Audric Estimé’s Impressive Performance Breaks Records in Notre Dame’s Dominant Win Over Stanford

Notre Dame’s Audric Estimé finished his collegiate career with a bang, delivering an outstanding performance in the Irish’s 56-16 victory over Stanford in what might have been his final game at Notre Dame Stadium. The standout junior running back had a career night, scoring four touchdowns, sending a new single-season record and equalling a modern single-game record.

Had the game been more competitive, Estimé might have even had a chance at breaking the Notre Dame single-game yardage record, which stands at 262 yards, last achieved in 2003. However, despite finishing with an impressive 238 yards on 25 carries at an average of 9.5 yards per attempt, Estimé was benched when the Irish established a significant lead.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman’s reluctance to push Estimé for individual records became evident in his recent comments. He expressed discomfort in leaving Estimé in the game just to reach the 100-yard mark in last week’s blowout over Wake Forest, indicating that it was vital to him to do so for Estimé’s last home game at Notre Dame Stadium.

Speculation about Estimé heading to the NFL is rife, and there was no surprise when Freeman acknowledged that possibility. While Estimé hasn’t confirmed his decision yet, the signs all point in that direction. Reflecting on his time at Notre Dame, Estimé expressed gratitude but remained non-committal about his future. This has fuelled the belief that he might leave early for the pro ranks.

Should Estimé choose to opt out of Notre Dame’s bowl game, he would miss breaking the Irish single-season rushing record, currently held by Vagas Ferguson. Given Estimé’s impressive final game against Stanford, it seems increasingly likely that he could bid adieu to college football on a high note.

En route to victory, Notre Dame relied on Estimé’s dynamic play to dictate the terms of the game. Following three first-half turnovers that allowed Stanford to take a 16-14 lead, the Irish subsequently scored 40 unanswered points, with Estimé contributing two rushing touchdowns.

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

10:59 — Stanford field goal. Joshua Karty 34 yards. Stanford 3, Notre Dame 0. (7 plays, 59 yards, 4:01)

5:37 — Notre Dame touchdown. Audric Estimé 39-yard rush. Spencer Shrader point after. Notre Dame 7, Stanford 3. (4 plays, 78 yards, 1:45)

2:23 — Stanford field goal. Karty 23 yards. Notre Dame 7, Stanford 6. (8 plays, 70 yards, 3:14)

1:31 — Stanford touchdown. Tiger Bachmeier 14-yard rush. Karty point after. Stanford 13, Notre Dame 7. (2 plays, 30 yards, 0:37)

… (scoring summary continues) …

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