what we learned: syracuse
A day after Notre Dame's 70 to 7 demolition of Syracuse, this was the most lopsided win of the season, a Senior Day rout that saw the Fighting Irish score touchdowns in seemingly every way imaginable. It was also, without question, the least meaningful measuring stick game of the year, and both things can be true at once.
The Positives
Notre Dame scored 35 points in the first quarter alone on Saturday, getting touchdowns on two pick sixes from J. Stroman and L. Moore, plus a blocked punt return from L. Talich, before Syracuse had even settled into the game. The defense finished the day with three total takeaways and five sacks, numbers that reflect just how completely Notre Dame's front seven and secondary controlled the game from the opening whistle. Syracuse managed only 207 total yards on the day, and its quarterback was intercepted three times while completing just over half of his 30 attempts, a performance that speaks to how little breathing room Notre Dame's defense allowed all afternoon.
Offensively, Jeremiyah Love broke off touchdown runs of 45 and 68 yards, part of a rushing attack that finished with a staggering 329 yards on just 24 carries, a 13.7 yards per carry average that ranks among the most efficient team rushing performances of the entire season. Jadarian Price added a 58 yard score of his own, and CJ Carr, playing a limited role as backups saw extensive time in the blowout, still found time to connect with Will Pauling for a touchdown, finishing 9 of 15 for 67 yards. Notre Dame possessed the ball for just over 16 minutes on the day compared to Syracuse's nearly 44 minutes, and still outscored the Orange 70 to 7, an almost unheard of level of offensive and defensive efficiency packed into a limited number of snaps.
The Negatives
The honest criticism of this game is that it tells us very little about how good Notre Dame actually is, given how overmatched Syracuse was from the opening whistle. A 63 point margin against a struggling opponent is an impressive final score, but it does not carry the same evaluative weight as the wins over USC or Pittsburgh, and it would be a mistake to read too much into the specific performances turned in against a Syracuse team that had little answer for anything Notre Dame did schematically or athletically.
The only real individual blemish came from Notre Dame's backup secondary, which allowed Syracuse's only scoring drive of the day, a late touchdown march against reserves that offered a mild reminder of the depth questions that still exist beyond the starting defensive backfield. Syracuse actually held the ball for nearly 44 minutes in this game, a staggering number for a team that lost by 63 points, and while that time of possession swing had zero impact on the final outcome given how explosive Notre Dame was with its limited possessions, it is a slightly unusual wrinkle worth noting from an otherwise one sided afternoon.
Who Shined
Jeremiyah Love's continued excellence was again the headline, and his now signature touchdown celebrations, including a Heisman pose that Marcus Freeman was asked about directly afterward, are already becoming a talking point of their own heading into next week's regular season finale at Stanford. J. Stroman and L. Moore's pick sixes and L. Talich's blocked punt return were the individual defensive and special teams highlights of an overwhelming team effort.
Freeman's response about Love's celebrations, that he had earned the right to celebrate, only adds to the sense that this is Love's team to carry down the stretch, and the offensive line's ability to spring 329 rushing yards on just 24 carries deserves real credit as well, since that kind of per carry efficiency does not happen without consistent movement up front.
Who Disappointed
There is little to critique from Notre Dame's performance in a 63 point win, though the backup secondary's late lapse against Syracuse's reserves is worth a note heading into the postseason. It did not affect the outcome in any way, but it is the same general concern about depth at cornerback that has shown up in other lopsided wins this season.
The lopsided nature of the game means none of Saturday's individual performances should be read as decisive evidence of where this team truly stands heading into its trip to Stanford, and the coaching staff will likely treat this one as a tune up week more than a true evaluation of where the roster stands against the level of competition still remaining on the schedule.
