[NDIrish]

Interesting regarding rain and cold.  It could have an influence, depending.

First, it could shrink ND's clear advantage on field goal attempts.  A cold ball doesn't travel as fair, and a damp field can make for a shakier left foot plant and weaker push off, reducing a kicker's range even more.  And it will make it a bit harder for either team to force a touchback on a kickoff, although there aren't likely to be many kickoffs in the game.

Cold and damp also makes it tougher for a QB to grip a ball, particularly if the QB has small fans.  We Bronco fans know this from painful experience and at least one too many analyses of Peyton Manning's struggles in those conditions.  This might hanper Golston, and hamper him more than Hogan, who has big hands.

And we all know that a wet field favors, even more, the teams with the stronger lines and the team that favors an inside running game.  But it also appears that field maintenance has improved since that axiom first took hold, and we've Stanford fans have seen fields that were supposed to favor us do us no favors at all.  (Not dredging this up further.)

Does ND have a home field advantage?  Maybe a tiny one, but it's an exhilirating place to play for a visiting player, and silencing that stadium is even more encouraging to a defensive player.  It could favor a quick huddling and quick striking offense like Oregon's  in past seasons, but that's not the ND style and your fans are--for better or worse, depending--more like ours than like Oregon's,  (Hat's off to you, but it deprives your guys of a little boost now and then.

It's near certain to be a field position and punting game.  Stanford has made teams play long fields and grind their way up and down a field.  Neither team has made a lot of big offensive plays, and neither has allowed many teams into its red zones.  Unless there are some bad turnovers in bad places, there could be only five offensive scores in the game. 

But Stanford has one added weapon here, and a possible major mismatch: its virtual three tight end blocking game, both on running and passing plays.  Cajuste and Montgomery are unusually big, strong, and fast; they can take out linebackers and dominate smaller defensive backs.  Mongomery hammering on a defensive back evokes Stanford fan memories of Andrew Luck nearly KOing Shareece Wright and, almost as famously, a Low APR U safety.  If Stanford is able to get another guys with the ball in space, Devon and Ty could turn it into a very big play.

More than you asked for, perhaps.  I can't hide that I hope we overwhelm you. If we don't underwhelm ourselves, it is a possibllity, but a game in the teens seems likelier.

Agree on kicking game..

I would have to look this up to make sure, but i think golson has been considered to have big hands.. if not big, i know they have said he has strong ones (in the past known for not using laces and still throwing 60+)  But hopefully both QBs have good showings (as much as i want to win, i like to do so with QBs playing well).

The new turf should help alot for both teams... hopefully we got all of our fumbles out last week (something like 5)

I have always wondering about how teams feel about coming to ND, because half the teams come and talk good about it in front of the cameras, but then storys always get released that players don't feel that its anything special, so dont know...

Dont know if it will happen, and if it does, it definitely wont be an oregon style, but i circled this game weeks ago for when kelly releases a quick play offense... but we will see

We have always struggled with tight end play, what was his name for you guys before zach ertz? he had big games against us.  So i definitely see that as helping you guys, considering 2 of our linebackers are smaller...

Great perspective, thanks! 

[NDIrish]

Interesting regarding rain and cold.  It could have an influence, depending.

First, it could shrink ND's clear advantage on field goal attempts.  A cold ball doesn't travel as fair, and a damp field can make for a shakier left foot plant and weaker push off, reducing a kicker's range even more.  And it will make it a bit harder for either team to force a touchback on a kickoff, although there aren't likely to be many kickoffs in the game.

Cold and damp also makes it tougher for a QB to grip a ball, particularly if the QB has small fans.  We Bronco fans know this from painful experience and at least one too many analyses of Peyton Manning's struggles in those conditions.  This might hanper Golston, and hamper him more than Hogan, who has big hands.

And we all know that a wet field favors, even more, the teams with the stronger lines and the team that favors an inside running game.  But it also appears that field maintenance has improved since that axiom first took hold, and we've Stanford fans have seen fields that were supposed to favor us do us no favors at all.  (Not dredging this up further.)

Does ND have a home field advantage?  Maybe a tiny one, but it's an exhilirating place to play for a visiting player, and silencing that stadium is even more encouraging to a defensive player.  It could favor a quick huddling and quick striking offense like Oregon's  in past seasons, but that's not the ND style and your fans are--for better or worse, depending--more like ours than like Oregon's,  (Hat's off to you, but it deprives your guys of a little boost now and then.

It's near certain to be a field position and punting game.  Stanford has made teams play long fields and grind their way up and down a field.  Neither team has made a lot of big offensive plays, and neither has allowed many teams into its red zones.  Unless there are some bad turnovers in bad places, there could be only five offensive scores in the game. 

But Stanford has one added weapon here, and a possible major mismatch: its virtual three tight end blocking game, both on running and passing plays.  Cajuste and Montgomery are unusually big, strong, and fast; they can take out linebackers and dominate smaller defensive backs.  Mongomery hammering on a defensive back evokes Stanford fan memories of Andrew Luck nearly KOing Shareece Wright and, almost as famously, a Low APR U safety.  If Stanford is able to get another guys with the ball in space, Devon and Ty could turn it into a very big play.

More than you asked for, perhaps.  I can't hide that I hope we overwhelm you. If we don't underwhelm ourselves, it is a possibllity, but a game in the teens seems likelier.

Agree on kicking game..

I would have to look this up to make sure, but i think golson has been considered to have big hands.. if not big, i know they have said he has strong ones (in the past known for not using laces and still throwing 60+)  But hopefully both QBs have good showings (as much as i want to win, i like to do so with QBs playing well).

The new turf should help alot for both teams... hopefully we got all of our fumbles out last week (something like 5)

I have always wondering about how teams feel about coming to ND, because half the teams come and talk good about it in front of the cameras, but then storys always get released that players don't feel that its anything special, so dont know...

Dont know if it will happen, and if it does, it definitely wont be an oregon style, but i circled this game weeks ago for when kelly releases a quick play offense... but we will see

We have always struggled with tight end play, what was his name for you guys before zach ertz? he had big games against us.  So i definitely see that as helping you guys, considering 2 of our linebackers are smaller...

Great perspective, thanks!