Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541365
38 NOV. 22, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: SYRACUSE INTANGIBLES Speaking of that home venue, Notre Dame has been pretty good there as a favorite in the Free- man era. The Irish are 18-4 straight up as a home favorite since Freeman's debut in 2022, which began with a loss to Marshall. Then there was the defeat to a Stanford team that eventually went 3-9 in that 2022 season as well. The loss to Northern Illinois in 2024 was as inexplicable or even more so than those two. So Notre Dame definitely isn't infallible in a game like this. But on Senior Day during the Freeman tenure, Notre Dame boasts a 44-0 win over Boston Col- lege, a 45-7 win over Wake Forest and a 35-14 win over Virginia. That's called taking care of business vs. inferior foes. Intangibly for Syracuse, there isn't a whole lot to say outside of the Orange having the chance to play major spoiler for the Irish. This was sup- posed to be the Steve Angeli return game, but that storyline was thwarted in September when the former Notre Dame quarterback tore his Achilles quarterbacking Syracuse to a victory over Clemson. It's been said before but it needs to be said again: Syracuse still has not won a football game since Angeli went out with that injury. It's dire times for the Orange. Not much going their way this season. Advantage: Notre Dame Predictions Todd D. Burlage: Notre Dame 48, Syracuse 3 Statistically speaking, Syracuse might be better off saving the travel costs to Notre Dame Stadium and skipping this game, given its season downturn. Former Irish quarterback Steve Angeli transferred to and started for the Orange to start this season and shined while leading Syracuse to a 3-1 record. Everything changed when Angeli was lost for the season due to an Achilles injury after the hot start. Since, the Orange has lost six straight games and has been outscored by an average of 22.6 points dur- ing the slide. This one is all Notre Dame, start to finish, providing a chance for the Irish walk-ons to log some minutes on Senior Day. Steve Downey: Notre Dame 52, Syracuse 0 The Orange's season has been an unmitigated disaster since old friend Steve Angeli when down with an Achilles injury in Week 4. The ACC's youngest roster simply isn't equipped to handle what has been a difficult schedule without its veteran quarterback, who was averaging nearly 330 yards passing with 10 touchdown through four games. During Syracuse's six-game losing streak — its longest since dropping eight straight to end the 2020 season, a COVID-impacted year in which the Orange finished 1-10 — have scored just 11.6 points per game while allowing 34.2. Since Marcus Freeman arrived in South Bend as the defensive coordinator in 2021, the Irish have outscored the opposition by an average of 44.8-5.3 while posting a pair of shutouts. Expect more of the same against an overmatched Orange team. Eric Hansen: Notre Dame 44, Syracuse 6 The difference between the Steve Angeli-led Syracuse football team and the one that's gone 0-6 in his absence is staggering. The only statistical non-disasters on its résumé after a bye week are a No. 50 ranking in passing offense, that's actually down 46 spots since the former Notre Dame backup quarterback suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4 against Clemson, and Jack Stonehouse ranking fifth in the nation in punting (47.7). The downside is he punts a little too often — 48 times this season, compared to Notre Dame's James Rendell's 19 going into last the road test at Pitt Nov. 15. Most of the Orange's national rankings, among the 134 teams the NCAA charts. are below 100, with total defense (122nd), sacks allowed (123rd) and turnover margin (125th) the lowlights. The Irish get the sentimentality of Senior Day out of the way early, then take care of business in decisive fashion. Tyler Horka: Notre Dame 42, Syracuse 7 No Steve Angeli, no shot of Syracuse winning this football game. That's what this ultimately comes down to. With Angeli, the Orange were 3-1 with their only loss coming in the season opener versus Ten- nessee. Without them, they're 0-6 and their losses haven't been close. They've got an average margin of defeat in their current losing streak of 22.6 points per game. Over three touchdowns. Notre Dame is the best team they've faced in this stretch, unless you think Miami is still better than the Irish by way of the Hurricanes' season-opening win over the Irish, so Notre Dame should be able to put a pretty good beatdown on the Orange on Senior Day in South Bend. A Senior Day that could have been a celebratory one for Angeli had he stayed at Notre Dame, by the way, but that's neither here nor there. Tyler James: Notre Dame 41, Syracuse 13 The unfortunate injury to Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli didn't just make his return trip to Notre Dame less interesting. The loss of Angeli, who spent three seasons at Notre Dame, turned Syracuse into a bit of a laughingstock. The Orange hasn't won a game since Angeli was officially declared out for the season following a 34-21 win over Clemson. Syracuse's offense has no potency, and its defense doesn't offer much resistance either. The Irish should be able to roll while closing out their home slate. Kyle Kelly: Notre Dame 56, Syracuse 10 Syracuse has struggled mightily since Steve Angeli's season ended prematurely. After going 3-1 with the former Notre Dame passer under center, the Orange lost six straight games entering Week 12. Meanwhile, the Irish have outscored teams 124-21 on Senior Day in the Marcus Freeman era. There- fore, I like Notre Dame to win big. Jack Soble: Notre Dame 42, Syracuse 7 Syracuse is playing out the string, coming off six straight losses and lacking any answers at the quar- terback position. The Orange aren't a complete pushover everywhere else on the field, but they aren't nearly talented enough to overcome their deficiencies under center. Plus, Notre Dame doesn't lose on Senior Day. Irish by a lot. Redshirt junior linebacker Gary Bryant III is tied for the team lead in total tackles with 54 through 10 games. PHOTO COURTESY SYRACUSE ATHLETICS