Notre Dame (10-0) puts its undefeated season and possible playoff berth on the line on Saturday with a New York City showdown against 12th-ranked Syracuse (8-2). Quarterback Ian Book is set to return to the starting lineup for the Irish, who continue to rack up frequent flier miles in November. Notre Dame’s pursuit of an undefeated regular season, as orchestrated by Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick, requires its student athletes to arrive in costume at Yankee Stadium on Saturday and trek to the Los Angeles Coliseum next week.

The Orange are coming off four straight victories in which they have averaged 47 points per game. Notre Dame is ranked third in both AP and Coaches polls, and also by the playoff committee. NBC will provide national television coverage, with kickoff scheduled for 2:30 pm Eastern time.

Syracuse Coach Dino Babers is in his third season, and his efforts to turn around a proud but recently moribund program are showing signs of success. After two 4-8 campaigns, the Orange have upgraded the talent level and are 8-2 this season. Veteran offensive and defensive lines along with senior quarterback Eric Dungey have created a potent offensive team that feeds off a high-pressure defense.

The Irish are finally rounding into health after a stretch where both lines were depleted. A few players had to be held out of games while others took the field at less than 100% efficiency. At the offensive guard spot, Alex Bars (ACL) remains out for the year while Trevor Ruhland is questionable with an elbow injury. The defensive front is now intact, although no one in that group can claim to be fully healthy at this stage of the season. Linebacker Drue Tranquill is the biggest question mark as he plays through a high ankle sprain. The good news is he has shed the cast on the broken hand he suffered in late September.

Coach Brian Kelly talked about the health of his team this week when asked to comment on the state of his team as opposed to last November, when its performance level sagged. “I think one way to look at it is the same 11 guys that started against Michigan on defense, are the same 11 guys we’re rolling out against Syracuse. There’s a good start right there. Offensively, we’ve been able to add pieces to the offense, and we’ve lost a really good player in Alex Bars, but we seem to be growing on the offensive line. So you’re adding pieces as the season goes, and I think everybody would want to say how do you play better in November? Stay healthy.”

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea is most familiar with Syracuse, particularly its seniors. Lea was linebacker coach with the Orange from 2013-15 before Babers arrived. He did coach previously with Babers in 2006 when Lea was a graduate assistant at UCLA in 2006 and Babers was coaching the running backs coach for the Bruins.

NOTRE DAME’S OFFENSE vs. SYRACUSE’S DEFENSE

The Orange employ an attacking style of defense that is designed to pressure the quarterback and create turnovers. Results have been mixed, but mostly positive. The downside is that the higher risks involved created instances where Syracuse was gashed for big plays, but their level of competition to date has allowed them to be successful more often than not.

The front four is the key to applying pressure. Junior ends Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman have 16 sacks and 24 tackles for loss between them, while senior tackle Chris Slayton is the force that makes the other linemen even better. The ends will provide a severe test for Irish offensive tackles Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hainsey, both of whom have struggled with speed rushers this season and are still nursing nagging leg and ankle injuries.

Middle linebacker Ryan Guthrie is flanked by Andrew Armstrong and Kielan Whitner, the team’s leading tackler. All have good speed but are a bit undersized by today’s standard. They work well with the front four to create turnovers and general chaos. Depth has been the biggest issue, and the Orange have shown cracks in the second half of games against quality opposition.

The secondary has been even more problematic. Injuries at cornerback have left the starting lineup in doubt. Babers insists that starter Scoop Bradshaw (arm) and nickel back Ifeatu Melifonwu (hamstring) will play, but they won’t be at full strength. The other starter at corner is Chris Fredrick, who is a quality player. Freshman Trill Williams will work opposite Fredrick if Bradshaw needs to sit.

The Syracuse safeties are Evan Foster and 5’8” Antwan Cordy, with freshman Andre Cisco, who leads the team with five interceptions, in reserve. Notre Dame’s receivers will have a physical advantage over this group, but Book must continue to put the ball between the numbers.

Despite weaknesses along the back end, the Orange have at least one interception in all 10 games this fall, and 14 overall. This places them in the top ten nationally in the category. Syracuse also ranks ninth in the country with 33 sacks.

