The season is almost here, and we have one game from the last one left to discuss before jumping into it. Notre Dame closes 2026 at the Dome Formerly Known as Carrier, playing a team and quarterback it knows very well. A lot of people have this one circled as a potentially challenging game, and while I don’t know if I’ll go that far, I will say this: for the Orange’s sake, it had better be tougher than last year.
I’m ready for the new season to start and you are too, so this piece is going to be over
fast – much like the game it discusses.
Week 13: Syracuse Orange
Last matchup: Nov. 22, 2025 – Notre Dame 70, Syracuse 7
At the risk of inflating the importance of my own perspective, I think the story of this game is best told by simply relating my experience of watching it.
My wife was out of town visiting a friend for the weekend, leaving me in man coverage with our then-one-year-old daughter. Some friends of mine graciously offered to host a game watch during which we would rotate baby watching, and so I planned to head over there once baby girl’s nap ended. That nap ended up carrying a little long, getting into the first couple minutes of action in South Bend. That meant I got to see the Irish go up 7-0 on Jalen Stroman’s 44-yard pick-six. At the next commercial break I turned off the TV and went into my daughter’s room to wake her up, having already packed everything we needed for the afternoon and evening. In the time it took me to wake her, change her diaper and get her in the car, the Irish had gone up 14-0. In the 15 minutes it took me to drive to my friends’ house that lead had grown to 28-0, and it was 35-0 by the time I was able to get in the house with baby and her required paraphernalia.
Thus did I arrive to a game watch with no game left to watch, with the remaining three hours used alternately trying to spot various freshman and backups, counting up yards and TDs for the Jeremiyah Love Heisman watch, channel-surfing to see whether USC would do us a favor against Oregon (they did not) and cleaning mashed beans and steamed vegetables off my friends’ floor.
Take your pick of insane stat lines from this game. The Irish famously led 21-0 before their offense took the field, as Stroman’s pick-six was followed by a blocked punt return by Luke Talich and another pick-six by Leonard Moore. Their next two drives produced two touchdowns on five plays combined, with Love and Jadarian Price each ripping off a long run for a score. CJ Carr completed two passes in the entire first quarter and ended the day 5/9 for 49 yards because Syracuse was so hopeless against the run that passing was an optional part of Notre Dame’s offense. Love and Price rushed for 21.4 and 17.5 yards per carry, respectively, and at times it looked like Orange defenders were running away from them rather than trying to make tackles.
Syracuse quarterback Joseph Filardi, a walk-on freshman pressed into action by Steve Angeli’s injury, finished with an 11.5 QBR after being picked three times, twice for touchdowns. The Irish defense held the Orange to 12 yards rushing and notched fifteen TFLs.
Syracuse entered this game a broken team. As mentioned Steve Angeli, who had carried them to a solid start before his injury, was hurt and they had also suffered other injuries all over the field. If he hadn’t waved the white flag at kickoff, Fran Brown had more or less done it by the time the Irish offense got on the field. Maybe I’m being too optimistic about a potential turnaround here, but I think it’s quite possible the Irish will encounter a very different ‘Cuse team in their finale in 2026. For the sake of the old CFP resume, let’s hope so. Highlights below:
That’s about it folks – the summer is wrapping up and the season is almost here. Let’s hope the next time we do this, we’ll have 12 more Ws to discuss.
