Notre Dame overcame an uncharacteristic number of self-inflicted wounds and handled the Syracuse Orange by 31-15 on Saturday night. Everett Golson had a roller coaster performance, combining two fumbles, two interceptions, a school record 25 consecutive completions and 363 passing yards. Fortunately, the defense performed consistently well throughout the evening, and its ability to shut down the Orange for three quarters gave the offense enough time to build a comfortable margin. The Irish move to 4-0 on the season, but must gear up to face a very challenging October schedule beginning next week at home against Stanford.

The quarterbacks for both teams struggled early as Golson fumbled on the first drive of the game and Terrel Hunt threw an interception moments later in a scoreless first period. Notre Dame drew first blood by completing a 95-yard scoring drive early in the second quarter. Will Fuller covered the last 23 yards by taking a bubble screen and bursting through the middle of the Syracuse defense for the touchdown. After a quick three and out necessitated a punt by the Orange, Golson heaved a perfect 72-yard bomb to Fuller on first down. Even though two thirds of the game remained to be played, it was essentially over at that point. The only questions were how many points Notre Dame would score and how many it would fritter away with careless turnovers.

After Syracuse scored its only points of the first half with a field goal, the Irish missed a chance to answer before intermission when Golson failed to spike the ball deep in Orange territory with 11 seconds remaining. The ball slipped out of his hand and was correctly ruled a fumble. Ironically, this miscue kept Golson’s consecutive completion string intact, and it would grow to within one of the NCAA record before he misfired on a fourth quarter flat pass.

Notre Dame extended its lead to 21-3 on its first possession of the third period when an interception by Matthias Farley set up Corey Robinson’s eight yard touchdown grab. The Irish appeared to stop Syracuse on the ensuing series, but punter Riley Dixon took a fake punt for a 42 yard stroll across midfield. Notre Dame responded, however, as the defense stuffed Syracuse on two consecutive short yardage runs to take over on downs.

Just when the game seemed ready to become a blowout, the Irish made yet another blunder when Greg Bryant’s fumble killed a promising drive. Hunt finally got his attack going and ran the last seven yards for a touchdown on the first play of the final period. Special teams then helped Notre Dame by blocking the extra point and recovering an onside kick by the Orange. Good field position resulted and Golson quickly moved his team into the red zone. Torii Hunter, Jr. then took his first pass reception for Notre Dame across the goal line for a 13 yard score and a 28-9 margin with ten minutes left.

Syracuse tried to close the gap against the stingy Irish defense, but the best they could manage was a field goal attempt by Cole Murphy that clanked harmlessly off the upright. What should then have become a methodical finish to put away the victory transformed into a comedy of errors. Golson missed an easy throw that would have tied the NCAA record for consecutive completions, and soon thereafter he threw a perfect pass that Syracuse safety Durell Eskridge nabbed for a 28-yard pick six that cut Notre Dame’s lead to 28-15. The Irish survived another onside kick attempt and again used the short field to add a Kyle Brindza field goal from 37 yards to close the scoring.

There are not many opponents remaining on Notre Dame’s schedule where the Irish could survive a 5-1 negative turnover margin and still come away with a victory, but the Orange were not much of a threat until 12 fourth quarter points masked what could have been a blowout. Coach Brian Kelly and Golson acknowledged there is work that must be done immediately to address ball security and inconsistencies in the running game. The Irish did pick up four yards per carry and 162 yards on the ground, so there were some positive developments. Fuller, Corey Robinson and Chris Brown had solid games and it was good to see the athleticism of Hunter in live action.

Let’s review the answers to the questions in the game preview:

Can Notre Dame run well enough to take pressure off Golson? I’ll give that one a lukewarm yes. The quarterback’s errors were mainly unforced on this night.

Will the Irish start fast or appear sluggish following a two week layoff? The defense was energized and flew to the ball, but the offense took a while to put things together and operated in fits an starts the entire night.

Can the Orange secondary keep the Irish receivers from getting open in the deep zones? Fuller’s long touchdown stunned the Orange and they played soft from that point forward.

Will the Irish special teams win the field position battle? A good Syracuse punt pinned Notre Dame back to its own five yard line early in the game, but the Irish took off on a 95 yard drive. Later, the fake punt by Dixon did not pay a dividend, and their failed onside kicks set up 10 fourth quarter points by Notre Dame.

Which team will commit the fewest major penalties and turnovers? Both teams committed too many penalties, and we’ve already discussed the giveaways that made the game seem closer than it was.

Will a Syracuse wide receiver emerge as a difference maker? Jarrod West had eight receptions for the Orange and Brisly Estime did a nice job of filling in for the injured Ashton Broyld.

Does anyone feel sorry for Michigan? Not anyone I’ve talked to thus far, but I’ll be sure to get back to you on this.

Tonight’s performance gives Notre Dame’s detractors some ammunition to say this team is not as good as its 4-0 record might indicate. That’s not particularly enlightening though, since every team above the Irish in the polls has looked less than invincible. I noted the Irish players are engaged and supportive of each other, while the coaches are teaching more than yelling. The overall vibe on the sideline is positive, and I suspect it won’t be as easy for a future opponent to beat this team as the usual media suspects seem to think.