ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

There was nothing fancy about how Stanford whipped Washington 34-14 last weekend.

The Cardinal rushed for 321 yards. The Huskies had just 290 yards of offense.

Stanford was far more physical and won at the point of attack on both sides of the football.

So there was nothing fancy about coach Steve Sarkisian's message to his team as they prepare for a trip to Notre Dame, which ranks 15th in the nation in total offense with 455 yards per game. The Huskies must block, defeat blocks and tackle better if they are going to maintain the early-season momentum generated by a win over USC.

"The message was we need to do things right," Sarkisian said. "When you looked at the film and evaluated the way we played, it came down to the fundamentals of football. It came down to blocking and tackling and we didn't do either of those two very well and that's how you get beat."

Quarterback Jake Locker also didn't have his best day, completing just 16 of 31 passes with two interceptions.

The date with Notre Dame is an opportunity for the Huskies and Locker to quickly dispatch that bad taste. The Fighting Irish are hardly a dominant team. Since an impressive performance against Nevada, they have lost to a rebuilding Michigan team and won two nail-biters over mediocre squads from Michigan State and Purdue.

The Notre Dame defense ranks 94th in the nation, surrendering 389 yards per game.

Locker and company should be able to make plays and score some points. The question is whether the Huskies can stymie quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who's played his way into Heisman Trophy consideration.

Clausen is the nation's fourth-rated passer. He's throw for 10 touchdowns with just one pick. But he is nursing a turf toe injury that could slow him down.

Sarkisian said the Notre Dame offense is operating on a "very high level" and Clausen's maturation has impressed him.

"He obviously showed a lot of grit and toughness with that final drive versus Purdue," Sarkisian said. "He's showing to be a complete quarterback right now."

The matchup provides an opportunity for Locker to outplay Clausen on national TV and earn himself and the the Huskies some more positive publicity as the program rebuilds.

The Irish whipped the Huskies 33-7 last year. That "7" is likely to change. The question is whether the Huskies D can reduce the 33 enough to steal a win.

"They understand we're a better football team than the way we played last Saturday," Sarkisian said. "We're getting back to the grindstone to rectify it."