Notre Dame took on what remains of the Syracuse Orange on Saturday and the result was, apart from a scary injury to Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, about as close to perfect as you’ll find on a football field.
It’s genuinely hard to pick out the most interesting or meaningful performers in a game so lopsided it was pretty much over before the Irish offense even set foot on the field, but this is the life I have chosen. Heading into a season-ending ACC After Dark matchup against Stanford, let’s talk about three of the many, many things that went right for the Irish in this 70-7 rout.
The Stroman Moment
Tae Johnson is one of the best stories for the Irish this year, as the redshirt freshman safety has become a menace starting alongside Adon Shuler at safety. His ascendance came at the expense of Virginia Tech transfer Jalen Stroman, who split reps to start the year before Johnson asserted himself. With Johnson held out of the game against Syracuse, Stroman got his chance to shine again and made the most of it. Stroman delivered two of the blows in Notre Dame’s opening 1-2-3 knockout combo on defense, picking off Joe Filardi’s first pass and returning it for a touchdown and then blocking a punt that was recovered by Luke Talich for another score.
Stroman continued to live in the nightmares of Filardi and the rest of the Syracuse offense all afternoon as he notched two TFLs, a fourth-down stop, and eight total tackles on the afternoon. Defensive depth at every level proved absolutely necessary for Notre Dame during last year’s CFP run, and Stroman gave Irish fans good reason to believe they could expect the same should the Irish get that chance this season.
Violence
This observation could be applied to last week’s win at Pittsburgh with equal accuracy, but the genuinely pitiable ineptitude of the opponent made Notre Dame’s relentless ferocity in this game especially astonishing. We have already mentioned the start of this game, which saw the Irish charge out of the corner and knock out the Orange just after the opening bell sounded; what went unmentioned was that on those first four Syracuse possessions before the Irish ever got the ball, the Irish also notched three other TFLs and allowed a grand total of ONE yard, net of losses, courtesy of brutal hitting and lighting-quick pursuit. On offense, the Irish offensive line blocked with a viciousness that must have been stunning to behold even for Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price as they ran through gargantuan holes to take on terrified Syracuse defensive backs. The utter violence and physicality of that opening was stunning to watch (or watch on replay, because I was driving to a friend’s house to watch the game and it was already 35-0 by the time I got there).
Perhaps the most jarring thing about Notre Dame’s physicality on Saturday was that it didn’t stop even when the game was effectively over. The chip on Notre Dame’s shoulder was still evident even when its third- and fourth-stringers had entered the game. One indicator of that continuous effort was an eye-popping fifteen tackles for loss to go with five sacks. That level of relentless aggression is a product of coaching, and particularly a staff that has taught its players to channel everything – whether it be anger at the outside noise or a desire to prove oneself in mop-up minutes – onto the field. Let the results speak for themselves.
The Long View
One of the more fun things about watching a game like this is getting a glimpse at the future, as young players in the midst of developing into frontline contributors get the chance to cut their teeth. The way this game transpired left plenty of these opportunities for the taking, particularly on defense. Among many: the brothers Kia (Kahanu and Ko’o), Christopher Burgess, Jadon Blair, Gordy Sulfsted, and Taebron Bennie Powell all recorded tackles on defense; Cree Thomas did the same and topped them by adding a pass breakup. On offense we got to see Cam Williams’ first career reception and a bevy of young offensive linemen entering the game.
But the youngster who stood the tallest for Notre Dame was freshman safety Ethan Long; the Milford, CT native in his first game grabbed an interception that he returned for a touchdown, only for the play to be called back due to a gratuitous roughing the passer penalty committed by Donovan Hinish. No big deal, because Long only waited seven plays to get himself another pick that held up for the first of his career. Always near the ball during his time in the game, Long recorded three other tackles and stood out as a fast and hard-hitting defender. He probably won’t factor in the big games to come for the Irish defense, but it’s good to know the Irish are continuing to reload at a position where they have probably been the best in the country over the last few years.
