Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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22 DEC. 19, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT With less than four minutes remaining until halftime and Syracuse ahead 7-3, the Orange momentum and energy was at a fever pitch when Notre Dame fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book's pass fell incomplete on third-and-10 from his 28-yard line — until a personal foul infraction on that play by defensive end Kingsley Johnson on Book gave the Irish new life with a first down at their 43-yard line. Three plays later, Book scrambled for a 28-yard touchdown and Notre Dame took the lead for good (10-7) with 3:18 left until the intermission. Two more touchdown passes to fifth-year senior wide receiver Javon McKinley quickly followed right before halftime for a 24-7 cushion. That game-altering penalty by Syracuse, just when it seemed like it could potentially have a lead at halftime, reflected the frustration and setbacks that accompany a 1-10 season. STATS OF THE GAME The most surprising was that after rushing for three yards the previous week against North Car- olina State and averaging 78.3 yards per game on the ground, Syracuse racked up 229 rushing yards against a Notre Dame defense that was allowing only 85.3 yards per game via the run. On the plus side, Notre Dame generated a sea- son-high four turnovers and won that battle 4-2. The previous high for the Fighting Irish was three apiece against Pittsburgh (all interceptions) and Clemson (all fumbles). Syracuse entered the contest tied for No. 1 nationally with most turnovers forced (22), and did intercept Book for the first time in a school- record 266 attempts. The Irish were 43rd in the country in turnovers forced with 12, but recov- ered three fumbles and had a pass interception by fifth-year senior defensive end Daelin Hayes when he dropped into coverage. THE GRADUATES The four-year unbeaten record (36-0-2) of Notre Dame's 1950 graduating class, which fea- tured three national titles, will be virtually impos- sible to duplicate by any school. In the 70 years hence, believe it or not, this four- year undergraduate Notre Dame class that will be graduating in the spring of 2021 so far has achieved a 43-6 ledger — an .878 winning percentage that right now is the second best over four seasons at the school, with the ACC Championship Game and potential College Football Playoff still looming. It is the first class at the school to win a mini- mum of 10 games each of its four undergraduate years, and the second to record 43 victories over four years. The other was the class of '92 which was 43-7 (.860) — 12-0 (1988), 12-1 (1989), 9-3 (1990) and 10-3 (1991). The 1988 team did win the national title, which is the final frontier for this four-year group. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY LOU SOMOGYI OFFENSE: QB IAN BOOK In his last game at Notre Dame Stadium, the fifth- year senior signal-caller shined and provided a spark to an offense that was stagnant for much of the first half. He completed 24 of 37 throws for 285 yards with three touchdowns. He did toss just his second intercep- tion of the season, but his performance still produced a 150.9 quarterback rating. People have also grown accustomed to Book making plays with his legs, and once again, he did not disap- point. On eight carries, he ran for 53 yards and a pair of touchdowns (28 and 17 yards). DEFENSE: LB JEREMIAH OWUSU-KORAMOAH The senior rover hindered the Syracuse offense in a multitude of ways. On one play, he lined up over the slot and broke up a pass thrown to a speedy receiver. Next, the he knifed into the backfield and disrupted Orange quarterback Rex Culpepper as he dropped back to pass. Later, he forced a Syracuse fumble by delivering a bone-crushing hit. Owusu-Koramoah, who has been projected as a first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, finished with five tackles (0.5 for loss), two passes defended, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Honorable mention to freshman cornerback Clarence Lewis and his 12 stops (10 solo). SPECIAL TEAMS: RB CHRIS TYREE The ultra-fast freshman running back continues to be a weapon for the Fighting Irish and stood out on spe- cial teams when no one else on the roster did against Syracuse. Tyree brought back three kickoffs for 73 yards (24.3 yards per attempt), with a long return of 33 yards. He also had six rushing attempts for 109 yards, highlighted by a 94-yard touchdown, and snagged one reception for six yards on his way to 188 all-purpose yards. TOP PLAYERS OF THE GAME BY ANDREW MENTOCK Freshman running back Chris Tyree accounted for 188 all-purpose yards against Syracuse — with 73 coming on three kickoff returns, including a game-best 33-yard effort. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS