Notre Dame vs. Syracuse: Game Grades, Analysis for the Fighting Irish

In what was a weird game to say the least, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish improved to 4-0 on the season after defeating the Syracuse Orange, 31-15, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. 

The Irish were able to rack up 500 yards of total offense, but they turned the ball over five times, including four by quarterback Everett Golson. And the defense allowed only one touchdown, but surrendered over 400 yards of offense.

So there will be a lot of things the Irish will have to work on before they get ready to take on teams like Stanford and USC, because if they want to get into the College Football Playoff picture, they can’t afford to play like they did against the Orange.

Here are game grades for each positional unit for the Irish.

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	B	B
Run Offense	B	C
Pass Defense	B	C
Run Defense	A	B+
Special Teams	A	A
Coaching	C	B-

Passing Offense

Golson struggled in the first half, and that was because the Orange were constantly blitzing him. But he made adjustments after intermission and completed 26 straight passes. Golson played solid but would have had a better night had he not thrown two interceptions and fumbled twice. 

Running Offense

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly made adjustments with the offensive line this week to see if they could run between the tackles more effectively. The Irish ran for 161 yards, but most of those runs came off the edge. Because the Irish were able to throw the ball effectively, the running game was not a priority, but they need to be able to run up the middle if they want to remain undefeated.

Pass Defense

The pass defense for the Irish was strong in the first half, but Orange quarterback Terrel Hunt was able to hit his receivers on big pass plays in the second half. The secondary was solid in coverage, but Hunt really wasn’t pressured as much as he could have been. The good thing is that Notre Dame did not give up a passing touchdown, and cornerback Matthias Farley came up with an interception in the second half.

Run Defense

Syracuse never got the run game going because linebackers Jaylon Smith and Joe Schmidt were all over the place. One of the reasons the Orange could not get anything going on offense is the fact their running game was inconsistent, forcing quarterback Hunt to try and beat the Irish with his arm. Hunt did score on a rushing touchdown, though, which was the first rushing score the Irish have given up this season.

Special Teams

The special teams for the Irish were as good as you could ask for. Kyle Brindza made his only field goal, and he was good in the punting game, averaging 40 yards per punt. But one of the plays of the game came on special teams when Jarron Jones blocked an extra point in the second half. It didn’t really impact the outcome of the game, but it was good to see him block the third kick of his career.

Coaching

The offensive line changes Kelly made did not work in terms of finding production in the running game. And it looked as if in the first half the Irish coaching staff didn't anticipate the Orange defense being as aggressive as it was. But Kelly simplified things in the second half and the Irish were able to make plays. The one thing his players will be working on this week is ball security, because five turnovers can’t happen again.

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