Not quite what you had in mind, huh?
Syracuse was hoping to get national relevance by pulling an upset in an NFL stadium. Instead, the Orange got a beat down by a team with NFL talent.
Everett Golson completed 33-of-40 passes and the No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish swept past the Orange with a 31-15 victory in MetLife Stadium. He took advantage of a shaky Syracuse secondary by completing 26 straight passes, tying an FBS record. Syracuse has had its fair share of trouble with mobile quarterbacks, but it was Golson's arm that made the difference. His speedy wide receivers, namely William Fuller, didn't help matters either.
Syracuse's defense came out strong by shutting down the Irish in the first quarter. In fact, it was the first time all season that Notre Dame couldn't score in an entire quarter. The Orange also forced a pair of turnovers -- a Dyshawn Davis forced fumble and a Brandon Reddish interception. But Golson responded by tossing touchdown passes on back-to-back offensive plays. Notre Dame's offense bounced back from a slow start, but Syracuse's did not. The mix of Terrel Hunt's inconsistency, the run game's ineffectiveness and the play calling incompetence eliminated any chance of an upset.
An officiating error at the end of the first half cost Syracuse a touchdown, but the Orange can't blame the refs for their disappointing performance.
It only gets (slightly) better for Syracuse, who faces the Louisville Cardinals (4-1) in the Carrier Dome next week.
Full recap coming up soon.
