See how Notre Dame football graded out in demolition of Syracuse
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SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football entered Senior Day as a 36.5-point favorite over struggling Syracuse, and the Irish wasted little time making this one into the expected laugher.
Saturday’s 70-7 win saw the ninth-ranked Irish race to a 35-point lead after just 11 minutes at Notre Dame Stadium.
Notre Dame improved to 9-2 with its ninth straight win overall and ninth straight on Senior Day. Syracuse, its season wrecked by injuries, fell to 3-8.
Here’s how we grade the Irish’s dominant performance.
Offense: A
Nearly eight minutes had elapsed before CJ Carr and friends finally took the field with a 21-0 lead. Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price combined for 171 yards and three rushing touchdowns on just 10 first-half carries. Love then roared 68 yards to open the second half with his third score of the day and his 20th of the year from scrimmage, tying Jerome Bettis’ 34-year-old program record.
Defense: A
Virginia Tech grad transfer Jalen Stroman stepped in with a flourish for injured safety Tae Johnson. Before the game was three minutes old, Stroman had a pick-6 and a punt deflection. It was Stroman’s first career interception in 47 career games. Leonard Moore added his first pick-6 as well on career interception No. 6, that coming barely five minutes in against two-sport lacrosse freshman Joseph Filardi. A string of 16 straight third-down stops, dating back to the Navy game, finally ended with a direct snap to the Syracuse tight end on third-and-1.
Special teams: A-
Freshman kicker Erik Schmidt nailed all seven of his first-half point-after attempts. James Rendell only had to punt once in the first half. Talich’s 22-yard punt return touchdown was the first score in that manner for the Irish since Chris Tyree took one back 82 yards against Pittsburgh in October 2023. Syracuse returned the opening kickoff 37 yards.
Coaching: A
The Irish handled their emotions well on Senior Day, as they typically do. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock stuck with his usual rotation at tailback and got backup Kenny Minchey into the game for the second series of the second half.
Overall: A
Notre Dame poured it on the Orange in a way that Miami was unable to in a 38-10 home win on Nov. 8. This should keep the College Football Playoff selection committee from getting any wild ideas, at least until after the Irish close out the regular season on Thanksgiving weekend at Stanford.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: A sparkling report card for Notre Dame football vs Syracuse
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