Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/380743
GAME PREVIEW: SYRACUSE the opener, recording 15 tackles and a sack. Notre Dame will rely on its three-headed backfield — senior Cam McDaniel and sophomores Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant — to wear down the Syra- cuse front seven. The three combined for 242 yards in the season's first two games, often rotating series to keep fresh legs battering a worn-down defense. Add in the mobile threat of senior Everett Golson at quarterback (52 rushing yards in the first two games, not counting sacks) and Notre Dame should be able to control the tempo of the game however it sees fit against Syracuse's depleted front line. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. SYRACUSE PASS DEFENSE Though he has dual-threat skills, Golson has shown a distinct preference to pass the ball this season, rather than escape the pocket with it. Even without senior wide receiver DaVaris Daniels (academic fraud investigation), Golson has spread his passes among seven receivers, including turf- burners sophomore Will Fuller and junior Chris Brown and the lanky, sure-handed sophomore Co- rey Robinson. Senior Amir Carlisle joined the fun in full force against Michigan, when he matched his catch total from a year ago with seven grabs for 61 yards and two touchdowns, sparking Irish head coach Brian Kelly to opine he had finally found a slot receiver to fit his offensive system. Golson's passes have been crisp and accurate, especially compared to his 2012 season. He com- pleted 66.1 percent of his throws in the first two contests and had yet to throw an interception. Kelly has said he anticipates 70 percent passing from his pupil this season. Syracuse lost two starters from its secondary — safety Jeremi Wilkes and cornerback Ri'Shard Ander- son — but returns third-team All-ACC junior Durell Eskridge at safety. The Orange, however, will likely struggle to keep up with Golson's aerial attack. Advantage: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS All of Syracuse's specialists returned in 2014. In the season opener against Villanova, the kicking game functioned on all cylinders, including going 2 of 2 on field goals. While the Orange managed only one punt return yard, its punt return unit should be feared. In one game last season, Syracuse blocked three punts. Relying on Kyle Brindza, Notre Dame's kicking game rivals any in the country, especially since the senior has shown a newfound ability to pin punts consistently in- side the opponents' 10-yard line. The Irish have already matched last year's total punt return yards in the first two games of 2014. Advantage: Even COACHING Now in his second season in charge at Syracuse, Scott Shafer has battled injury and attrition issues. With the Orange finally nearing a full roster, and Shafer having spent all of last season with the same coordinators, he has the program on the rise, even if in a more competi- tive ACC. Brian Kelly's offense is humming at a high level last seen during his time at Cincinnati, and his ability to keep the Irish focused amid the academic fraud inves- tigation may have kept the season on the rails from the outset. Advantage: Notre Dame INTANGIBLES Notre Dame has bad memories of MetLife Stadium after a humbling 35-17 loss to Navy in 2010. Only a handful of Irish players remain from that defeat, and none saw the field that day, so while fans will speak of it, this team will likely forget about it entirely. A victory coming off the bye week could be pivotal for the Irish, who face three ranked foes in a row. Knocking off the Irish would be a statement win for Syracuse, but it is unlikely. Advantage: Notre Dame