame will square off against Stanford senior quarterback Davis Warren, who is in his first season with the Cardinal. Warren has passed for 1,207 yards, ranking 32nd nationally, with a 59% completion rate, five touchdowns, and one interception.
Warren's top performance came in Stanford's 34-27 win over Georgia Tech on Sept. 26. He completed 22 of 36 passes for 396 yards, three touchdowns, and averaged 11 yards per attempt. Additionally, Warren tied former Stanford quarterback Davis Mills for the most consecutive passes without an interception (167). Mills had held the record alone since 2020.
A native of Manhattan Beach, California, Warren spent three seasons at Michigan as a walk-on before transferring to Stanford. His best season with the Wolverines was in 2022, when he completed 64.1% of his passes for 1,199 yards, seven touchdowns, and nine interceptions, earning a 114.7 quarterback rating. For his career, Warren has amassed 2,495 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, a 60.9% completion rate, and a 118.2 quarterback rating.
According to Irish Sports Daily, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said at Monday's press conference that Warren excels at throwing in the middle of the field. Freeman added, "If you give Davis Warren time, he will find ways to move the ball."
Warren will face a Notre Dame defense that ranks among the nation's best. The Irish are 9th in opponent points per game (17.6) and opponent yards per play (4.4), 11th in takeaways per game (1.9), 16th in opposing total yards (312.3), and 50th in opposing passing yards per game (213.4).
Key Analysis
Warren's ability to protect the football and make plays downfield will be crucial against a Notre Dame defense that thrives on creating turnovers and limiting scoring opportunities. His recent record-setting streak without an interception demonstrates his decision-making, but the Irish secondary will provide a stern test. If Warren can replicate his success against Georgia Tech, Stanford may have a chance to pull off an upset.
Originally reported by yahoo.