Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541560
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 29, 2025 27 could have made it easy for Stroman to sulk on the sideline. Instead, he stayed ready for bigger moments. "First off, I just want to say all glory to God for me to be back on the field work- ing and doing anything, really," Stro- man said. "Just patience, really. Yeah, it sucks to get injured. It sucks to go on the bench. But you got to work. "Nothing's handed to you. You always got to work for everything that's in front of you. I just took it in and just worked. Put my head down and keep working." Notre Dame head coach Marcus Free- man made a point to motivate Stroman throughout the season. Freeman knew Notre Dame would need his contribu- tions at some point. " T h i s i s wh y yo u work, because at some point, here comes your o p p o r t u n i t y," Fre e - man said. "And I was so happy to see him get that first pick six. I was so happy for him, be- cause it reaffirmed some of those things that I try to make sure our guys know, especially him. And then he blocks the punt. And he tackled re- ally, really well. "It's a great reminder of the depth we have in our defensive back po- sition, and it's a great example of a guy that works while he waits." Stroman finished with 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 1 pass broken up in addition to his interception. Unless Notre Dame hosts a College Football Playoff game, Stroman played his last of seven games for the Irish in Notre Dame Stadium. "I'm grateful," Stroman said. "The seniors, they give me inspiration to go out there and do everything I can pos- sibly do to leave it all on the field. It's my last game here. I just had to do ev- erything I possibly could." Despite a season that's included seven games in a limited role on the defense, Stroman has no regrets about his de- cision to transfer to Notre Dame. He's part of a team that's building toward a playoff that has a special appreciation for each other. "This team is everything to me," Stro- man said. "You can go from offense to defense to special teams, punters, long snappers, everybody loves each other. It's just a great bond on this team. "I've never had that in my life. It just feels good to be a part of it. It feels great just to be with these boys. I wouldn't change it for anything." — Tyler James BIG PLAYS (25 YARDS OR MORE) Notre Dame • 1-10 SU45 Love rush for 45 yards and a touchdown • 1-10 ND42 Price rush for 58 yards and a touchdown • 3-3 ND32 Love rush for 68 yards and a touchdown • 1-10 ND34 Minchey rush for 34 yards to SU45 • 3-9 SU30 Williams rush for 30 yards and a touchdown • 3-9 SU25 Minchey rush for 25 yards and a touchdown Syracuse • None Stroman (No. 7) finished with 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 1 pass broken up in addition to his pick six. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • Notre Dame now has an all-time record of 9-3 against Syracuse, including 4-1 at home. • Head coach Marcus Freeman is now 2-0 against the Orange and 10-0 against ACC members at Notre Dame Stadium. • Prior to the game, 32 members of the football team took part in this year's Senior Day recognition: defensive lineman Jordan Botelho, cornerback Mickey Brown, quarter- back Tyler Buchner, kicker Noah Burnette, de- fensive lineman Joshua Burnham, defensive lineman Jared Dawson, running back Dylan Devezin, cornerback Charles Du, cornerback Isaiah Dunn, wide receiver Malachi Fields, tight end Justin Fisher, defensive lineman Donovan Hinish, defensive lineman Jason Onye, defensive lineman Kobi Onyiuke, wide receiver Will Pauling, running back Gi'Bran Payne, running back Jadarian Price, tight end Eli Raridon, linebacker Tre Reader, punter James Rendell, defensive lineman Gabriel Ru- bio, linebacker Jerry Rullo, wide receiver Leo Scheidler, offensive lineman Billy Schrauth, cornerback DeVonta Smith, linebacker Jaylen Sneed, safety Jalen Stroman, running back Jake Tafelski, cornerback Chance Tucker, de- fensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka, offensive lineman Aamil Wagner and wide receiver Alex Whitman. NOTRE DAME VS. SYRACUSE QUARTER-BY-QUARTER COMPARISON Notre Dame 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Total Time of Possession 3:47 5:25 3:09 5:49 9:12 8:58 18:10 Third-Down Conversions 0-0 1-2 1-2 2-3 1-2 3-5 4-7 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 0-0 1-1 1-1 Average Field Position ND-45 ND-31 ND-22 ND-47 ND-38 ND-32 ND-35 Syracuse 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Final Time of Possession 11:13 9:35 11:51 9:11 20:48 21:02 41:50 Third-Down Conversions 1-6 3-6 2-4 1-2 4-12 3-6 7-18 Fourth-Down Conversions0-0 0-1 1-1 0-1 0-1 1-2 1-3 Average Field Position SU-24 SU-29 SU-27 SU-25 SU-26 SU-26 SU-26 PLAY CHART (NO. OF PLAYS) Yards ND SU Nega ve 5 15 0-5 15 45 6-9 6 15 10-19 6 5 20-29 1 0 30-39 2 0 40-49 1 0 50 or more 2 0 RED ZONE EFFICIENCY (INSIDE 20-YARD LINE) No Poss. TD FG Score Notre Dame 2 2 0 0 Syracuse 1 1 0 0