Fighting Irish able to put squeeze on No. 16 Orange
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Brandon Joseph returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game, tailback Audric Estimé rushed for 123 yards and scored twice in the fourth quarter to thwart a Syracuse rally, and Notre Dame defeated the No. 16 Orange 41-24 on Saturday.
Notre Dame (5-3) has won five of six since opening the season with two losses and has 26 consecutive regular-season wins against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents.
The Fighting Irish have played their best football on the road, including a 45-32 win at No. 21 North Carolina despite five TD passes by UNC quarterback Drake Maye.
Logan Diggs scored on a 3-yard run in the second quarter and Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Thomas with 17 seconds left in the second period. Pyne was 9-of-19 passing for 116 yards.
Syracuse (6-2) suffered its first loss of the season last week at Clemson, blowing an 11-point halftime lead and falling 27-21. Star tailback Sean Tucker only had five carries in that game and coach Dino Babers vowed that would not happen again.
It didn’t: Tucker finished with 60 yards on 16 carries and scored on a 4-yard run in the final minute of the third quarter to pull Syracuse within 24-17.
Starting Orange quarterback Garrett Shrader left in the third quarter after completing 5 of 14 passes for just 35 yards and a 13-yard touchdown pass to Oronde Gadsden II. Babers said in a TV interview at halftime that Shrader was injured but didn’t specify.
Backup quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson sparked the Orange, throwing a 23-yard pass to Damien Alford to set up Tucker’s score. But a tipped pass was intercepted by Notre Dame’s Marist Liufau less than two minutes into the fourth quarter and Estimé then scored on an 11-yard run. He added a 2-yard TD run midway through the period.
The Irish outgained Syracuse 246-61 on the ground.
Pyne threw to tight end Michael Mayer for 37 yards and again for 11 more before Thomas’ TD catch gave the Irish a 21-7 lead.