When Notre Dame traveled to Stanford Stadium to face a struggling Cardinal squad last November, then-Fighting Irish running back Audric Estimé ran for a career-high 238 yards with four touchdowns, as Notre Dame overcame a daunting three first-half turnovers to thrash Stanford 56-23. Estimé was the first Notre Dame back to have 200 or more yards on the ground since 2018, and was aided by an offensive line that was able to blow Stanford off the line of scrimmage.
While the game marked the end of Troy Taylor’s first season on the Farm, it was also a turning point for Zach Rowell and the rest of Stanford’s defensive line as they headed into the offseason.
“It left a pretty bad taste in our mouth after last year playing them,” Rowell told The Daily.
Now, after 11 months, Stanford will have the opportunity to achieve vengeance against the Fighting Irish (4-1, Independent).
“This is a revenge game [that] we lost in previous years. [We are] just going [in] there with that chip on our shoulder,” Rowell said.
Now, the Cardinal (2-3, 1-2 ACC) field the 12th-best rushing defense in FBS, an astounding improvement from 94th last year. Rowell and the rest of the defensive line have played a crucial role in Stanford’s improvement this season. Looking ahead to this weekend’s game against the No. 11 Fighting Irish, the Cardinal defense looks to upset a hot Notre Dame team that has battled to a 4-1 record after an upset loss against Northern Illinois.
“We just need to keep stacking games, keep building each week off each other, play off each other and continue to do our job,” Rowell said. “[We need to] violently dominate the guy across from us, and honestly, just pass rush, you know [on] third and long, second and long when we see a high-hat. We just gotta attack the quarterback and make him feel us all game.”
Known for his relentless work ethic and powerful presence on the field, Rowell has become a key member of Stanford’s defense. His unique combination of strength and agility allows him to disrupt opposing quarterbacks while preventing running backs from getting past the line of scrimmage.
As a sophomore, Rowell made his collegiate debut against UCLA, recording three tackles and his first collegiate sack. By the end of his sophomore year, Rowell had appeared in the final six games, totaling five tackles and another sack, cementing his role in the defense. Now a junior, Rowell looks to build on his recent success.
“[I’m] coming in with the right mindset, day in and day out, buying into the defense, [and] honestly, just taking coach Ross’s coaching pretty hard. I’m hard on myself, so [I’m] taking the in-practice work to the field in the game and buying in as a culture,” Rowell said. “We really preach culture playing red, smart, tough, dependable. I think everyone around me, including myself, has kind of bought into that. We’ve all come together to build off each other and play off each other.”
During high school, he was named to the first team all-state and all-conference. He also received the Team Captain’s Award and Defensive Player of the Year for his stellar contributions. For Rowell, Stanford University was an easy selection during the college decision process.
“My uncles played at Stanford — they played in the Rose Bowl. My grandma went to Stanford. My cousin goes to Stanford right now. It’s always been a lifelong dream of mine to play at Stanford, the best university in the world. I cannot be more blessed to be in the situation I’m in today,” Rowell said in a previous interview.
His efforts at Stanford have not gone unnoticed. Rowell’s dedication to the game and confidence bring a different dimension to the Stanford defense.
“I think every single one of us in the d-line room knows that we’re better than the guys we go against,” Rowell said. “They might be bigger, but we kind of got that dog mentality on the defensive line that we’re going to out-hustle you. We’re going to out-physical you and we’re just going to, overall, out-beat you in the game.”