Week 4 Recap: Notre Dame 31, Syracuse 15

Notre Dame improved to 4-0 with a sloppy 31-15 win over Syracuse last Saturday night. The Fighting Irish overcame five turnovers and actually won pretty handily despite all of the miscues. The fact that Notre Dame was able to still win by 16 points after committing five turnovers speaks volumes for how much more talent the Irish were and how well they executed their offensive and defensive game plans. If the Irish didn’t turn the ball over multiple times, then this score would have been a much bigger margin of victory.

The obvious negative to the game offensively were the careless mistakes that resulted in the five turnovers. Everett Golson was responsible for four of those turnovers by throwing two interceptions and fumbling twice. Both interceptions were poor decisions and throws, while one fumble was due to carrying the ball too loosely and the other was a botched attempt at spiking the ball. I’ll give Golson a break on the fumble while attempting to spike the ball because it was a fluky play, but the other three turnovers need to be corrected before Stanford comes to South Bend this Saturday. Hopefully, Golson and the Irish got their turnovers out of the way and will be more careful going forward.

Other than the turnovers, the Irish moved the ball tremendously well against the Orange. Notre Dame racked up 523 yards of total offense, with 362 yards passing and 161 yards rushing. The Orange tried to blitz Golson all night, so Brian Kelly called numerous screens and short passes that led to Golson completing 25 consecutive passes at one point, and 32 of 39 passes overall. Golson connected on four touchdowns to Will Fuller (2), Corey Robinson, and Torii Hunter Jr. Both Fuller and Robinson had huge nights with 119 yards and 91 yards respectively, and it was nice to see Torii Hunter Jr. get involved in the offense after returning from an injury. The play of the game was probably a 72-yard touchdown strike from Golson to Fuller on a play action pass. Golson hit Fuller in-stride and gave the Irish a 14-0 lead. The long touchdown was the first play of the drive immediately following an 11-play, 95-yard touchdown drive earlier in the second quarter. After a sluggish start, the Irish would maintain at least a two-score lead throughout the rest of the night. While the passing game was clicking, the rushing attack was just okay. Notre Dame did manage to gain 161 yards on 41 carries, but there weren’t many big holes opened up to result in big gains. Greg Bryant lead the way with 55 yards, but the only rushing attempt to exceed 15 yards was a 22-yard scamper by Golson that resulted in a fumble. I give Brian Kelly credit for committing to the run and having a balanced attack (41 runs, 39 passes), but Notre Dame still needs to work on the running game if they want to win some bigger games later in the year. Overall, it was a good night for the Irish offensively, but there are certainly areas in which they can improve.

Considering that Syracuse had a plus-four turnover margin, it is pretty impressive that Notre Dame only gave up 15 points. Then when you take into account that six of those points came from a pick-six, the Irish defense only allowed nine points despite being put in some bad situations by the Notre Dame offense.  I thought Notre Dame did a great job slowing down Syracuse’s running game by holding the Orange to 135 yards on 30 carries. If you take out a 42 yard run by Riley Dixon, then the Orange only averaged 3.2 yards per carry. Notre Dame also did an outstanding job making sure that quarterback Terrel Hunt wouldn’t kill them with his legs. Hunt had just 26 yards on seven carries after coming off of a 156 yard performance the previous week. Notre Dame did allow Hunt to throw for 294 yards on 38 passing attempts, but most of that production was due in large part to Notre Dame having a big lead that forced Syracuse to throw more often than they would like. Once again, Jaylon Smith and Joe Schmidt led the defense with nine and seven tackles respectively. Sheldon Day also had a good night with two tackles for loss and five total tackles. Matthias Farley added five tackles and came away with the lone turnover for the Irish with an interception in the third quarter that would set up a touchdown drive to give the Irish a commanding 21-3 lead. Notre Dame’s defense played well for the fourth straight week and they have allowed just 11.5 points per game this season. That number is good for the fourth best scoring defense in the nation, which is impressive given how inexperienced the defense is as a whole. However, there is still room for improvement because Notre Dame hasn’t played a great offense yet, so we’ll see how they respond versus tougher opponents as the season progresses.

-Eric Tichelbaut

Twitter: @etichel07

Week 4 Preview: Notre Dame vs. Syracuse

Notre Dame (3-0, 8^th ranked) will play their third primetime game of the season tomorrow night when the Fighting Irish travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey to take on the Syracuse Orange (2-1) at MetLife Stadium. Notre Dame is coming off their first bye week and should be much healthier than they were when they last left the field against Purdue on September 13^th. On the other hand, Syracuse will be looking to have a bounce-back performance after a disappointing 34-20 loss to Maryland last Saturday.  How will the Irish fare in their first official ACC contest under the new agreement?