SYRACUSE’S OFFENSE vs. NOTRE DAME’S DEFENSE

Dungey is not exceptionally accurate as a passer, but his all-around game poses a greater threat to the Irish than any quarterback they have faced this season. He completes 60% of his throws and is able to launch deep passes to 6’5” Jamal Custis, his primary target and a capable receiver that can take the ball away from defenders. Next in line are 5’8” speedsters Sean Riley and Nykeim Johnson, who cannot be overlooked. Freshman wideout Taj Harris is also a promising player, and tight end Ravian Pierce has three touchdowns to his credit.

Syracuse averages 216 yards on the ground, and the tailback chores are split between Moe Neal and Dontae Strickland. Neal is the starter, averaging six yards per try on his way to 720 total yards. The pair has combined for over 1100 yards and 11 touchdowns. Dungey is a formidable running threat as well. He has nearly as many yards as Neal, and leads the team in rushing attempts (147) and touchdowns (12).

This success is attributable to a quality offensive line. Senior tackles Cody Conway and Koda Martin are rugged 6’6” athletes. The Irish will need to find a way around them in order to pressure Dungey, but they must also worry about containment against scrambles. In the middle, Jerry Tillery should enjoy a favorable matchup against sophomore center Airon Servais. Tillery’s ability to collapse the pocket from the inside would be a major boost to Notre Dame.

There are not many weaknesses, however, in this Syracuse offense. This group will score points on anyone with a variety of weapons. Dungey is a physical player at 6’4” 225 and has absorbed his share of hits this season, but he remains fearless. Backup Tommy DeVito is a highly touted redshirt freshman who may be a better pure passer than Dungey, and he has performed well in relief this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Aside from the consistent kicking by Justin Yoon, Notre Dame has made a few positive plays on special teams this season. Unfortunately, these have been outweighed by silly penalties, long returns allowed, blocked punts, kickoffs out of bounds, and failure to catch punts resulting in significant lost yardage. This week, the Irish need a clean performance in this phase against one of the best special teams units in the country.

The Orange have a potent one-two punch at the kicking positions. Andre Szmyt, who is a Lou Groza Award semifinalist, leads the nation in both points and field goals. He has converted 27 of 29 three pointers, which is just four short of the NCAA FBS season record of 31. Szmyt has a Syracuse record 132 points this season, as compared to 71 for Yoon. Punter Sterling Hofrichter averages a hefty 44 yards per boot, and he handles kickoffs as well where only 16 of his 85 kicks have been returned. All were for short yardage.

Returns are handled primarily by Riley, who has one touchdown by punt return this season and a 17-yard average. Trill Williams has also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.

SUMMARY

Syracuse is an aggressive team that forces an opponent to make mistakes, while being able to score a truckload of points on the ground, through the air, or by field goal. Their special teams are well coached and able to create advantages in field position. Notre Dame will have to defend the entire field and account for Dungey’s exceptional scrambling ability. The Irish have had difficulty tackling strong runners in recent weeks, yielding far too many yards after first contact. The outcome may come down to which defense can avoid surrender to fatigue.

Offensively, Book must be efficient and lead his team on productive marches. Although he will start, Book won’t be fully healthy. This knowledge will energize the Orange pass rushers and there will be plenty of blitzes, so it is critical that Dexter Williams can keep them honest by ripping off several nice gains on the ground.

Here are a few questions that will shed light on the outcome:

Which team can generate the most productive running game?

Can Book regain his passing form while nursing a rib injury?

Which set of pass rushers will be the most disruptive?

Can Notre Dame’s special teams hold their own?

Which secondary will best defend the intermediate and long passes?

Will the Irish front seven be able to contain Dungey’s scrambles and get off the field?

Which team will avoid critical mistakes and penalties?

PREDICTION

The path to victory for Notre Dame is to get ahead early and force Syracuse to play from behind. Absent a strong start, there are several red flags for the Irish in this matchup. The defense appears to be worn down a bit, as evidenced by recent stretches of poor tackling against the run and fewer quarterback pressures. Offensively and on special teams, the Irish continue to commit irksome errors that resulted in turnovers or missed scoring opportunities. The Orange are capable of capitalizing on these mistakes where lesser opponents have failed. Furthermore, if Book is unable to finish what he starts on Saturday, the risk of passes falling into the wrong hands increases if Brandon Wimbush is throwing them. Finally, Syracuse enters the game much fresher due to its lighter schedule and easier travel demands. It’s difficult for a team to have an unbeaten regular season under the best of circumstances, and this week’s trip across the Hudson and Harlem Rivers may be a bridge too far.

SYRACUSE 33 NOTRE DAME 31