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ll Syracuse has left to play for is the future. With two games remaining, SU’s hopes of a fourth consecutive bowl appearance vanished in Miami. The Orange clinched their sixth consecutive loss and seventh of the year in a 38-10 defeat to the Hurricanes.
SU is yet to score over 20 points since Steve Angeli’s season-ending injury. As the Orange look to win their first game since mid-September, the competition doesn’t get any easier after a bye week.
Syracuse travels to Notre Dame Saturday for the first time since 2020. The season finale marked a matchup where then-No. 2 Notre Dame handed SU its 10th loss of the year. Five years later, the roles aren’t too different. The Fighting Irish began their season 0-2 but have rattled off eight straight wins as they seem poised for a second consecutive College Football Playoff appearance.
Here’s everything to know about No. 9 Notre Dame (8-2, Independent) before its matchup with Syracuse (3-7, 1-6 Atlantic Coast) Saturday in South Bend:
All time series
Syracuse trails 3-8.
Last time they played
On Oct. 29, 2022, then-No. 16 Syracuse had a prime chance to keep its season rolling in the right direction. Following a six-point loss at then-No. 5 Clemson, SU returned home to face the unranked Fighting Irish. Rather than proving they belonged as a top team in the country, the Orange collapsed, headlined by quarterback Garrett Shrader’s injury issues.
Syracuse entered the game 6-1 on the year but never led Notre Dame despite touchdowns from Sean Tucker and Oronde Gadsden II. ND defeated SU 41-24. The Fighting Irish recorded just 116 passing yards through Drew Pyne but gashed the Orange with 246 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The spiral continued from there, as Syracuse’s loss to Notre Dame marked its second of an eventual five-game losing streak.
The Fighting Irish report
In his third year helming the Fighting Irish, Marcus Freeman quieted all skepticism in 2024. Notre Dame tallied a program record 14 victories, as it barely missed its first national title since 1988. Freeman’s fourth year as ND’s head coach started with losses to then-No. 10 Miami and then-No. 16 Texas A&M, prompting questions about his abilities. In the last two months, he’s once again silenced the critics.
The Fighting Irish have defeated their last eight opponents by an average margin of 25.6 points. Only two of those victories were against a ranked opponent, as ND downed then-No. 20 USC 34-24 on Oct. 18. Last week, after attracting ESPN’s College Gameday to Pittsburgh, Notre Dame pummeled the then-No. 22 Panthers 37-15.
Redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr is cruising in his first season as ND’s starter, boasting a 21-6 touchdown-interception ratio. Carr competed with Angeli in the spring before beating out Kenny Minchey in fall camp. Notre Dame’s backfield contains arguably the best running back in the land. Jeremiyah Love has 17 total touchdowns, while fellow junior Jadarian Price has nearly 600 rushing yards.
Defensively, the Fighting Irish have allowed over 20 points only once in their last seven games and are tied for 15th in the country per Pro Football Focus with a 92.0 overall defensive grade. Notre Dame lost leading tacklers Jack Kiser and Xavier Watts to the NFL last year, but junior Drayk Bowen has stepped up to lead the squad with 57. Redshirt sophomore Boubacar Traore leads ND with 6.5 sacks per game and redshirt freshman safety Tae Johnson has a team-high four interceptions.
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How Syracuse beats Notre Dame
At this point, there’s no need to sugarcoat this. Syracuse needs a miracle to leave South Bend with a victory. No matter which quarterback plays, the Orange’s once-well-oiled passing game has become one of the worst in the country.
While SU’s failed to score over 20 points over the last few months, Notre Dame’s defense has rarely allowed its opponents to reach the mark. Just as Syracuse did in Miami, it could have some juice early to keep it close. But the Fighting Irish will quickly show they’re prepping for the playoffs as the Orange turn to 2026.
Stat to know: -105.2
The Orange still have two games left in their 2025 campaign to increase their totals. But 10 games in, Syracuse is averaging 362.4 yards per game, 105.2 less than its 2024 average of 467.6. SU’s 362.4 yards per game is tied for 84th in the country, while its 467.6 in 2024 ranked seventh.
The obvious differentiator is in the Orange’s passing game, which has shrunk from the best in the country (370.0) to 52nd (244.7). In Syracuse’s first four games of the year, all under Angeli, it tallied 354 yards per game through the air. SU is averaging less than half of the total in the six games since Angeli’s injury, marking a staggering 171.8 passing yards per game. The Fighting Irish rank 78th in the country in passing yards allowed at 224.0.
Player to watch: Jeremiyah Love, running back, No. 4
Love has emerged into a rare blue-chip running back prospect, where the decreasing value of the position gets overlooked in favor of pure greatness. The junior ranks fourth in the nation with 1,135 rushing yards and is primed to be a first-round pick come April.
He’s already surpassed his yardage and carry totals from a year ago, and in Notre Dame’s win over Pitt last week, he broke the 100-yard mark for the fifth time this season. A filthy spin move led to a 56-yard touchdown. To put it simply, there’s not a single player on Syracuse’s defense who can hang with Love. It’s not a matter of if he breaks one loose on the Orange, but when.
Photograph by Joe Zhao | Senior Staff Photographer
Published on November 20, 2025 at 12:00 am