Report card: Grading Notre Dame football in Irish win over Syracuse

Notre Dame was better than Syracuse in every phase of the game Saturday in New York. This report card reflects that.

Here’s how the Fighting Irish (5-3) graded per BlueandGold.com in their 41-24 victory over the No. 16 Orange (6-2).

Notre Dame Passing Offense: C-

Don’t let the final score fool you. Notre Dame still had a tough time throwing the football against Syracuse.

Junior quarterback Drew Pyne completed 50% or less of his passes for a third straight game. He was 9-of-19 (47.4%) for 116 yards with 1 touchdown pass and 1 interception. The INT came on a forced attempt to junior tight end Michael Mayer, who got one hand on the ball high above his head and tipped it into the arms of one of many Orange defensive players swarming around him. Bad decision by Pyne. He had a few of those yet again.

He did connect with Mayer on a 30-yard go route. It was perfectly placed. Then he found Mayer for 11 more yards to set up an in-goal situation. He capped the sequence off with a 3-yard touchdown toss to sophomore wide receiver Jayden Thomas on a well-crafted play-action call.

Pyne is very much up and down of late. Hit or miss. He’s got to be better, but it might just be who he is.

Of note: sophomore wide receiver Deion Colzie caught his first three passes of the season for 44 yards. He moved the chains on third and 6 with on a drive Notre Dame eventually scored a touchdown on. Colzie’s play was a plus for the Irish.

Notre Dame Rushing Offense: A-

Ground and pound.

Notre Dame ran 56 times for 246 yards, and that’s including one sack for a loss of a yard and two kneel downs. Without those plays, the Irish ran 53 times for 249 yards — an average of 4.7 yards per carry. That’s not a flashy figure, but it’s an effective one when a team commits to running the ball as much as Notre Dame did against the Orange.

Sophomore Audric Estime bounced back from a stretch of losing three fumbles in four games with 20 carries for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fellow sophomore Logan Diggs ran 20 times for 85 yards and a score. Junior Chris Tyree only had 8 carries for 23 yards, but he didn’t need to have a big day with his understudies performing so well.

That’s been the case for Notre Dame multiple times in 2022. When two of the three Irish tailbacks are churning out yards and touchdowns, it’s usually a winning formula. All three is just a bonus.

Notre Dame Passing Defense: B+

Can we interest anyone in a pick-six on the first play of the game? Northwestern transfer Brandon Joseph got the Irish off on the right foot. When Syracuse pulled within one touchdown in the second half, it was Joseph’s score that was the difference at that point. It was a huge play in the ballgame.

Another huge play in the game, when Notre Dame was still only up by one touchdown in the fourth quarter, came when senior defensive tackle Howard Cross tipped a pass and senior linebacker Marist Liufau dove to intercept it. The Irish outscored the Orange 17-7 from that point forward.

Syracuse used senior Garrett Shrader at quarterback in the first half and redshirt freshman Carlos Del Rio-Wilson in the second half. Shrader left with an injury after going 5-of-14 for 35 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Del Rio-Wilson provided more explosion in the passing game, but that could have been a byproduct of the Orange needing to air it out while trailing. He went 11-of-22 for 190 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

It was a decent day turned great for the Irish passing defense with the two takeaways.

Notre Dame Rushing Defense: A

Syracuse didn’t run much in the second half while trailing. Notre Dame only allowed 61 yards on the ground on 25 carries. Syracuse workhorse running back Sean Tucker carried 16 times for 60 yards. The Irish didn’t let him beat them. And they didn’t give up running lanes for Shrader, a dual-threat, to take off and run through. It was a solid day for the front seven.

Notre Dame Special Teams: A+

Is there something better than an A+?

OK, Arkansas State transfer Blake Grupe missed a 39-yard field goal. But he also made attempts from 31 and 20 yards out, and one of the biggest plays of the game was junior cornerback Clarence Lewis’ punt block that set the Irish up on the Syracuse 2-yard line. Estime punched in his second score of the game to put Notre Dame up 38-17 with 7:47 left. Lewis’ punt block effectively ended the game. Special teams for the win.

Notre Dame Coaching: A

Give the coaching staff credit. Notre Dame has somehow played its best football of 2022 away from South Bend.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina? Check. Las Vegas vs. BYU? Check. The JMA Dome in Syracuse, New York, on a day in which the 6-1 start of a previously dormant program was supposed to be heralded and celebrated? Check. All wins for the blue and gold.

Head coach Marcus Freeman is pulling the right strings on the road. Now he just needs to do so at home — especially with undefeated Clemson coming to town.