Notre Dame has had a good start to the season offensively, and they will look to continue that success tomorrow night. The Irish have averaged 36.3 points in their first three games, but they will get their best test in the early season against a Syracuse defense that has allowed just 21.0 points per game. Syracuse has thrived at stopping the run by allowing opponents to rush for only 104.3 yards per game, good for 26^th best in the country. I know Notre Dame really wants to get their ground game going, but this might not be the best week for that to happen. I expect Brian Kelly to try to establish a running game early on to see if they have any advantages in the trenches. As a result of the early season struggles, Notre Dame has made four changes to the offensive line unit. Matt Hegarty will start at center while Connor Hanratty has been removed from the starting left guard spot. As a result, former center Nick Martin will shift to occupy the vacant position. Christian Lombard and Steve Elmer will swap positions with Lombard moving to right tackle and Elmer to right guard. In the end, the only player retaining the same position will be Ronnie Stanley at left tackle. Brian Kelly and offensive line coach Harry Hiestand believe this will help give the Irish a bigger push up front, especially by having arguably their two best linemen (Stanley and Martin) handling the left side of the line.

Despite the issues up front, Everett Golson has played at an elite level through the first three games. Golson has accounted for 11 touchdowns, but more importantly no turnovers. Golson should be able to throw against the Orange who rank 53^rd in the country with 220.7 passing yards allowed per game, but he will be without Amir Carlisle. Carlisle sprained his MCL against Purdue, so C.J. Prosise and a now healthy Torii Hunter Jr. will be asked to fill in. Prosise has flashed some explosiveness in the past, most notably a 53-yard touchdown in the opener versus Rice, but Hunter has yet to see the field after battling injuries since arriving at Notre Dame. Brian Kelly says that Hunter looks great in practice, so I’m excited to see what the once high-profile recruit has to offer. I think Notre Dame has too many weapons in the passing game for Syracuse to handle, so look for Golson and company to excel once again.

I’d be lying if I said I knew a lot about Syracuse offensively, but I do know that Notre Dame will have their hands full with quarterback Terrel Hunt. The senior only has only completed 58.7 percent of his passes for 488 yards and one touchdown, but Hunt is most dangerous with his legs. Hunt has rushed for 273 yards and five touchdowns on 39 attempts, with 156 yards coming last week. Notre Dame will have to be disciplined enough on the edge to keep Hunt between the tackles to allow Joe Schmidt and Jaylon Smith to make the tackle. Notre Dame’s front four will need to get a big enough push to ensure that Schmidt and Smith remained unblocked as much as possible. If Hunt is able to get wide running lanes and break through the first level, then it could be a long day for the Irish defense. The good news is that Notre Dame’s defense has done a great job early on dealing with mobile quarterbacks and potent rushing attacks by allowing just 99 yards a game. That 19^th ranked rush defense is due in large part to Notre Dame establishing some bigger leads causing teams to abandon the run, but there is no doubt that this Irish defense is one of the fastest and most athletic units they have had in a while. If Syracuse wants to win this game they will need to run the ball consistently all game long. Hunt is not a great passer and I expect defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder to dial up plenty of blitzes and different coverage schemes to confuse Hunt all night long.

Notre Dame might start off rusty after the bye week, but I expect the Irish to win comfortably after they establish a lead and force Syracuse into throwing the ball more than they would like.

Prediction: Notre Dame 34, Syracuse 17

Twitter: @etichel07

Week 3 Recap: Notre Dame 30, Purdue 14

The Shamrock Series didn’t go quite as planned last Saturday night, but Notre Dame pulled away with a “comfortable” 30-14 win over Purdue. The Boilermakers gave the Fighting Irish all they could handle for nearly three quarters, and actually held a 14-10 lead over Notre Dame with 3 minutes remaining in the first half. However, the Irish responded with an 8-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard scramble for a touchdown by Everett Golson to give Notre Dame a 17-14 lead going into halftime. From that point on, Notre Dame would take control and add a touchdown and two field goals to put the Boilermakers away.

