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On Paper: Notre Dame vs. Syracuse

Junior linebacker Zaire Franklin leads a Syracuse defense that has given up a lot of yards and points this season. (Syracuse Sports Information)

Notre Dame (1-3) looks to get back on track this weekend when it travels to East Rutherford, N.J. to take on the Syracuse Orange (2-2). A look at how the two teams compare on paper.

SYRACUSE RUNNING GAME vs. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE

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This particular matchup is a battle of weaknesses for both Notre Dame and Syracuse. Despite its 199-yard performance in a 45-20 loss to South Florida, the Orange offense has largely struggled to get its ground game going this fall. Through three games, Syracuse was averaging 124.8 rushing yards per game and just 3.2 yards per rush, which ranked 111th and 118th in the nation, respectively.

Sophomore running back Dontae Copeland leads Syracuse with 226 yards through four games. He set career highs with 30 carries and 127 yards against South Florida.

Freshman Moe Neal has rushed for 128 yards in his first four games. Sophomore quarterback Eric Dungey is capable of making plays with his legs. He has gained 150 yards on the season, although his net total is just 67 yards thanks to sacks.

Notre Dame’s defense has been abysmal through the first four games of the season, ranking 96th nationally in rushing defense after giving up 201.0 yards per game. Power Five conference opponents Texas (237 yards), Michigan State (260 yards) and Duke (208 yards) all shredded the Notre Dame run defense.

The up-tempo style that Syracuse has installed under first-year head coach Dino Babers could give the Irish defense problems, no matter who the defensive coordinator for this game happens to be.

Senior defensive end Isaac Rochell and senior linebacker James Onwualu — both captains — lead the Irish defense with four tackles for loss apiece. Junior Mike linebacker Nyles Morgan leads the team with 37 tackles through four games.

Advantage: Even (Both are very bad in this department)

SYRACUSE PASSING GAME vs. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE

It should come as no surprise that Syracuse is throwing the ball frequently and effectively under Babers. His Bowling Green (2014-15) and Eastern Illinois (2012-13) offenses averaged 333.4 passing yards per game, and twice his offenses racked up more than 5,000 passing yards in a single season.

Syracuse had a roster suited to run Babers’ offense, thanks to the presence of sophomore quarterback Eric Dungey and an athletic group of pass catchers. Through its first four contests, Syracuse has averaged 371.8 passing yards per game, which ranked 7th nationally.

Dungey passed for 1,298 yards and 11 touchdowns as a freshman in 2015, but he’s quickly surpassed those numbers this season. Through four games, the talented sophomore has already tossed for 1,367 yards and nine touchdowns while completing 65.4 percent of his passes.

The arrival of Maryland graduate transfer Amba Etta-Tawo has given the Orange an outstanding crop of receivers. In just four games with his new team, Etta-Tawo had already surpassed his 2015 season totals (20 receptions for 216 yards), racking up 40 receptions for 706 yards and five scores.

In his first game with Syracuse, Etta-Tawo hauled in a career-high 12 receptions for 210 yards. He followed that up with a pair of eight-catch games, going for 103 yards against Louisville and 123 yards against South Florida. In Syracuse’s 31-24 win over UConn, Etta-Tawo had his best game yet, hauling in 12 passes for 270 yards and a pair of scores.

Former running back Ervin Phillips has hauled in 36 receptions for 289 yards. The sophomore caught 14 passes in the opener against Colgate and another 10 against South Florida. Syracuse likes to get him the ball quickly on the perimeter, where he uses his after-the-catch skills to do damage.

Notre Dame has given up 253.0 yards per game through the air, which ranks 87th nationally. Teams have had their way with Notre Dame when they throw the ball, averaging 9.1 yards per attempt and 14.3 yards per reception. Those numbers rank the Irish defense 123rd and 112th in the land, respectively.

Advantage: Syracuse

NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME vs. SYRACUSE RUN DEFENSE

Notre Dame’s defense will not be the worst unit on the field when the Irish and Orange square off. Syracuse has allowed 209.3 rushing yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry, which respectively rank the Orange defense 103rd and 123rd in the country.

Louisville went for 414 rushing yards against Syracuse while putting up 62 points, while South Florida gashed the Orange defense to the tune of 234 yards on the ground en route to 45 points.

Syracuse had not been able to generate much disruption with its front seven, totaling just 11 tackles for loss in its first three games. It picked up the pace against UConn, registering seven stops behind the line.

Notre Dame’s ground attack stalled in its 36-28 loss to Michigan State, rushing for just 57 yards on 25 carries, but it was improved against Duke. Part of the issue was the fact Notre Dame fell behind 36-7 in the third quarter against the Spartans, forcing it to become heavily reliant on the pass game.

