Notre Dame · FBS IndependentsWalton sparks Notre Dame’s 58-7 rout of Stanford
The freshman ran for 181 yards and a 97-yard touchdown as the unbeaten Irish struck five times from at least 30 yards.
OCT 10, 2026
Walton’s touchdown run
Notre Dame rushing total
Stanford rushing total
01 · The NewsWalton Sparks Irish Rout
On Saturday, Oct. 10, No. 3 Notre Dame moved to 6-0 with a 58-7 win over Stanford, powered by Jonaz Walton’s freshman-record day and five touchdowns of at least 30 yards.
Walton scored on a 97-yard run on his first carry and finished with 181 yards on 13 attempts. He surpassed Josh Adams’ Notre Dame freshman record of 168 yards against Stanford in 2015, adding a 40-yard touchdown in the second half.
Notre Dame’s other long scores came from Nolan James Jr., who ran for a 31-yard touchdown on third-and-2, and Aneyas Williams, who turned a CJ Carr pass into a 70-yard touchdown. Elijah Burress caught a 30-yard touchdown in the third quarter, the first score of his career. Notre Dame led 37-0 at halftime.
Carr completed 14 of 20 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns without taking a sack. The first-team offense produced 248 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries before the reserves entered late in the third quarter. Notre Dame finished with 361 rushing yards, 47 carries and five rushing touchdowns.
The defense held Stanford to 21 yards on 58 carries despite playing without cornerback Leonard Moore and linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. Moore missed the game with a concussion; Viliamu-Asa had a left-thumb injury. Recovery timelines for either player were not provided.
Walton left Notre Dame with more than a record. He gave the Irish another back who can change a game on one carry—and gave the coaches a new question before BYU.
02 · The StakesThe Playoff Path Holds
The result kept Notre Dame’s playoff path intact and added a real decision to the running-back rotation before the Irish visit BYU on Saturday, Oct. 17. Josh Pate’s preseason bracket put Notre Dame at No. 9; the Irish are now unbeaten through six games and keep pressing against that projection.
03 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
Stanford obscured how deep the rushing output ran. Before the second-team offense entered late in the third, the first team had 248 yards on 27 carries, or 9.2 per attempt. The reserves still added 113 on 20, or 5.7. That makes Walton’s breakout more than a one-run headline: Notre Dame can change its backfield usage without asking Carr to carry the offense; he threw only 20 passes against Stanford. The decision is forced into the Saturday, Oct. 17 trip to BYU, followed by a two-week gap before the Saturday, Oct. 31 visit to Navy.
04 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
How much larger will Walton’s role be at BYU?
Walton’s 13 carries produced 181 yards, while Notre Dame used 47 rushing attempts. A larger share on Saturday, Oct. 17 would show the Stanford performance changed the plan rather than merely expanding the options. The clearest answer will be the first-half carry split at BYU, before game state sends the offense toward reserves.
05 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
Does Walton stay in the rotation?
His 181-yard, two-touchdown day—including a 97-yard score on his first carry—gave the coaches a new question before BYU.
Can Stanford’s rushing defense be repeated?
The Irish held Stanford to 21 yards on 58 carries, despite missing Leonard Moore and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa.