Notre Dame-Syracuse: 10 To 1 Countdown
10 A 10-0 Notre Dame team will be playing for only the sixth time in its history. The first came in the 1973 Sugar Bowl, a 24-23 win versus Alabama to capture the national title. The other four were in 1988, 1989, 1993 and 2012, with the lone defeat occurring in 1993, the week after defeating (cough, cough) Florida State.
9 This is Notre Dame’s ninth Shamrock Series game, dating back to 2009, and the second in Yankee Stadium, where it defeated Army 27-3 in 2010. The Irish have never lost such an outing and outscored the opposition by an average of 35.4 to 13.9.
The two close calls were three-point wins over Arizona State in 2013 (37-34) and Boston College in 2015 (19-16).
8 Victories recorded by Syracuse this season already after posting a 15-33 mark the past four years while being the lone ACC team among the 14 not to qualify for a bowl game. The Orange haven’t been rated this high (No. 12 in the College Football Playoff) since climbing to No. 11 in the AP poll in 1998 when Donovan McNabb was the quarterback.
7 Ranking nationally of Syracuse in scoring offense with a 44.4 average. It has eclipsed 40 seven times in 10 games, and two of the times they came up short were in a 30-7 romp over Florida State and a 27-23 defeat at No. 2 Clemson. On five occasions the Orange has surpassed 50. Meanwhile, Notre Dame has averaged 39.3 points in its last seven contests.
6 Notre Dame is No. 6 nationally in pass efficiency defense with a 100.39 rating. This is far more telling than the often misleading yards passing allowed per game, although even there the Irish are a respectable 29th (191.2).
5 Syracuse is tied for fifth nationally in turnover margin with a plus-1.30, after ranking 122nd last year (minus-1.00). Notre Dame currently is tied at 50th with a plus-0.20.
The Orange is also tied for third in turnovers gained with 25 — 14 interceptions and 11 fumbles recovered, while the Irish are tied at 61st with 15 (nine interceptions and six fumbles recovered).
4 Ranking of Notre Dame junior quarterback Ian Book in passing efficiency (170.0 rating), behind only three of the top Heisman candidates in Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray (212.9), Alabama’s Tu’a Tagovailoa (207.7) and West Virginia’s Will Grier (180.7). Book leads the nation in completion percentage (.745).
3 Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey is one of three active quarterbacks in the Football Bowl Subdivision who has passed for more than 8,000 yards and also rushed for more than 1,000 in his career, including 690 this year. Two years ago in a 50-33 loss to Notre Dame he accounted for 412 yards total offense and five touchdowns.
2 More victories in the final two weeks would extend Notre Dame’s winning streak to 13, the longest since the 17 straight in 1992 (last six) and 1993 (first 11). It would also give head coach Brian Kelly his second 12-0 regular season with the Irish and third in his last 10 seasons overall (he was 12-0 at Cincinnati in 2009 prior to accepting the Notre Dame post).
1 Not one yard from scrimmage was lost by Notre Dame in last week’s 42-13 win versus Florida State. Notre Dame’s football media relations research has revealed that going back through the start of the Ara Parseghian era in 1964, that is the first time that has happened.
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