Notre Dame vs. Syracuse: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More
Notre Dame and Syracuse meet for the first time in six seasons Saturday at MetLife Stadium in the Fighting Irish's first trip away from home this season.
Surely, the Notre Dame faithful would love to forget the last time these two teams met, the result being a humiliating 24-23 loss in 2008.
This time around, though, the Fighting Irish are clicking on all cylinders on the offensive side of the ball and playing sound defense, as the Orange enter off a loss and with plenty of issues to patch up before the showdown.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Though things appear lopsided on paper, keep in mind Notre Dame's biggest test to date came against a hapless Michigan program and that Syracuse can tout a potent offense when not shooting itself in the foot.
They play the game for a reason, after all.
Stopping the Beast
Few imagined Brian Kelly's offense would look this prolific so quickly with Everett Golson back under center.
Golson is a surefire Heisman contender with 780 yards and seven scores to his name already, including an astounding 226 yards and three scores while completing 67.7 percent of his passes against Michigan.
To top it all off, the Fighting Irish are 14-of-14 in the red zone so far this season thanks to his high level of play.
"He's preparing so much better than he ever has, and I think it's allowing his athletic ability to shine in the game, but, again, having said that, I think there is really a lot more out there for him to accomplish," coach Brian Kelly said, per ESPN.com.
Golson will once again need to be at the top of his game Saturday. Syracuse actually touts a very strong run defense, with its issues coming against the pass. Only Villanova tallied more than 100 yards on the ground against the Orange, and it needed 60 carries to do so.
In that same vein, Golson will need to be deadly efficient. The Orange also prefer to run the football and control games. Against Villanova, Scott Shafer's team ran for 136 yards; then 289 against Central Michigan. A further improvement was seen with 370 against Syracuse.
If there is a formula that can slow Notre Dame, it is forcing the team into a one-dimensional attack and downright keeping the ball out of Golson's hands via an effective ground game. Golson has the talent to overcome it on his own, but actually doing it is quite different than talking about it.
Staying Cool Under Pressure
For all the good Syracuse has done en route to that 2-1 record, it sure cannot stop hurting itself in the process.
Composure has been a major issue for the Orange as is, and now the team is headed to national television at a neutral site to take on a major program. Those within Syracuse are concerned about the late start and magnitude of the event—not to mention the skill of the opponent.
"As far as the jitters when you come out, those teams like Florida State and Clemson and Notre Dame, they make it hard to get in a rhythm," quarterbacks coach Tim Lester said, per Nate Mink of Syracuse.com. "You're going to have to do a couple good things early so everyone kind of relaxes and goes play."
Again, composure has already been a red flag. In a one-point win over Villanova, the Orange racked up seven penalties for 55 yards. Things were even more sloppy in the blowout of Central Michigan, with nine penalties for 41. The behavior finally caught up to the Orange in the loss to Maryland, with eight more for 69 yards.
Syracuse does a lot of great things. The ground game is superb, but drive-killing flags will cripple the Orange against a team like Notre Dame.
When: Saturday, September 27, 8 p.m. ET
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Television: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):
- Over/Under: 48
- Spread: Notre Dame (-12)
Team Injury Reports
| Nicky Baratti | S | 09/15/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | shoulder |
| Amir Carlisle | WR | 09/21/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Syracuse | Questionable | knee |
| Austin Collinsworth | S | 08/30/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | knee |
| DaVaris Daniels | WR | 08/15/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Jarrett Grace | LB | 09/03/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | knee |
| Eilar Hardy | S | 08/29/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Mike Heuerman | TE | 09/21/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Syracuse | Questionable | hernia |
| Christian Lombard | G | 09/21/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Syracuse | Questionable | ankle |
| Cole Luke | CB | 09/21/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Syracuse | Questionable | neck |
| Will Mahone | WR | 08/02/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Kendall Moore | LB | 08/15/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| KeiVarae Russell | CB | 08/15/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Ishaq Williams | LB | 08/18/2014 | was dismissed from the team | Out | disciplinary |
| Sean Avant | WR | 08/28/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | upper body |
| Ashton Broyld | WR | 09/23/2014 | is expected to miss 2-3 weeks | Out | leg |
| Adly Enoicy | WR | 09/21/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame | Questionable | knee |
| Quinta Funderburk | WR | 09/21/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame | Questionable | undisclosed |
| Naesean Howard | S | 08/11/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Ross Krautman | K | 08/04/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | hip |
| Josh Mims | S | 08/22/2014 | has left the team | Out | personal |
| John Raymon | DT | 08/27/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | knee |
Injury reports via USA Today.
Prediction
Many will point to the fact Notre Dame has yet to be truly tested and that the team struggled to dispatch of Purdue.
Both of those are true, but to be fair, the historic rivalry against the Boilermakers is always tough. In fact, over the course of the past few seasons, that 30-14 win is the most dominant the Fighting Irish have looked in that annual showdown.
No, the real issue here is the propensity for the Fighting Irish to overlook the Orange entirely. The week after is a showdown with No. 16 Stanford. Two games after that is No. 1 Florida State.
The Fighting Irish are the superior team by far, but it is quite a young one taking its first road trip out of state with even bigger matchups to look forward to down the line. Golson will lead the team to a win, but not in a dominant way most would anticipate.
Prediction: Fighting Irish 36, Orange 28
Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
