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o. 16 Syracuse returns home to the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday after a 27-21 loss in which the Orange went the entire second half without scoring, blowing an 11-point lead against Clemson. A Notre Dame squad in a down year will be SU’s first rebound attempt of the season. The Fighting Irish began the season ranked in the top 10, but fell to No. 2 Ohio State before a stunning upset loss in South Bend to Marshall. They most recently blew out UNLV after losing a close matchup to Stanford.
Head coach Marcus Freeman is in his opening season as the frontman for the Fighting Irish. Though ND has slid to 4-3, including a 2-2 record at home, Freeman has led the team to four wins in the last five games, even after starting quarterback Tyler Buchner’s season-ending injury.
“If you get a win over Notre Dame, it’s a big thing,” Babers said on Monday. “They know that everybody gives them their best shot, and they’re always ready for everyone.”
The Orange haven’t beaten ND in the Dome since 2003, but they entered as two-point favorites over the Fighting Irish. Here’s everything you need to know about Notre Dame.
All time series
Notre Dame leads 7-3.
Last time they played
Syracuse traveled to South Bend to cap off the abysmal pandemic-riddled 2020 season that featured a 1-10 record, tied for the worst record in program history. The Orange trailed 3-0 after the first quarter. But then the roof came off, and Ian Book threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Two Notre Dame running backs finished with over 100 yards on the ground, and Javon McKinley led all receivers with 111 yards and three touchdowns.
Syracuse’s offense posted a season-best 229 rushing yards, led by Cooper Lutz’s 114 yards. Rex Culpepper went 18-for-29 with 185 yards, one touchdown and an interception in his final collegiate game. Syracuse had just 15 first downs all afternoon.
Ja’Had Carter, who forced an interception against Clemson last week, intercepted Book — his second pick that season. Dino Babers chalked up the Orange’s mistakes all season to their inexperience and lack of practice time. SU lost, 45-21.
The Fighting Irish report
Backup quarterback Drew Pyne entered the Marshall loss following what would end up being a season-ending injury for Buchner. He finished 3-for-6 with 20 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception. Since then, he’s led the Fighting Irish back from an 0-2 start to a 4-3 record, averaging 179.5 passing yards and two touchdowns per game for the year. He’s flanked by three running backs that have garnered at least 299 yards on the ground this season. Audric Estime is the leader of the three-pronged rushing attack, followed by Logan Diggs and Chris Tyree. The trio have combined to score 10 total touchdowns.
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Notre Dame’s rush defense ranks No. 61 in the country at 139.4 yards per game. But it’s allowed 1,414 yards through the air for an average of 202 yards per game, which ranks 35th in the NCAA.
How Syracuse beats Notre Dame
Syracuse should slice up the second level of that Fighting Irish defense. Sean Tucker should get the ball more than five times. A more balanced approach, like Syracuse ran against Virginia and Louisville, is needed. Shrader can’t be tasked to throw the ball deep as much as he did against the Tigers either. Devaughn Cooper is a threat across the middle on short yardage gains to test the ND linebackers.
Babers stated that the Fighting Irish are an “extremely well coached team,” and they’re bound to make key halftime adjustments, just like Dabo Swinney did in Clemson. The game might come down to whether or not Anae and Babers can properly respond. If Notre Dame takes away Tucker’s effectiveness again, Syracuse needs to find ways to include him in short passing sets. If the long ball is locked down, Syracuse needs to work through a balanced approach of read options and short throws. Most importantly, the Orange have to get back to the creativity that their offense had through six games.
Statistic to know: 100%
Above anything else that Notre Dame might have done wrong so far this season — the lack of a coherent offense, third down conversions — allowing points each time an opponent gets into the red zone might take the cake. In 17 attempts, the Fighting Irish have allowed seven rushing and passing touchdowns each along with three field goals. Opponents are 17-for-17. The only other school that has allowed a perfect opponent red zone conversion rate is Rutgers.
Player to watch: Michael Mayer, tight end, No. 87
Michael Mayer, whom Babers referred to as an “NFL tight end,” leads all receivers with 526 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He was effective last year as a receiving option for Notre Dame, garnering 840 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. But the junior has taken off this year, nearly matching his production numbers from last season through seven games. Mayer has been picked as high as No. 9 in 2023 NFL mock drafts. After recording just five catches for a total of 32 yards against Ohio State, he has finished with at least 60 receiving yards in every game except one.
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He’s surpassed 100 receiving yards three times already and has only finished two games without a touchdown reception. Earlier this month, Pro Football Focus graded him as the No. 1 tight end in the country.
Published on October 26, 2022 at 10:05 pm
Contact Anthony: aalandt@syr.edu | @anthonyalandt
