Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541560
22 NOV. 29, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT One could argue the turning point happened when Notre Dame and Syracuse ran out of their respective tunnels. On one side was an extremely motivated Irish team, ready to show out in front of its home crowd for possibly the final time this season. On the other was a beaten- down Orange team with nothing to play for but pride. And by the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter, it lost that, too. But if there was a turning point after the opening kick- off, it was redshirt senior Jalen Stroman's pick six on the second play from scrimmage. If there was any doubt about the outcome before Stroman intercepted true freshman walk-on quarterback Joseph Filardi and took it the distance, the Virginia Tech transfer Thanos-snapped it out of existence. Playing underneath zone in Cover 3, Stroman saw Fi- lardi stare down his target over the middle and easily undercut his throw. It was eerily similar (same coverage, route concept, path to the football) to redshirt freshman safety Tae Johnson's pick six the week prior at Pitt, and Stroman did it while starting in place of Johnson (hand). STATS OF THE GAME Syracuse "won" time of possession 41:50-18:10, be- cause Notre Dame simply scored as soon as it got the ball more often than not. Notre Dame rushed for 329 yards, out of 396 total yards. That's its highest single-game rushing mark of the season and third-highest of the Freeman era (381 yards at Stanford in 2023 and 362 yards at Purdue in 2024). CROWD REFLECTS CULTURE "DE-FENSE!" the Notre Dame Stadium crowd chanted as Syracuse drove down the field. "DE-FENSE!" The Irish led 70-0 at the time. They essentially had their scout defense in the game, including seven true freshmen — five of whom were making their college debuts. Later in the possession, when the Orange faced third down in the red zone, the still-packed stadium roared to life. In that moment, the Irish fans in attendance were as loud as they had been all night. Notre Dame's defensive starters, who did their best to get the crowd fired up from the sideline, absolutely loved it. "It just shows the type of team and the type of guys we have around us," sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore said. "We're getting the same excited for them on the sideline as they are for us, probably even more sometimes." Meanwhile, Freeman and defensive coordinator Chris Ash looked on intently, calling and coaching the game the same as they would if the scoreboard said 0-0. Syracuse did wind up scoring on that drive, but that's not the point. Particularly in the last two seasons, Freeman has em- phasized winning each play, no matter the situation. First downs still hurt him, and defensive stops still thrill him, even when the game is in hand. And that matters because it maximizes every chance Notre Dame gets for player development. To hear the crowd on the same page is indicative of the culture Freeman has built in South Bend. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY JACK SOBLE S ETHAN LONG This is more symbolic than literal, representing some outstanding performances by Irish re- serves in the game. But in the 21 snaps the freshman safety played against Syracuse, he got an almost perfect film grade from Pro Football Focus (97.8). After playing just two snaps all season, Long recorded 3 tackles against the Orange and got his first career interception — that after having a pick six wiped out earlier in the drive by a questionable roughing the passer penalty assessed to Irish defensive lineman Donovan Hinish. RB JEREMIYAH LOVE Even with Notre Dame running just 39 offensive plays and the junior superstar touching the ball on just eight of them, he still managed to have a significant impact on the game as well as fuel his momentum as a Heisman Trophy contender. On Notre Dame's second offensive play and already leading 21-0, the Irish got a 45-yard touch- down burst from Love. He'd go on to add two more, tying former All-American Jerome Bettis' school record for total touchdowns in a season (20). His other touchdowns covered 14 and 68 yards, and Love finished with 171 of Notre Dame's season-high 329 rushing yards. S JALEN STROMAN With redshirt freshman safety Tae Johnson out for the game with an injury to his left hand, the player he knocked out of the starting lineup in Game 4 this season made a triumphant return to the starting defense. The Virginia Tech graduate transfer lit the match on No. 9 Notre Dame's defensive inferno with a 44-yard pick six 57 seconds into the game. And he encored less than two minutes later with a punt deflection that fellow safety Luke Talich returned 22 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 Irish lead. Head coach Marcus Freeman, incidentally, said after the game that Johnson could return as soon as Nov. 29 against Stanford but certainly wouldn't miss any postseason action. Stroman made the most of his opportunity with a team-high 8 tackles — all solo stops — with 2 stops for loss. GAME BALLS BY ERIC HANSEN Freshman safety Ethan Long earned an almost perfect film grade from Pro Football Focus (97.8), while notching 3 tackles and his first career interception. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER