Big plays have a chance to make or break Syracuse’s success against Notre Dame

Syracuse football is in a major slump, and opposing teams are having their way on the offensive side of the ball. During the Orange’s six-game losing streak, they’ve been outscored 205-70.

Opposing teams are attacking SU’s defense fast. During the stretch, the Orange have allowed eight touchdowns on plays of 20 or more yards. Meanwhile, Syracuse’s offense has struggled to put points on the board, leading to an overall team wreck.

With two games remaining, Syracuse has the chance to right the ship, starting with a matchup against No. 9 Notre Dame on Saturday. The Fighting Irish possess a fast-paced, dynamic offense full of scoring threats and have won eight straight games. 

Here’s how Syracuse and Notre Dame stack up on big plays, defined by touchdowns on 20 or more yard plays.

Both SU and ND have played 10 games this season. The Fighting Irish enter with an 8-2 record, while the Orange sit near the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings at 3-7.

Overall, Notre Dame has scored 17 touchdowns on big plays this season, while Syracuse has allowed 13 touchdowns on such plays.

On Monday, at his weekly press conference, SU head coach Fran Brown said Notre Dame can “go the distance at any moment.” The second-year head coach pointed out ND’s leading rushers and receivers, such as Jeremiyah Love and Jordan Faison, as threats.

“You’ve got to make open field tackles,” Brown said about slowing down Notre Dame. “Open field tackles are going to be extremely important against the speed that they have, especially in the backfield, with Love and (Jadarian Price).”

Notre Dame has tallied 25 or more points in each game of its eight-game winning streak. ND has shown it can pounce on the board quickly. Love, who has a team-high 14 rushing touchdowns this season, scored on a 56-yard rushing touchdown in the opening quarter of the Irish’s last game.

Brown gave major respect to Love and said he wouldn’t be anyone’s backup.

“He’s super fast,” Brown said. “He can go 0 to 60 really fast. He’s not afraid of contact either. I like the fact that he runs behind his pads.”

Notre Dame could break this game into a blowout fast. Brown also pointed out pass-catchers Malachi Fields and Will Pauling as threats to SU’s defense. Each of them has five receiving touchdowns this season.

Fields caught a pass on a 25-yard score against Pitt, leading to ND’s 37-15 win last Saturday.

Syracuse hasn’t allowed a rushing touchdown of over 20 yards in its last three games, but opponents have burned SU on big play passing scores. In the Orange’s previous game, Miami completed a 61-yard touchdown in the third quarter. On Halloween, UNC scored on two big plays. Both long scores by the Tar Heels were in the second half.

Brown said SU’s defense has gone up and down this season. He’s looking for the Orange to keep the same intensity in each quarter.

“We’ve got to be a little bit more consistent throughout the game,“ Brown said. “You can see us doing really, really well. And then there’s a few plays that you wish you could get back.”

SU’s last win came against Clemson on Sept. 30. Brown sees this game against the Fighting Irish as an opportunity that’s a “good test.”

Brown will get an up-close look at Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman’s program, a culture he respects.

“Coach Freeman has a lot of really good players,” Brown said. “He’s built the program up, got Notre Dame back where Notre Dame wants to be, and I’m trying to follow that same thing right now.”