Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/388723
BY DOUGLAS FARMER O n a mistake-filled night when he couldn't even successfully spike the ball, senior quarter- back Everett Golson still shined, his four touchdown passes offsetting his two interceptions and two lost fumbles in Notre Dame's 31-15 victory over Syra- cuse at MetLife Stadium. Just before halftime, the Irish (4-0) stood 15 yards from a 21-3 lead with 17 seconds to get there when the se- nior quarterback took the snap and at- tempted to fire the ball to the ground. However, the ball slipped out of Gol- son's hand, and Orange sophomore cornerback Julian Whigham picked the gift up and headed for the opposite end zone. Fortunately for Notre Dame, the ref- eree blew the play dead, wrongfully assuming Golson spiked the ball. Un- fortunately for the Irish, the gaffe pre- vented the hypothetical 21-3 margin from becoming a reality, keeping the contest a notch closer than necessary. "Taking care of the football is obvi- ously the most important thing for the quarterback to do," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. "You cannot turn the ball over. "He threw a pick-six. He fumbled the football on a scramble, and then the spiking of the football turned into a turnover. When the quarterback is re- sponsible for the football and he turns it over four times, that has to be ad- dressed." Golson countered the four turn- overs with 32-of-39 passing for 362 yards and four touchdowns. He found sophomore wide receiver Will Fuller for the first two scores on throws of 23 and 72 yards. The former came on a screen Fuller specifically requested after failing to turn a previ- ous attempt into a greater gain and likely first down. "I was just real aggravated with my- self after the one play. I should have got more than the first down," Fuller said. "The first one, I tried to cut up too early. The second one I caught, I followed my blocks and reversed field." Notre Dame utilized screen passes SUBLIMELY SLOPPY In a game full of mistakes and great plays, the Irish blew past Syracuse 31-15