Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Syracuse Orange Complete Game Preview

After a much-needed week off, Notre Dame begins its ACC scheduling commitment when it heads east to take on Syracuse. For the first time this season, the Irish will play a game outside of Indiana, finally boarding a plane in the last weekend of September. But Syracuse has moved this game out of the Carrier Dome, heading to MetLife Stadium as the Irish play their second straight game in an NFL, neutral-site stadium. 

It's been five seasons since Notre Dame played Syracuse, their first game since the demoralizing 24-23 loss in 2008, when Greg Robinson's hapless squad very nearly spelled the end of the Charlie Weis era in a senior day disappointment. Since then, both programs have seen quite a bit of change. 

For the Orange, Robinson was replaced by native son Doug Marrone, who returned to his alma mater to lead the program back to respectability. But after four seasons, he surprised many by taking the Buffalo Bills head coaching job. That brought in Scott Shafer, who has his second Orange team 2-1, though coming off a disappointing home loss to Maryland. 

Of course, Notre Dame's program hardly resembles the one that last played the Orange. Ranked in the Top 10 and playing excellent football on both sides of the ball, a nationally televised prime-time game may have lost a bit of its luster with the Orange falling to the Terrapins, but it will still serve as a good measuring stick before Notre Dame gets into the meat of their schedule.  

Let's get you ready for Saturday night's game.  

Date: Saturday, Sept. 27

Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

Place: MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey

TV: ESPN

Radio: IMG College Sports, SiriusXM Channel 129

Spread: Notre Dame by 11.5, according to Odds Shark.

Notre Dame Keys to Victory

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Be Efficient in the Passing Game

The Orange have been stingy against the run, giving up just 2.72 yards per carry through three games. But they've shown themselves to be fairly susceptible against the pass, making this feel like an obvious place for Brian Kelly and Everett Golson to attack. 

According to CFBStats.com, the Orange ranked 90th in the country, giving up a hearty 7.6 yards per passing attempt. That's the kind of matchup the Irish receiving corps can exploit, with Golson capable of spreading the Orange defense out and picking it apart with one-on-one matchups. 

Will Fuller should once again be primed for a big game. Corey Robinson, still playing with a cast on his fractured thumb, should build on his nice game against Purdue. 

The Orange have yet to register an interception on the year and Golson hasn't thrown one either. The Irish quarterback is set up for another big day. 

Hold Up Defensively Against a Tough Rushing Attack

The engine that drives the Syracuse offense is a strong ground game. And after struggling a bit in the first half against Purdue, Notre Dame's front seven will face their stiffest challenge against the Orange running attack.

Quarterback Terrel Hunt leads the way, already notching five rushing touchdowns and running for 7.0 yards per carry. While he's still very much a work in progress as a passer, Hunt's ability to move the chains as a runner—not to mention supply the big play—is a key component to the Syracuse offense. 

From there, two senior backs have done the rest of the damage. Prince-Tyson Gulley and Adonis Ameen-Moore fit the perfect big-back, small-back platoon, both incredible efficient through three games.

Gulley has two 100-yard days, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. Making that number even more impressive is the fact that Gulley only gained 13 yards on seven carries in the Orange's 40-3 victory over Central Michigan.

Ameen-Moore is a 234-pounder who will be the first true power back the Irish have faced. He's averaging 6.9 yards per carry, a veteran runner who will likely try and test the interior of the Irish defense.  

Syracuse Keys to Victory

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Find a Way to Not Beat Themselves

Any time you out-gain an opponent by over 200 yards you should win the football game. But even as Syracuse statistically dominated Maryland last week, they were basically beat by halftime.

For the Orange to hang with Notre Dame, they can't make the mistakes that cost them against the Terps. First on that list is quarterback Terrel Hunt. A red-zone pick-six and a fumble gave Maryland 10 points. Hunt's 156 yards rushing don't do much good if he's giving the ball away, especially when he's struggling as a passer. 

Notre Dame's been excellent in the turnover game early this season. The Irish are tied for the lead in the country with a plus-8 margin, while the Orange are even through three games. For Syracuse to upset the Irish, they'll need to find a way to at least win the turnover margin and take advantage of their red-zone appearances, something they didn't do against Maryland. 

Put Together Some Big Plays in the Passing Game

The Orange will be missing one of their best receivers on Saturday as junior Ashton Broyld suffered a lower-leg injury against Maryland. That'll put even more pressure on a passing game that'll need to be productive to beat the Irish on Saturday night.

