Notre Dame-Stanford 2015 final score: 3 things we learned from the Cardinal’s 38-36 win

No. 9 Stanford might have only an outside shot at the College Football Playoff, but the Cardinal showed demonstrated their merit in a 38-36 win against No. 6 Notre Dame, as the offense had a stellar day to beat the fighting Irish and finish off a 10-2 regular season before a meeting with USC in the Pac-12 championship game.

Stanford won on a last-second field goal from Conrad Ukropina after Notre Dame scored to take the lead with less than a minute left. The Cardinal should have had more time, if not for some brutal clock management from coach David Shaw, in which he saved all of his timeouts for Stanford’s final offensive drive.

The Cardinal rode behind big plays from the arm of quarterback Kevin Hogan and consistent drives in which the Irish’s defense simply couldn’t get off the field. Notre Dame made more big plays — a 93-yard kick return for a touchdown and a 73-yard touchdown pass from DeShone Kizer to Will Fuller — but Stanford was more consistent throughout the game, particularly on third down. And while he might not have Fuller’s name recognition, the Cardinal’s Devon Cajuste showed he can be just as electric.

In the end, it was Stanford’s defense that won the game, holding Notre Dame with big stops in the fourth quarter. The Irish offense showed its potential with young players like Kizer and running back Josh Adams. But the injuries everywhere on both sides of the ball — most recently to cornerback KeiVarae Russell — proved to be too much against the high-powered Cardinal offense.

Both teams end at 10-2, but Stanford is the only one with a glimmer of hope left for the College Football Playoff, and the Cardinal still have one more chance to prove themselves in the Pac-12 title game next week.

1. Notre Dame is out of the Playoff race. That was probably true after Oklahoma started running through Oklahoma State, but it is certainly true now. It was a valiant effort for such an injury-riddled team.

2. Stanford can still technically make the Playoff. It’s going to take a very impressive effort in the Pac-12 title game, plus losses from Clemson (against North Carolina) and Alabama (against Florida), but it can happen.

3. DeShone Kizer was certainly down at the one-yard line on his touchdown run for the go-ahead score, and the Pac-12 replay refs chose to let the touchdown stand. That might have given Stanford time to get into field goal range that it otherwise would not have had.