Notre Dame was good, but not great on offense which allowed Purdue to stay in the game longer than expected. The Irish moved the ball fairly well in the first half, but a missed field goal, a stalled drive that ended in a field goal, and a fumble in their own territory kept the score close. For the second week in a row, Notre Dame struggled to run the ball as well as they would like, forcing Everett Golson to carry the load offensively. Golson accounted for all three touchdowns (one rushing) and threw for 259 yards on the night. The Irish had 139 yards rushing on 38 attempts, but Golson was also their leading rusher with 56 yards. Cam McDaniel, Tarean Folston, and Greg Bryant combined for only 83 yards on 24 carries, good for just 3.46 yards per carry. I thought Notre Dame would be able to run the ball with relative ease against Purdue, so Saturday’s effort is a bit discouraging. Part of the struggles may have been due to 5^th-year senior Christian Lombard missing the game due to injury, but hopefully the Irish will be able to work out their kinks with the offensive line during their bye week. Other than Golson’s performance, the most encouraging thing that came from the offense was the continued emergence of Will Fuller. Fuller led the Irish with six receptions for 51 yards and one touchdown. Fuller has been Golson’s favorite target through three games with 19 catches for225 yards and three scores. Somebody needed to step up with DaVaris Daniels suspended and T.J. Jones graduated, so it is nice to see Fuller break out in a big way.

The Irish played pretty well defensively, but they really turned it on in the second half. Purdue gained 290 yards on offense, but they were held scoreless in the second half due to two interceptions, three points, and a turnover on downs. Notre Dame’s success was due in large part to their suffocating run defense. Purdue was held to just 56 yards on 26 attempts, leaving quarterback Danny Etling vulnerable to sacks and turnovers due to pressure as the game progressed. In fact, the Notre Dame defense was so tough that the Boilermakers failed to reach the red zone in the second half. The defensive standouts of the game were Romeo Okwara, Jaylon Smith, Joe Schmidt, and Devin Butler. Okwara led the Irish with 11 tackles and made his presence felt by combining for a sack and forcing a fumble. Smith accounted for nine tackles, a sack, and another tackle for loss. Schmidt tallied 8 tackles on the evening and also put an exclamation point on the victory by intercepting a pass with 1:46 remaining in the game. Butler’s interception with 8:19 remaining all but sealed the game and the sophomore also chipped in with four solo tackles. Overall, it was another good performance by a young Irish defense that should only get better as the season continues.

-Eric Tichelbaut

Twitter: @etichel07

Week 3 Preview: Notre Dame vs. Purdue

The sixth annual installment of the Shamrock Series will get underway tomorrow night when the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (2-0, 11^th ranked) take on the Purdue Boilermakers (1-1) from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. While this game is at a “neutral” field, this is technically a home game for the Irish and the crowd will heavily be in their favor. However, no matter where the game is being played, Notre Dame would be substantial favorites over a struggling Purdue program.

Offensively, Notre Dame should be able to continue the success that they have had during the first two games of the year. Purdue has allowed 72 combined points versus Western Michigan and Central Michigan, so it would be safe to assume that the Irish will score a lot as well. If Purdue has any chance of making this a close game, it will be because Notre Dame lets them hang around too long. To avoid that and any possible hangover after the Michigan win, I expect Brian Kelly to be very aggressive early on. I would like to see the Irish come out throwing the football early and often while taking shots deep down the field. Notre Dame has a plethora of wide receivers to choose from, and I’m sure that Kelly will try to involve as many as he can against a seemingly weaker opponent. Once the Irish build up a nice lead, then it will be time for the running attack to put the game away. It would not surprise me to see Greg Bryant, Tarean Folston, and Cam McDaniel all reaching double digits in carries as Notre Dame should have the game in hand early in the second half.

It is hard to imagine that Notre Dame can play any better defensively than they did last week, but Purdue’s offense is certainly not as explosive as Michigan’s. In fact, it is still unclear who will be under center for the Boilermakers. Sophomore’s Danny Etling and Austin Appleby will both likely see playing time tomorrow night, but Etling is expected to get the bulk of the snaps. Etling has completed just 51.4 percent of his passes for 307 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions after two weeks, but he did rush for 53 yards on ten carries last week. Despite who is at quarterback, the Irish defense should be just fine if they play like they have the first two weeks. With several freshmen seeing more action last week, this defense should only get better as the season progress. This week will be a perfect opportunity for the younger players to gain more playing time and valuable experience before the Irish start to play better opponents.

This one might be close for a quarter at most, but the Irish should roll easily.

Prediction: Notre Dame 45, Purdue 13

Twitter: @etichel07

Week 2 Recap: Notre Dame 31, Michigan 0

The final scheduled installment of the Notre Dame versus Michigan rivalry left Irish fans happy as their team defeated the Wolverines 31-0 last Saturday night. The game was close early on, but the Irish pulled away in the second quarter, and dominated the rest of the game. It was the first time in the storied series that Notre Dame shutout Michigan, and it was the first time that the Wolverines were blanked by any opponent in 30 years. As much as I have enjoyed the many nail-bitters between these two programs throughout the years, Saturday night felt incredible after last year’s outcome. It saddens me that this rivalry will be on hiatus, but I’m glad it ended the way that it did.

