On a sunny but cool Saturday afternoon, while recognizing its seniors in their final home game of the regular season, Notre Dame came to play. Here are the key moments that led to its 70-7 victory over Syracuse.
Five Irish players score in the first quarter
Notre Dame deferred to kick off the game, but two plays in, pulled off a pick-six, as senior safety Jalen Stroman intercepted the ball for a 44-yard touchdown.
A little over a minute later, Syracuse was forced to punt, but Stroman found his way to the football once again, blocking the attempt. The ball found its way into the hands of junior safety Luke Talich, who returned the ball 22 yards for the second touchdown of the game with 12:19 still remaining in the first quarter. Before the offense could even touch the field, there was another Irish touchdown. As Syracuse quarterback Joseph Filardi looked left and delivered, sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore was there to intercept the pass and run the ball down the sideline 46 yards for the third touchdown of the first quarter.
While the three defensive players – Stroman, Talich and Moore – all put their efforts into Notre Dame’s early lead, the offense came in to match their energy.
On Notre Dame’sfirst drive of the game, freshman quarterback CJ Carr handed the ball off to junior running back Jeremiyah Love, who broke through the Syracuse defense for a 45-yard rushing touchdown to put the Irish up 28-0.
A fifth player found his way to the end zone to put the Irish up 35-0. That was Love’s backfield partner and fellow junior running back Jadarian Price. He took the handoff up the middle for a 58-yard touchdown. With every extra point converted by freshman kicker Erik Schmidt, Notre Dame led Syracuse 35-0.
It was the first time in program history that the Irish scored 35 points in the first quarter.
Irish keep Syracuse quiet
Less than a minute into the second quarter, Carr found senior wide receiver Will Pauling to put the Irish up 42-0, and Love scored his second rushing touchdown of the day at the six-minute mark to put the Irish ahead 49-0. The Orange looked to get themselves on the board in the final seconds of the first half with a field goal attempt. After the first attempt missed following a Notre Dame timeout, the second hit the left goalpost.
At the end of the first half, Notre Dame led Syracuse with 202 total yards to 81. Anchoring the offense, Carr went 4-for-7 passing with a total of 42 yards and one passing touchdown. For the Orange, Filardi went 10-for-19 with a pair of interceptions before being replaced by freshman Luke Carney late in the half.
Irish challenge 90-year-old record in second half
Kicking off the third quarter, Love ran straight through the Orange defense for a 68-yard touchdown to put the Irish up 56-0. Freshman safety Ethan Long appeared to be getting in on the action with a pick-six on the ensuing drive. Junior defensive lineman Donovan Hinish got flagged for roughing the passer, however, bringing the play back. But Long didn’t give up there.Thefreshman took advantage of his rare minutes by getting his hands on the football again. This time, no penalties negated the interception. With the ball back, sophomore quarterback Kenny Minchey weaved his way through the Orange defense for 34 yards rushing on the first play of the drive.
As head coach Marcus Freeman swapped out many of his starters, his team showcased its depth. Minchey handed it off to sophomore running back Aneyas Williams, who scampered for a 30-yard touchdown, making him the seventh Notre Dame player to find the end zone. Minchey would eventually become the eighth, taking it 39 yards on a quarterback keeper to put the Irish up 70-0. With this touchdown from Minchey, Notre Dame set its modern program record, breaking the 69-point mark from a matchup with Georgia Tech in 1977.
Irish defense dominates
Notre Dame took the early lead and didn’t take its foot off the gas at any point, but the Irish defense must be credited just as much as the offense.
They were a key instrument in making sure that Syracuse did not score until the dying seconds. With a total of 73 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, three interceptions, 99 interception yards and five sacks, the Orange offense was stifled all afternoon.
With this win, Notre Dame moves to 9-2 on the season. The Irish now set their sights on rival Stanford in the season finale, one win away from an all but guaranteed spot in the College Football Playoff. Kickoff isset for 10:30 p.m. next Saturday inside Stanford Stadium, with ESPN providing the broadcast.