Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/388723
THE OFFENSIVE LINE MAKES CHANGES Notre Dame broke in its new of- fensive line configuration in the 31-15 win over Syracuse after utilizing a bye week to evaluate the unit's play. Junior left tackle Ronnie Stanley is the lone Irish lineman to remain at the same position from the first three games. Senior captain Nick Martin moved from center to left guard, while senior Matt Hegarty replaced fellow senior Conor Hanratty in the starting lineup and played center. Sophomore Steve Elmer took over at right guard — the position at which he contributed the most in 2013 — while fifth-year senior Christian Lombard swapped places with him at right tackle. The Irish amassed 523 total yards of offense and 161 rushing yards, both SYRACUSE GAME NOTES NOTRE DAME VS. SYRACUSE QUARTER-BY-QUARTER COMPARISON Syracuse 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Total Time of Possession 6:51 8:00 7:39 4:13 14:51 11:52 26:43 Third-Down Conversions 0-4 1-3 1-4 1-4 1-7 2-8 3-15 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-0 0-0 1-2 1-2 0-0 2-4 2-4 Average Field Position SU-26 SU-25 SU-24 SU-17 SU-26 SU-21 SU-24 Notre Dame 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Final Time of Possession 8:09 7:00 7:21 10:47 15:09 18:08 33:17 Third-Down Conversions 1-4 3-3 3-3 3-4 4-7 6-7 10-14 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 Average Field Position ND-24 ND-18 ND-30 ND-42 ND-21 ND-38 ND-29 RED ZONE EFFICIENCY (INSIDE 20-YARD LINE) No Poss. TD FG Score Syracuse 3 1 1 1 Notre Dame 4 2 1 1 Notre Dame's reshuffled offensive line paved the way for 161 rushing yards — including a team-best 55 yards on 11 carries by sophomore Greg Bryant (No. 1) — against a stout Syracuse defensive front. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA BY ANDREW OWENS AND DOUGLAS FARMER