Notre Dame didn’t quite have the night I expected offensively, but they certainly were productive and efficient enough for a victory. The Irish gained 280 yards of total offense, with 226 coming through the air. As you can tell, Notre Dame couldn’t get anything going in the running game with just 54 yards on 31 attempts, but the commitment to the running game helped open up the passing game. Everett Golson looked sharp once again by completing 23 of his 34 passing attempts and three touchdowns. Seven different Irish players had a reception, with Will Fuller (9) and Amir Carlisle (7) leading the way. Fuller led the Irish with 89 yards on the night, highlighted by a 24-yard touchdown before halftime, while Carlisle accounted for two touchdowns and 61 yards. Overall, it was a nice performance for the offense that benefitted from great field position all night long.

As good as the offense was, Notre Dame’s defense was the story on Saturday night. I already mentioned the significance of the shutout, but how they did it was even more inspiring. The Irish defense forced four turnovers and never allowed the Michigan offense to reach the red zone, not even once! Notre Dame was able to slow down the Michigan’s rushing attack by holding the Wolverine’s to 100 yards on 35 carries. An average of 2.9 yards per carry forced the Wolverine’s into 2^nd long and 3^rd and long situations where Devin Gardner struggled. Because of that, Notre Dame was able to get pressure on Gardner and force him to make some costly errors. Gardner was responsible for all four turnovers and was sacked three times on the evening. Leading the charge defensively, were Jaylon Smith (10 tackles), Elijah Shumate (10 tackles), and Joe Schmidt (7 tackles). Smith was all over the place and continues to impress with his speed and athleticism, Schmidt forced a fumble with a big hit on Gardner, and Shumate had the interception as time expired to cap off the victory. Cody Riggs and Max Redfield also picked off Gardner in the second half, to add to an impressive night by the secondary. Freshman linebacker Kolin Hill had a breakout performance with 1.5 sacks and demonstrated an ability to rush the passer from the edge, something that the Irish are missing with Prince Shembo now gone. Overall, it was a surprising and remarkable performance by a young and inexperienced Notre Dame defense. This game should do wonders for their confidence going forward, and I’m excited to watch them develop throughout the season. If Saturday night is any indication of how good they can be, then the 2014 season looks very promising!

-Eric Tichelbaut

Twitter: @etichel07

Week 2: Notre Dame vs. Michigan

Tonight is a big one! Later this evening, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will host the Michigan Wolverines for the final scheduled meeting. While I do believe this historic series will resume in the future, bragging rights are on the line for now. Both teams are coming off of lopsided wins against inferior opponents, so tonight’s tilt will be a challenge for both programs.

For Notre Dame to win, they’ll have to score early and often. Everett Golson looked spectacular in his return versus Rice, but now he’ll have to prove it against better competition. In 2012, Golson was yanked in the first half after a poor performance versus the Wolverines, but he matured later in that season and now looks like a different player. I expect Golson to play extremely well with all the talent around him. Notre Dame’s depth at receiver is probably the best it has been under Brian Kelly, and it showed last week. Golson has plenty of speedy, lengthy, and physical options to throw to, so it is just question of which one will make plays this week. Tarean Folston, Greg Bryant, and Cam McDaniel all have different running styles, so it will be hard for Michigan to stop all three of them. We’re still waiting for Greg Bryant to have a breakout game, and tonight it might be the night. I like how he is fearless with the ball in his hands and I really feel he is going to be playmaker this season. Overall, Notre Dame should have no problem offensively.

While Notre Dame will likely find the end zone several times, Michigan should have success offensively as well. Last year, Devin Gardner lit up an experienced Irish defense, and he should have no problem doing the same this season against an inexperienced secondary. Gardner’s biggest weapon will be Devin Funchess. Funchess is coming off of a three touchdown performance last week, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds the end zone three more times tonight. The Irish don’t have anyone in the defensive backfield that can matchup with Funchess and his 6’5, 230 pound body. If Notre Dame has any hopes of slowing down Funchess, then safeties Max Redfield and Elijah Shumate must play much better than they did last weekend. They seemed confused on some of their coverage schemes throughout the afternoon. If that happens again, it will be a long night for the Irish.  One advantage that Notre Dame might have on defense is their defensive line versus Michigan’s young offensive line. Sheldon Day and Andrew Trumbetti looked good last week, so hopefully they can get a pass rush on Gardner and force some bad throws. If Gardner tries to run, linebacker Jaylon Smith should be able to stop him in his tracks with his elite speed and athleticism.

This rivalry has provided many exciting games, and I expect the same thing tonight. It will be a shootout, but I think Everett Golson is ready to for this game and the Irish will pull it out at home.

Prediction: Notre Dame 45, Michigan 38

-Eric Tichelbaut

Twitter: @etichel07