Notre Dame is sitting right where it wants to be going into the final two games of the season. After starting the season 0-2, this is the best-case scenario for the Irish. Notre Dame is ranked as the ninth team in the country and got another ranked win a week ago at Pittsburgh. The Irish were on upset watch two times throughout their eight-game win streak, once against USC and then again a week ago against Pitt. They came out both times with a win. Sitting at 8-2, Notre Dame faces a struggling Syracuse team this week and then closes the season at Stanford.
Notre Dame vs Syracuse will take place at Notre Dame Stadium at 3:30 PM ET on Saturday, November 22. The game will air on NBC.
Notre Dame Seniors Have A Lot to Celebrate
Notre Dame is on an eight-game win streak after losing the first two games of the season by a total of four points. The next team in the way on the path to a spot in the College Football Playoff is Syracuse. The Syracuse Orange is 3-7 on the season and is currently on a six-game losing streak. The Orange haven’t won a game since September 20th at Clemson, when they beat the Tigers 34-21. That was also Syracuse’s only win away this season. The Orange are 1-4 away on the season.
That game was also the last for starting quarterback Steve Angeli. The Notre Dame transfer was poised to return to Notre Dame this Saturday after transferring to Syracuse before the start of the 2025 season. Unfortunately, Angeli’s last game of the season was also the Orange’s last win. The junior signal caller was injured against Clemson and won’t return this season. Syracuse turned to Rickie Collins after Angeli’s injury, but Head Coach Fran Brown has decided to start freshman Joseph Filardi against Notre Dame this weekend. Filardi has played in two games this season. He has thrown for 78 yards and one touchdown. However, he is only seven for 22 on passing attempts in those two appearances.
The Irish Defense Will Have a Big Day
Filardi may not have thrown an interception yet in his first two appearances, but he hasn’t played meaningful snaps against a defense of Notre Dame’s caliber. The Irish have improved steadily on defense over the course of the season. Everyone is talking about quarterback CJ Carr’s emergence through the last eight games and the run game of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, but the defense has been very efficient.
The Irish have tallied 17 interceptions this season. However, star safety Tae Johnson, who is the team leader in takeaways, is out against Syracuse with a hand injury. The redshirt freshman is responsible for Notre Dame’s sole pick-six this season. Fellow safety Adon Shuler has two interceptions as well to go along with his five passes defended and two forced fumbles. Shuler will be looked at this weekend to fill the void of Johnson’s absence. Jalen Stroman and Luke Talich will also need to take a larger role. Both have played in all 10 games this season. Stroman has tallied one tackle for loss and one sack to go with his two passes defended. Talich, on the other hand, has three interceptions. The secondary will be in good hands against an inexperienced Syracuse quarterback.
Main Image: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
