Syracuse football comes off the bye into clash with No. 9 Notre Dame

Syracuse football (3-7, 1-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) continues its road trip this Saturday with a matchup against another ranked opponent in No. 9 Notre Dame (8-2, independent), hoping to snag a win off the bye week.

Both the Orange and the Fighting Irish have been on streaks since early on in the season. For SU, it’s a well documented six game long losing streak. Notre Dame, on the other hand, started the season off 0-2 with losses to then No. 10 Miami and Texas Tech, who was No. 19 at the time. The Irish have since ripped off 8 straight wins.

For a Syracuse team with what seems like a mountain of problems, one that has been especially difficult to climb is the rush defense. The Orange allow nearly five yards per carry, third worst in the ACC. SU head coach Fran Brown is aware of the issues his defense has had all year, especially with consistency.

“We going up and down … We got to be a little bit more consistent throughout the game. I think you can watch some games and you can see us uh doing really really well and then there's a few plays that you don't want, that you wish you can get back.”

Unfortunately for the Orange, the Fighting Irish rushing attack sports one of, if not the best, running backs in the nation. Junior Jeremiyah Love is lighting it up this season with over 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns on over six yards per carry. The Missouri native has vaulted himself into the Heisman conversation, fulfilling a prophecy he made for himself before the season.

“I just want to go out there and win it...That’s a long time, 10 years ago [since a running back won the Heisman], but maybe this year, I’ll have to make it plus one."

Cuse.com

With all the consistency Notre Dame has had, Syracuse’s offense still feels like a revolving door. Sophomore Rickie Collins started against Miami before the bye and threw two picks without a touchdown. True freshman Joe Filardi came in at the end of the fourth quarter and completed all three of his passes for 39 yards and a touchdown. That was enough for Fran Brown to name him starter for Saturday’s game.

“I feel like Joe should go in because of being able to go down and put some points on the board. First time we’ve had a touchdown in some weeks. It sucks saying that.”

Notre Dame’s No. 9 ranking puts them in a prime position to make a strong playoff push. As of now, the Fighting Irish are paired up with No. 8 Oklahoma for a first-round matchup.

For SU, with playoff and bowl game hopes firmly down the drain, the last couple of games of the season are just an opportunity to get younger players reps and try to pick up another win. Unfortunately for those hopes, ‘Cuse is 2-10 after a bye since 2020 including the break before bowl games.

David tries to slay Goliath this Saturday at 3:30. WAER’s coverage starts at 3 with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Kickoff on 88.3 FM or here on waer.org.