Senior Day is here in South Bend and there's a handful of impact players on Notre Dame's offense that could be playing in their final game in South Bend. They'll be going against a Syracuse defense that has struggled routinely throughout the season in on field performance and remaining healthy. The Orange rank 117th in the country in points allowed, 125th in yards allowed, 112th in yards per rush allowed and 123rd in passing yards allowed.
The Notre Dame offense has played well throughout the season, just inconsistent. As a team, they average 38.5 points per game which ranks 8th in the country, but the offensive alone has only scored over 30 points twice in the last six games. Here are the three biggest storylines, two key battles and one player to watch for the Fighting Irish offense against Syracuse.
Three Biggest Storylines
1. Be Consistent - In their last outing against Pitt, the offense failed to stack scoring drives. Mike Denbrock's unit scored 28 total points on the day, but none of those points came on consecutive drives. Self inflicted wounds hurt this offense and put them behind the sticks multiple times. A couple of untimely turnovers from quarterback CJ Carr also didn't help the matter. When this offense is playing consistent football, there's very few defenses that can hold them at bay. But like their head coach always says "Notre Dame can't hurt Notre Dame."
2. Have To Finish Drives - A large part in their lack of success, specifically in the red zone, has been their inability to finish drives. The Irish rank 122nd in the country in red zone offense due to drives stalling out and a non-existent field goal kicking game. Let's face the facts, this team can beat Syracuse and Stanford without making a field goal or turning the ball over on downs in the red zone. How do I know that? Because they did that against Boise State, NC State, USC, Boston College and Pitt. But this is about stacking for the post season. This offense has the potential to be unstoppable, but finishing drives has to be a top priority against Syracuse.
3. Get Jadarian Price Going - Over the last two weeks, Jeremiyah Love has seen the lion's share of carries, who can blame him? He's been playing at an elite level. Unfortunately, that's caused a dip in Jadarian Price's production as a ball carrier. Price is still an impactful member of the special teams unit, but what makes this offense so dangerous is their ability to hurt you with multiple backs while keeping two of the better running backs in the country fresh for 60 minutes. You won't need Love to touch the football 23 to 26 times to beat the Orange or the Cardinal. Price is due for a big game in these next two outings.
Two Key Battles
1. Interior Offensive Line vs Kevin Jobity - Due to injuries to center Ashton Craig and Billy Schrauth, the interior of Notre Dame's offensive line is relatively inexperienced. This weekend, they'll be going against Syracuse's most productive defensive lineman, Kevin Jobity. Jobity is a 6-4, 300-pound defensive tackle that currently leads the team in tackles for a loss, sacks and is second on the team in total pressures. Left guard Sullivan Absher and center Joe Otting struggled at times in their last three starts, specifically in the run game. Both Absher and Otting will have to play at a more consistent level this weekend against the Orange's best interior lineman.
2. Offensive Tackles vs David Reese - Notre Dame's offensive tackles have performed admirably throughout this eight-game win streak. This Saturday, left tackle Anthonie Knapp and right tackle Aamil Wagner will be going against Syracuse's best edge rusher in David Reese. Reese leads the team in total pressures with 21 and has four hits plus sacks on the quarterback this season. He's one of the defense's most sure-tacklers and only has two missed tackles on the season. Knapp and Wagner will have to continue to execute and perform at a high level to contain Reese's playmaking ability.
One Player To Watch: Wide Receiver Jordan Faison
Boundary receiver Malachi Fields has really turned it on the last couple of weeks and has come alive in this passing offense. For the majority of the season, however, junior Jordan Faison was the go-to target in this offense, but he's had a quiet last couple of games. The Florida native still leads the team in receptions, but is now second on the team in yards and is tied for second on the team in touchdown receptions. In his last game against Pitt, Faison caught one pass for six yards. The 5-10, 183-pound receiver ranks in the top 10 in wide receivers in college football in missed tackles forced. He's preparing to play a Syracuse defense that has 111 missed tackles on the season. Faison is poised for a big performance on Saturday.
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