Fighting Irish Cruise Past Syracuse, Make it 24 in a Row at Notre Dame Stadium
If someone just looked at the box score and watched zero of the game Saturday, they would think that the Fighting Irish made quick work of Syracuse. If only that was the case. Syracuse came into the game 1 and 9 and looking the part. In my blog leading up to the game, I expected Notre Dame to make it look easy on Saturday; yes, at times they did, but it was anything but an easy win. The stat that jumped out the most from the game is that the Orange rushed for 229 yards as a team…that’s more rushing yards than the Notre Dame defense gave up to Clemson and North Carolina, combined. It looked like Ian Book and the Irish offense was sleep-walking during the first quarter and most of the second. Things broke open when the Irish got two late scores in the 2nd quarter to make the lead 24-7 going into half time. The Irish turned it on in the second half, pulling away. Syracuse had a late touchdown with the backups in to make the score closer than it really was. In the end, it was Notre Dame 45 and Syracuse 21, and the Irish finish the season perfect, even if they weren’t perfect on Saturday.
Here are the 4 Irish that stood out on Saturday:
- Javon McKinley – The senior who leads the team in receiving yards but had zero touchdowns going into Saturday’s game sure made up for lost time. McKinley had a game to remember, finishing his last game at Notre Dame Stadium with 7 catches for 111 yards and 3 touchdowns. It was a perfect send-off for a player who’s worked his tail off in his four years at Notre Dame.
- Clarence Lewis – When you think of the Notre Dame secondary, the first person to come to mind is starter Kyle Hamilton but Lewis has made a name for himself all year. The freshman corner led the team in tackles with 12 total, 10 of which were solo.
- Chris Tyree – Saturday may have been Senior Day, but the freshmen sure made a name for themselves. Where freshman Lewis had an outstanding game for the defense, it was Tyree who had himself a game on offense. Tyree finished the game with 109 yards on 6 carries. The speedy running back had one touchdown that came on a 94-yard run in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
- Daelin Hayes – Hayes is another senior in his last game at Notre Dame Stadium that had a great game. Hayes had a big interception in the second half to hold off any chance of Syracuse making a comeback. For the senior captain who’s been the heart and soul of the defense this season, it’s only fitting that he was the one making the big play.
I really felt that Notre Dame would come out and from play one just dominate the whole game. I shouldn’t be surprised that a team from the ACC who is 1 and 9 entering the game with nothing to play for would come out with some fight. This was it for Syracuse, as there is no game next week for them, and they left it all out there. Yes, the Irish took control late in the second quarter, but they still made a few mistakes as the game went on. It might have been the last game of the regular season for the Irish, but there is still room for improvement. That isn’t a bad thing, as this team hasn’t played a full 60 minutes of perfect football. The fact that Notre Dame can end the regular season undefeated and say they can still get better is awesome, because the big games are ahead. If the Irish want to play 3 more games, they will have to play perfect football.