Senior Jarrod West has the opportunity to be a matchup problem for the Irish, with the 6'3" receiver averaging 16.6 yards per catch this season. But right now the Orange offense is averaging just 192.7 yards per game, 101st in the nation. 

Terrel Hunt has been dominant the past two weeks running the football. But if the Orange can hit the Irish for some big plays in the passing game, they'll loosen up a young Notre Dame defense that hasn't really been tested yet this season.  

Notre Dame Players to Watch

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Jarron Jones

Notre Dame's monstrous defensive tackle hails from upstate New York, making the game against Syracuse one that's likely been circled for a long time. But Jones is also vitally important for the Irish defense, needing to win at the point of attack as Notre Dame will be challenged early and often by the Syracuse ground game. 

Jones is off to a fast start this season, with 12 tackles including two TFLs so far. But the 6'5.5", 315-pounder will need to play his best on Saturday night against the Orange, anchoring the interior of the defensive line and keeping Syracuse's offensive linemen off of Joe Schmidt and Jaylon Smith. 

Greg Bryant

With Notre Dame's staff taking the bye week to take stock in the team's performance, it's time for the offensive staff to acknowledge that Bryant is the team's best running back. Bryant leads the team in yards per carry and yards but still is the third back in, perhaps the best third-stringer in college football history. 

While Syracuse has done a good job against the run, it's far from invincible (after all, Villanova ran for 190 yards against them). And while Harry Hiestand's reshuffled offensive line could look much different on Saturday than it did last week against Purdue, giving Bryant 15 to 20 touches would be the best way to get the ground game on track. 

The passing game should be operating at maximum efficiency on Saturday night. But getting the ground game going is critical for Notre Dame's success down the line, and giving Bryant that chance now only makes sense. 

Syracuse Players to Watch

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Terrel Hunt

One of the most dangerous running quarterbacks in the country, Hunt needs to be more efficient on Saturday in the red zone, converting opportunities to points against Notre Dame. The Orange didn't do that against Maryland, with Hunt turning the ball over twice in scoring situations, likely costing Syracuse the game. 

Hunt's abilities as a runner will challenge the Irish defense. But he's got to be more efficient as a passer, something he struggled with against Maryland's defense when he completed just half of his 28 passing attempts for 219 yards. 

Head coach Scott Shafer assessed his senior quarterback's progress, keying on the self-inflicted mistakes as the ones that hurt the most. 

"[Terrel]'s progressing well. We just have to take care of that football," Shafer told Cuse.com. "That's the biggest thing. I think our offense to starting to get a rhythm and get in a groove where there's a confidence level. Now it's a matter of finishing and not killing ourselves."

Cameron Lynch

The senior linebacker is off to a fast start in 2014, leading the Orange in tackles (30), TFLs (5.5) and sacks (4.5). While slightly undersized at 6'0" and 231 pounds, Lynch has been wreaking havoc off the edge in Chuck Bullough's defensive scheme. 

The Irish have struggled dealing with big pass-rushers, giving up four sacks to Purdue's defense. That's got to have Lynch licking his chops, capable of putting up big numbers as he plans to spend most of the evening in the Irish backfield. 

What They're Saying

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Syracuse moved their home game to MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands with the intent of turning their game against Notre Dame into one of the flagship games of the season. 

"It's not just a nationally televised game, it's an event," Syracuse athletic director Daryl Gross told Syracuse.com. "It's an incredible event. It's like a mini bowl game in the middle of the season. So to say that it's significant is an understatement."

Looking at game film of Notre Dame, Scott Shafer understands the challenge of facing Everett Golson. 

"Everett is a great football player, we knew that," Shafer told Cuse.com. "He had a year off last year and now all of a sudden he's back. He accounts for over 62 percent of their offense when you look at both the pass and run, so he's the guy. He's the guy we have to do a great job defending."

Prediction

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With Notre Dame about to go into the toughest stretch of the season, the Irish could be looking past Syracuse with Stanford, North Carolina and Florida State awaiting. But that'd be a big mistake, especially playing a game that's one of the most important of the Orange season. 

The first road trip for a young team, it'll be important for the Irish to get off to a quick start. That'll be easier for the offense than the defense, especially with Brian VanGorder's unit challenged by a Syracuse running game that can move the ball against anyone. 

Ultimately, the Irish offense will take control of the ball game, thanks to another big Saturday by Everett Golson. But it'll be a tougher game than many expect, with the Orange keeping it close before Notre Dame pulls away. 

Final Score: Notre Dame 31, Syracuse 17