Notre Dame set the golden standard in South Bend this Saturday as the Irish concluded their last regular-season home game against Syracuse in spectacular fashion. The Irish defeated the Orange 70-7, with Syracuse held scoreless until the final seven seconds of the game.
The Irish honored the 33 seniors on the team before the coin toss Saturday afternoon, and the senior class made sure to say goodbye to Notre Dame Stadium after a momentous performance on the field.
Syracuse came into the game missing one of its most important players, junior quarterback Steve Angeli, who suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon in Syracuse’s win against Clemson earlier this season. The Clemson win was the third in a row for the Orange, but after Angeli went down, the team lost six straight.
Angeli, who transferred from Notre Dame last spring, called the coin toss. Notre Dame won, electing to defer to receive in the second half. The Irish defense anticipated the action of Syracuse freshman quarterback Joseph Filardi early on. Senior safety Jalen Stroman intercepted Filardi’s pass on the second play of the game, whirling around for a 44-yard return touchdown in the game’s first minute.
Syracuse attempted to course-correct its offensive strategy, relying on precise passes to cut through the Notre Dame defense. Sophomore safety Adon Shuler, the defensive leader for the Irish, set the expectation for the defensive line, remaining diligent in the Irish effort to overwhelm the Orange offense.
Syracuse attempted to punt on the return, but Stroman blocked it. Junior safety Luke Talich caught the loose ball, running through the Syracuse offense to score a 22-yard touchdown. In two minutes, the Irish earned two touchdowns.
The Orange attempted to set up a rushing play down the middle of the Irish defensive zone, with Filardi completing short throws to get them in position to do so. At the Syracuse 46-yard line, his pass was intercepted by sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore, who ran for a 46-yard touchdown.
There was 21 points on the board and not a single second of action from the Irish offense.
Sophomore quarterback CJ Carr, and his partner-in-crime junior running back Jeremiyah Love, finally took the field. Carr completed a handoff to Love, who streaked through Syracuse linebacker Jamie Tremble for a 45-yard rushing touchdown. The Irish led 28-0 after eight minutes of play.
Notre Dame forced a three-and-out and continued to maximize its offensive momentum. Junior running back Jadarian Price rushing 11 yards down the right end to the Irish 42-yard line. On the next play, he escaped down the middle for a 58-yard score.
Another Syracuse three-and-out put the offense back on the field. The Orange attempted to take advantage of inconsistent Irish passing to no avail. Their defensive strategy centered around pressuring Love, often needing three or four players to stop the Irish running back. The focus on Love allowed Notre Dame to utilize other offensive components to gain yardage and find the end zone, a facet of Irish success throughout the entire game.
In 1921, Notre Dame faced off against Kalamazoo College and piled up 35 points in the first quarter. It was a record that stood untouched for over a century, until now. The Irish were one yard short of breaking the record entirely, opting to let the quarter end on 3rd-and-goal.
Four seconds into the second quarter, senior wide receiver Will Pauling completed the drive, putting the Irish ahead 42-0. It was Notre Dame’s only passing touchdown of the game.
Filardi tried to generate his team’s offense through passes down the middle. Thanks to the quick hands of the Irish, Filardi’s passes were incomplete. He pivoted, trying to get his team to rush instead, but the Orange were met with Irish defenders at every turn. As Syracuse gained minimal yardage, Notre Dame was able to take possession once again.
Syracuse senior tight end Dan Villari turned the ball over at the Irish 41-yard line with 10:35 remaining in the second quarter. Love exploited holes in the defense and rushed 14 yards for his second touchdown of the game. Syracuse faced a 49-0 deficit just before halftime, and turned to freshman kicker Tripp Woody to break the goose egg with a 48-yard field goal. His career-best for longest field goal made was 49 yards, but he couldn’t recreate that success, his kick smacking off the left goalpost.
Notre Dame started with the ball in the second half and used just 37 seconds to feed Love for a 68-yard touchdown, his third and final score of the day. The third quarter was the lowest-scoring for the Irish, only yielding one touchdown compared to the repeated success every other quarter provided.
Syracuse’s frustration was apparent, but its efforts continued into the final quarter. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman dug into his depth chart, playing his second and third strings to get more experience for the back end of his team. The move paid off when sophomore quarterback Kenny Minchey handed off to sophomore running back Aneyas Williams, and on the sixth play of the drive, Williams rushed 30 yards deep into the left side of Syracuse’s end zone for the ninth touchdown of the game.
Syracuse drove down the field halfway through the fourth quarter, running and passing down the middle of the Irish defense, as fifth-string freshman quarterback Luke Carney hoped the change in lineup would inspire the Orange. A play that started with promise ended abruptly when freshman linebacker Madden Faraimo sacked Carney, giving the Irish possession once again.
Minchey slowly took the Irish closer to the end zone through a sequence of short but precise passes before ultimately deciding to handle business himself. He rushed 25 yards to the Syracuse end zone, bumping the Irish up to 70 points and scoring the 10th and final touchdown for Notre Dame.
Syracuse was not leaving the field without finding the end zone. The desperation and determination of the Orange were palpable, and after 12 plays and almost six minutes of concentrated offensive effort, Syracuse was finally rewarded for its perseverance. Filardi came back into the game, and got the Orange on the board himself on a 6-yard run with seven seconds left. Notre Dame ended the game in victory formation, with senior quarterback Tyler Buchner taking the knee.
The Irish won 70-7, the second-highest score ever in Notre Dame Stadium after a 73-0 beatdown of Haskell in 1932. It was the worst loss for the Orange since 1893. The Irish could not have asked for a better ending to regular-season play at home.
Although the Irish emerged with a considerable win, their play still left room for improvement, particularly in passing. The Irish only compiled 67 passing yards compared to 329 rushing yards. Completing passes and relying on rushing for scoring drives has been a common aspect of Irish play all year long, and as the playoffs loom closer, the Irish need to grow confidence in their passing abilities to make a serious run.
Regardless, Saturday was a great night for Notre Dame, and there was plenty of love to go around. The 10 touchdowns scored by the Irish came from eight different players. Love recorded three, the only multiple score effort of the day. Between getting the ball to players such as Minchey and Williams, who do not often get the opportunity to score, the Irish reinforced their confidence in the back end of their team.
It was a major victory, and no one was happier to cheer on the players who do not always get to have their spotlight more than the leaders of the team.
“Everybody wants to shine, and everybody deserves to shine,” Love said after the game. “I love to see that, no matter what position they play on the team.”
There will be ample time to prepare for the College Football Playoff, but first Notre Dame must take care of business against Stanford. The Irish travel to California to take on the Cardinal on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. in their final regular-season game. If the win against Syracuse is any indication, the Irish have no intention of ending their season anytime soon.