Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DEC. 5, 2020 35 BY TODD D. BURLAGE SYRACUSE RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE While sorting through the troubling entrees on the miserable statistical profile for Syracuse, it's the lack of production in the run game that's most striking. Through nine games and a 1-8 start, Syracuse was averaging only 86.7 rushing yards per contest, leaving it as the lone team in the ACC with a clip less than 100 yards. Syracuse also averaged only 3.0 yards per carry and had just three rushing touchdowns on the season. As an unfair comparison, Notre Dame averaged 5.2 yards per carry through its first eight games and led the ACC with 27 rushing touchdowns. With two 100-yard rushing performances this season and an average of about 70 rushing yards per game, Syracuse freshman running back Sean Tucker has provided some ground production for the Orange. For Notre Dame, its rushing defense continues to lead the ACC in fewest rushing yards allowed (by a wide margin) and it remains a strength of this team. During its 8-0 start, Notre Dame surrendered only 85.1 rushing yards per contest, staying well ahead of pace to shatter the single-season record — 105.69 rushing yards allowed per game in 2012 — for the best rushing defense that Irish head coach Brian Kelly has fielded in his 11 years here. Notre Dame's aggressive and stingy work against the run becomes even more notable considering four of the team's top six tacklers are defensive backs. Advantage: Notre Dame SYRACUSE PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE There is not much for Syracuse to celebrate here either. Fifth-year senior Rex Culpepper has taken most of the reps at quarterback this season, with red- shirt junior Tommy DeVito out for the year after an October injury and freshman JaCobian Morgan banged up during the 30-0 loss to Louisville on Nov. 20. Syracuse ranks last in the ACC for passing offense (163.0 yards per game), almost 30 yards per game behind second-to-last Florida State. This trio of Orange quarterbacks had barely completed 50 percent of its pass attempts and features only a 12-to-11 touchdown-to-intercep- tion ratio. Junior wide receiver Taj Harris and redshirt soph- omore wideout Anthony Queeley combine for about 100 receiving yards per game and had five touchdown grabs between them in nine outings. For Notre Dame, it is showing some recent im- provement with its interception and sack fre- quency, but it still ranks only in the middle of the Taj Harris was Syracuse's top receiver through nine games, despite playing in just eight of them. The junior had 37 catches for 518 yards and four scores, all team highs. PHOTO BY RICH BARNES/USA TODAY SPORTS GAME PREVIEW: SYRACUSE On PaPer