Notre Dame-Syracuse: Numbers, Turning Point & More

By The Numbers

6 Career blocked kicks by fifth-senior nose guard Jarron Jones, adding to what unofficially is a school record. For the second time this season, Jones blocked an extra point attempt that Notre Dame returned for two points, this time by senior cornerback Cole Luke to make the score 9-6. Lineman Derek Landri (2003-06) blocked four kicks during his career. Jones blocked two kicks in 2013 and two more in 2014.

18 Seconds it took for Notre Dame to take a 7-0 lead after junior quarterback DeShone Kizer found sophomore receiver Equanimeous St. Brown for a touchdown. That was the fastest touchdown since Oct. 16, 2010, when Dayne Crist connected with Michael Floyd on an 80-yard score against Western Michigan 12 seconds into the contest.

36 Points scored with 10:06 left in the first quarter after Notre Dame sophomore C.J. Sanders’ 93-yard kickoff return gave the Irish a 23-13 lead. We have no record of any Fighting Irish game where more points were scored in the first five minutes. The 36 points overall were the most in one quarter of a Notre Dame game since the Irish outscored Pitt 40-0 during a 60-6 victory in 1996.

45.5 Average yards per catch by St. Brown, who totaled 182 on his four grabs. That is the second highest figure in a game by an Irish receiver in which a minimum of four catches are required. Michael Floyd holds the mark at 47.3 when his four catches against Nevada in 2009 resulted in 189 yards.

356 Passing yards by Kizer in the first half while taking a 33-27 first half lead. That is the most in one half by a Notre Dame player, eclipsing the 339 by Jimmy Clausen (452 total) in a 23-21 loss to Navy in 2009.

471 Yards that Kizer finished with in passing yardage — the most ever by a Notre Dame quarterback in a victory. Joe Theismann had 526 in a 38-28 loss at USC in 1970 and Brady Quinn finished with 487 in a 44-41 overtime defeat to Michigan State in 2005. The previous high in a win was Quinn’s 467 in a 49-23 conquest of BYU in 2005. It was the third straight week Kizer passed for a career high.

727 Yards total offense in the first half, with 621 coming through the air (356 for Notre Dame and 265 for Syracuse). It became a little more reasonable in the second half when the two teams totaled 416 yards, with the Irish winning the scoring battle in the second half, 17-6. The Orange passed for only 98 yards in the second half.

Turning Point

The first 6:34 of the second half went from what looked like would be a see-saw affair to be decided on the final series, to Notre Dame asserting control.

Syracuse scored the last touchdown of the first half with 30 seconds left to pull within 33-27 — plus it was receiving the second half kickoff. The Irish made a stop on the opening series with a sack by senior James Onwualu, and then five plays later a 54-yard touchdown pass to freshman Kevin Stepherson made it 37-27. After forcing another Orange punt, Notre Dame sophomore running back Dexter Williams looked like he was trapped for a five-yard loss before reversing his field and scampering for a 59-yard touchdown, reminiscent of Marcus Allen’s famous run in the 1984 Super Bowl. Syracuse was within striking distance throughout the first 37 minutes, but it deflated from there.

Stat Of The Game

Five Notre Dame touchdowns accounted for 352 yards, or an average of 70.4 yards. There were scoring passes of 79, 67 and 54 yards to St. Brown (the first two) and Stepherson, a 93-yard kickoff return by Sanders and a 59-yard run by Williams. Those tallies had all occurred with 8:26 still remaining in the third quarter.

The plethora of explosives were too much to overcome for a small, young and decimated Syracuse defense that was in damage control mode. There were also other missed opportunities, including overthrowing a wide open Stepherson that would have been a 56-yard score. A 44-yard wheel route to sophomore running back Josh Adams set up the sixth Irish touchdown.

Defense Overshadowed

The 50-33 final score makes it look like another defenseless game for the Fighting Irish, and it was in the first half. Plus, the 167 points Notre Dame has allowed during its 2-3 start is still the most in Fighting Irish history in the first five games of a season (the 3-9 team in 2007 yielded 166).

Overshadowed, and perhaps also worthy of stat-of-the-game honors, is the Irish defense allowed only six points in the second half. It forced Syracuse to punt on its first four possessions after the intermission while taking control of the contest, and on the fifth it made a red-zone stop on fourth down at its five-yard line. It might not generate much attention overall, but the second-half effectiveness on defense is something the Irish might be able to build on while trying to rise from the rubble through the first four-and-a-half games.

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