Blue and Gold Illustrated

Oct. 6, 2014 Issue

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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him ahead of the Notre Dame career record of 93.2 percent by John Lujack for players with at least 15 starts. Lujack was 20-1-1 while helping lead the Irish to national titles in 1943, 1946 and 1947 (he served overseas in World War II from 1944-45). 95 Yards on Notre Dame's first touchdown drive that ended with sophomore Will Fuller's 23-yard touchdown reception in which he reversed his field on a screen pass. The 11-play march was the longest by the Irish since covering the same amount during a 21-6 win at Boston College on Nov. 10, 2012. 1943 The last season, until now, in which Notre Dame tallied at least 30 points in each of its first four games. Head coach Frank Leahy's Irish outscored their first four foes 181-25 and put up at least 30 points in each of the first six games en route to the national title. This year's team has outscored the opposition 140-46 while tal- lying 48, 31, 30 and 31 points, respectively. What Worked • The horizontal passing game. Offensive "bal- ance" can sometimes be overrated. If a defense is repeatedly giving you an opening to run a certain play and that play is picking up yardage consistently, stick with what's working rather than worry about the run-pass ratio. That's what the Irish did all night long with screens, slants and middle screens to its wideouts to counter Syracuse's goal of shutting down runs in between the tackles. Senior quarterback Everett Golson com- pleted a school-record 25 straight passes — 32 of 39 overall for 362 yards with four touchdowns — with almost all his passes similar to "long handoffs" on the edge. • Run defense. The previous week against Mary- land, Syracuse dual-threat quarterback Terrel Hunt romped for 156 yards on 23 carries, while running back Prince-Tyson Gulley had 138 yards on just 14 carries and running back Adonis Ameen-Moore added 68 yards on nine carries. With top receiver Ashton Broyld sidelined because of a leg injury, the Irish put a premium on stopping the run, even if it meant sacrificing some big plays via the pass. Limiting Hunt and the Orange backfield to 93 yards on 29 carries (3.2 yards per attempt) while controlling the line of scrimmage against a veteran line, especially after right tackle Ivan Foy was injured, was a highlight. • Third downs. Notre Dame played pitch and catch with its short aerial attack throughout the night en route to converting 64.3 percent of its third downs. Syracuse was unable to do the same while starting 1 of 10 on its third-down conversion attempts. What Didn't Work • Clean play. Through the first three games, Notre Dame had one turnover and 12 penalties for 73 yards. Against the Orange, the Irish committed five turnovers and were whistled for eight infractions totaling 80 yards. Most of the time such numbers in one game will get you beat. • The long ball. With Notre Dame's concentra- tion on shutting down the run, the outside with man coverage was a little more vulnerable. Syracuse completed five "explosives" that covered 25, 28, 33, 38 and 46 yards. That was more than the four from the Michigan and Purdue games the two previous weeks combined. • Interior push in ground game. Four different position changes along the Notre Dame offensive line during the bye week and preparations for Syracuse were made with the ideal of getting a better surge, specifically in the interior. The 161-yard rushing total wasn't bad, but through most of the first three quar- ters there still was minimal room to run between the tackles. The Irish horizontal passing game did eventually spread out the Syracuse defense to provide more open lanes or gaps for the run in the latter stages of the contest. — Lou Somogyi TAKING A CLOSER LOOK

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