Notre Dame’s defense knocked out Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey in the early going and proceeded to terrorize the Orange with a barrage of sacks and interceptions as the Irish defeated Syracuse by 36-3 on Saturday. Alohi Gilman snagged two interceptions and Jalen Elliott had one in the first quarter to start the avalanche. Khalid Kareem and Kurt Hinish fired up the pass rush and neither Dungey nor backup Tommy DeVito had a chance in the pocket. Meanwhile, Ian Book showed no adverse effects from his injured ribs as he threw for 292 yards and two scores. Chase Claypool, who is quietly emerging as a star performer, caught a touchdown pass and made several other clutch, athletic receptions for the Irish.

A 33-yard pass to Claypool set up the first Notre Dame touchdown. Book capped the march by hitting Dexter Williams out of the backfield for a nine yard score. Elliott picked off Dungey on the next play from scrimmage, but the Irish had to settle for a field goal after the first of four false start penalties nixed the opportunity for seven more points. Dungey went down to a back injury on the next series, and the Irish defense smelled blood in the water when DeVito replaced him. The two Syracuse signal-callers combined to complete just 15 of 35 passes for 115 yards, and were victimized by six sacks.

Consecutive long passes to Claypool and Alize Mack moved Notre Dame into scoring territory once again, but a holding penalty negated a Tony Jones touchdown run. Yoon came on for another short field goal and a 13-0 lead as the first quarter ended. The Irish continued to harass DeVito with the first of Gilman’s interceptions and a sack by Hinish, but the offense was foiled again as Book threw an off-balance pick in the end zone after driving his team to the one yard line. Book tripped over the foot of offensive lineman Tommy Kraemer as he took the snap, and launched an ill-advised pass as he was falling down.

Trailing by just 13-0, the Notre Dame defense would not let the Orange get back into the game. Gilman snatched the ball away from a Syracuse receiver on what would have been a third down conversion, and returned it to the Orange nine yard line. Jafar Armstrong broke the red zone drought on the next play with a scoring burst on a well-conceived misdirection run. This improved the lead to 20-0 as the first half drew to a close.

As well as the Irish defenders played in the opeing half, they were even better in the third quarter. Syracuse did not manage a first down in the period and recorded negative total yards on its three possessions. Notre Dame added another Yoon field goal and Claypool’s touchdown reception to build a 29-0 lead, and the outcome was sealed. Brandon Wimbush came on in relief during the final period, leading a long march that was capped by a 32-yard Dexter Williams burst.

With the final seconds ticking away and Syracuse finally threatening to score against the shutout-minded Irish, Orange Coach Dino Babers elected to have kicker Andre Szmyt attempt field goals on their final two possessions. The first clanked off the upright, while the second try sneaked through with ten seconds remaining in the game. Notre Dame fans expressed their displeasure at what they believed were tacky attempts to avoid a shutout, but Babers may simply have been trying to get Szmyt closer to the NCAA record for made field goals in a season.

Let’s review the answers to the pregame questions:

Which team can generate the most productive running game? Neither team ran the ball well for most of the afternoon. Syracuse was marginally more successful in the first half, while Notre Dame simply could not sustain anything on the ground until Wimbush entered the game midway through the fourth quarter. He and Williams contributed long runs to put the final touchdown on the board and pad the Irish statistics.

Can Book regain his passing form while nursing a rib injury? Book was on target most of the day, and Claypool helped him with a few outstanding catches.

Which set of pass rushers will be the most disruptive? Alton Robinson played well for the Orange, but the Irish front four simply devastated Syracuse.

Can Notre Dame’s special teams hold their own? Yoon certainly won the battle of the kickers, and the victors managed to avoid any major disasters.

Which secondary will best defend the intermediate and long passes? Gilman and the Irish smothered the Orange receivers, who were highly regarded coming into this game.

Will the Irish front seven be able to contain Dungey’s scrambles and get off the field? Yes, Notre Dame managed to scramble Dungey instead.

Which team will avoid critical mistakes and penalties? The Irish made their share of red zone gaffes and committed enough silly penalties to drive me to call them the Flinching Irish, but once again this did not cost them a victory. Meanwhile, the ACC referees continued a season-long tradition by refusing to call even the most obvious penalties on a Notre Dame opponent.

This impressive victory was a statement that should address any doubts (including my own) that the Irish are on a mission this season and will not be fazed or derailed by their own mistakes. The momentum generated by this dominant performance should carry through next weekend in Los Angeles, and no one should question whether they deserve to be ranked third in the country. They may be even better than that.