Syracuse (2-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) will head to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey to take on Notre Dame (1-3) on Saturday at noon. SU is coming off 31-24 win at Connecticut that came down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter, while UND most recently lost to Duke, 38-35. The last time the Irish started off 1-3 was 2010.

Both coaches went on the Atlantic Coast Conference coaches teleconference on Wednesday. Here’s what Orange head coach Dino Babers had to say.

There’s no real way to prepare for Notre Dame

After starting 1-3 and firing defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has promised that changes will happen before Saturday’s game against the Orange.

Babers stressed that it’s difficult to know what to prepare for when the Fighting Irish might look different than what they have on tape, especially with the talent level they have.

“If you take the 11 players they’re gonna put out there, they might have 50 to 55 stars out there on the field, those are five star, four star kids,” Babers said. “We’re going to have to adjust and improvise as the game goes on.”

DeShone Kizer is a Top 10 quarterback

Kelly criticized his quarterback DeShone Kizer for not playing up to his standard of play after a 38-35 loss where he committed two turnovers.

Still, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound junior has accounted for 13 touchdowns — nine passing and four rushing — through four games this year and Babers thinks he’ll still be tough to stop.

“You can see the intelligence of the young man,” Babers said.

“When you put that type of intelligence and that type of system with the physical skills he has, not only throwing the football but running the football, and there’s no doubt you have one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the country.”

There are no tips on stopping Lamar Jackson

Louisville’s star quarterback Lamar Jackson rolled into the Carrier Dome in Week 2 and lit up the Orange defense, setting an ACC record in the process by accounting for 610 total yards.

It wasn’t just the Orange who’s had problems against him. Through four games this season, Jackson has accounted for 25 touchdowns — 13 through the air and 12 on the ground — and is considered the frontrunner to win the Heisman.

When asked how he would stop Jackson, Babers said he wasn’t really qualified to answer.

“I am not even going to try to attempt to answer that question,” Babers said. “Based off of our performance, I don’t have the right to give an opinion on that. You need to ask somebody that’s done a lot better against that young man than what we did.”

Published on September 28, 2016 at 12:57 pm

Contact Tomer: tdlanger@syr.edu | @tomer_langer