Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1482992
22 NOV. 5, 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT After forcing an incomplete pass by Syracuse on a fourth-and-7 play at the Irish 39-yard line to regain possession, Notre Dame — already up 14-7 — took over with 1:18 remaining in the half. Then, facing a second-and-10 from Notre Dame's 49-yard line, junior quarterback Drew Pyne connected with junior tight end Michael Mayer on a 37-yard reception. That big play set up a 3-yard touchdown toss from Pyne to sophomore wideout Jayden Thomas two plays later that stretched Notre Dame's lead to 21-7 at halftime. With a two-touchdown lead, the Notre Dame defense took care of business after this game- changing sequence. The Irish stretched the lead to 24-7 in the third quarter to, for all intents and purposes, seal the win. According to ABC, Syracuse was 1-89 in games it trailed by at least 17 points since 2004, and had lost 44 in a row. The Orange did manage to pull within 24-17, but could get no closer. STATS OF THE GAME The Irish defense held Syracuse to five three- and-outs, notched two fourth-down stops and intercepted a pair of passes. A week after holding UNLV to 0 of 12 on its third-down conversion tries, they limited the Orange to 4 of 13 (30.8 percent). Head coach Marcus Freeman talks a lot about a balanced offense and a balanced running game. Notre Dame fashioned a decisive advantage on the ground. The Irish finished with 246 yards rushing and ran for 3 touchdowns. You want balance? Sophomore tailback Au- dric Estime carried 20 times for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns, while classmate Logan Diggs re- corded 20 carries for 85 yards and 1 score. Meanwhile the Irish defense limited the Or- ange's rushing attack to 61 yards on 25 carries (2.4 yards per attempt). Notre Dame's 41 points came against an Or- ange defense that entered the game ranked sixth in the country in scoring defense, allowing only 15.1 points per game. CAN'T TOUCH THIS Twice this season, Notre Dame has hit the road to play top ACC teams, and both times it came away with impressive victories in arguably its two best performances of the year. The Fighting Irish notched a 41-24 triumph at No. 16 Syracuse. They also posted a 45-32 vic- tory at previously undefeated North Carolina on Sept. 24, which remained the Tar Heels' only loss through their the first eight games. But in a true case of there's nothing to see here, these two wins make it 26 consecutive regular-season victories for Notre Dame against ACC teams, including 13 straight on the road. The streak dates back to Nov. 11, 2017, when No. 3 Notre Dame was dropped 41-8 at No. 7 Miami. Since it began its scheduling arrangement in 2014 to play five ACC teams every season, the Irish are now 38-7 in those games. Notre Dame gets a shot to extend its streak against ACC foes when mighty Clemson comes to town Nov. 5. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY TODD D. BURLAGE SAFETY BRANDON JOSEPH On the first play from scrimmage, the senior intercepted a pass from Syracuse senior quarterback Garrett Shrader and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown to open the scoring in a game Notre Dame never trailed. It was the first interception of the season for Joseph and his first career touchdown. He also finished with 2 tackles and averaged 7.7 yards on his 3 punt returns, with a long of 13 yards. TAILBACK AUDRIC ESTIME The bruising sophomore compiled 123 rushing yards and 6.2 yards per carry against a solid Syracuse defense that was only allowing 123.3 rushing yards a game, the 37th best mark in the country. In a grinding effort, Estime also added 2 touchdowns dur- ing his second 100-yard game this season. TIGHT END MICHAEL MAYER With 3 catches for 54 yards and no scores, it wasn't the typical standout day that we've grown accustomed to with the junior. But Mayer still led Notre Dame in both catches and re- ceptions — including a clutch 37-yarder late in the second quarter that set up an Irish touchdown — and made some history along the way. Mayer's 37-yard catch helped get him to 1,870 yards for his career, moving him past Tyler Eifert (2009-12) as Notre Dame's career leader in tight end receiving yards. DEFENSIVE END ISAIAH FOSKEY The senior continues to become a regular on this list. He finished the game with 5 solo tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack to pace the Irish linemen in each category. Foskey's sack brought him to 22.5 for his career, tying him with Kory Minor (1995-98) for second place on the Irish career sacks leaderboard, and leaving him only two short of tying Justin Tuck (2002-04) for the all-time career mark. GAME BALLS BY TODD D. BURLAGE Senior defensive end Isaiah Foskey notched 5 solo tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack to pace the Irish linemen in each category. PHOTO BY JOSHUA BESSEX