In their season-opening loss to Texas, the Irish went for 206 yards on the ground. Notre Dame rushed for 239 yards and three touchdowns in its 39-10 victory over Nevada. That strong start has the Irish at 163.8 yards per game despite its poor performance against Michigan State.

Sophomore running back Josh Adams leads the Irish with 238 yards (5.1 per rush) through four games. Against Michigan State, Adams surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for his career in 16 games, becoming the second-fastest back in Notre Dame history to achieve that mark, trailing only Darius Walker, who reached the 1,000-yard plateau in just 14 games.

Senior running back Tarean Folston has chipped in 146 yards. Sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer has added 186 yards through four games, and he leads the team with five rushing touchdowns.

Advantage: Notre Dame

NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME vs. SYRACUSE PASS DEFENSE

Despite the loss of first-round draft pick Will Fuller — who had back-to-back 100-yard receiving games in his first two regular-season contests with the Houston Texans — the Irish pass game has continued to flourish.

Notre Dame is averaging 292.0 yards per game through the air, and is averaging an impressive 8.9 yards per attempt and 15.0 yards per completion. In the loss to Michigan State, Kizer set a career high with 344 passing yards, a mark he surpassed a week later, tossing for 381 yards against Duke.

Kizer has been relatively efficient in his second season as a starter, completing 62.1-percent of his passes and putting up a 167.6 passer efficiency rating, which ranks him 14th in the country.

Not having Fuller has caused Kizer to be more willing to spread the ball around. Eleven different players have hauled in at least one pass, and five players have at least five receptions through the first four games.

Kizer’s favorite target thus far has been 6-5 sophomore wideout Equanimeous St. Brown, who leads the Irish with 21 receptions, 359 receiving yards and four touchdown grabs. St. Brown has had at least 75 receiving yards in each of his first three games.

Fellow sophomore C.J. Sanders has 13 receptions, 215 yards and a pair of scores. Senior captain Torii Hunter Jr. missed Notre Dame’s win over Nevada, but he returned against the Spartans and set a career high with 95 receiving yards. Despite playing just three games, Hunter is third on the roster with 15 receptions for 207 yards.

Syracuse has had a hard time defending the pass the past two seasons, ranking 100th in 2015 and 92nd through three games this season. The Orange have allowed 2457.5 yards per game after the first four outings, with a high of 431 yards against Louisville.

Opponents have been able to gash the Orange through the air. Syracuse is giving up 7.4 yards per pass attempt and 13.9 yards per completion.

Advantage: Notre Dame

SPECIAL TEAMS

Redshirt freshman punter Sterling Hofrichter ranks 43rd nationally in net punting with a 43.0-yard average, with seven kicks over 50 yards.

Senior return man Brisly Estime ranked second nationally a season ago with an 18.1-yard average, with two of his returns going for scores. Opponents had limited him to just 6.3 yards per return on four attempts through Syracuse’s first four games.

Syracuse ranked 115th in punt return defense and 55th in kick return defense through three weeks. It gave up an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown to South Florida returner D’Erne Johnson. That does not bode well for Syracuse in this matchup, as the Orange will have to contend with Notre Dame return man Sanders, who ranks 10th nationally with a 16.8-yard average on punt returns.

Of course, Notre Dame is coming off a game in which it gave up a 96-yard kick return for a score to Duke’s backup returner.

Notre Dame punter Tyler Newsome ranks 17th nationally with a 44.6-per punt average.

Advantage: Notre Dame

COACHING

Babers (55) is actually older than Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly (54), but he did not get his first head coaching job until 2012. He quickly rose to prominence, leading Eastern Illinois to a 12-2 season and back-to-back trips to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

After two years with the Panthers, Babers was hired by Bowling Green, where he went on to lead the Falcons to an 18-9 record that included a 2015 Mid-American Conference championship.

Babers has a 39-18 record in just over four years as a head coach — but he cannot match the experience of Kelly, who is in his 27th season as a head coach. Kelly leads all active coaches with 227 career victories, with 56 coming during his seven seasons at Notre Dame.

Advantage: Notre Dame

INTANGIBLES

Babers has won everywhere he has coached, including his stint as an assistant coach under Art Briles at Baylor (2008-11). Babers helped the Bears go from 4-8 in 2008 to 10-3 in his final season.

His potent offense should allow the Orange to be competitive against the Irish, but his Syracuse team lacks the depth and defense to be on the same level as Notre Dame this season, at least on paper. Of course, the same could be said about Duke, who just beat the Irish in Notre Dame Stadium.

Syracuse got some momentum going last week by beating UConn on the road, while the Irish are reeling.

This game is technically a home game for Syracuse, but it will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., which is almost four hours away from Syracuse, N.Y. That takes away some of the home-field advantage it would have otherwise had against the Irish.

Advantage: Even

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