Coming out of the bye week, the Syracuse football team has a lot of questions to answer. The inability to win since losing starting quarterback Steve Angeli has been a stain on an otherwise great (albeit short) tenure of head coach Fran Brown. With the struggles of Rickie Collins documented, Brown is giving the keys to the ship to Joe Filardi – presumably to finish out the year. Unfortunately, his task this week is tough, as Syracuse travels to South Bend to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Week 13.
The Irish host Cuse just a week after putting a beatdown on the Pitt Panthers. Now, they host the Orangemen, who will look for their first win since Week 4. With that in mind, we’ll dive into this Syracuse vs. Notre Dame 2025 college football preview.
Syracuse Orange vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 2025 College Football Preview
Matchup History
Syracuse and Notre Dame have played each other 11 times on the gridiron. Their first matchup was 1914 (or 1915 – depending on where you look), where the Irish blanked the Orangemen, 20-0. Currently, Notre Dame holds an 8-3 record over Syracuse. They also have a 5-game winning streak against the Cuse, which includes three neutral site contests. History (and luck) hasn’t been on Syracuse’s side lately, but they’ll hope for that to change in Week 13.
Key Players for Syracuse
There’s no other way to put it. This matchup is going to be difficult for Syracuse. And, with a walk-on true freshman starting, the players around Joe Filardi will be far more important for the success of the Orange in Week 13. With that in mind, the first key players is the entire offensive line.
The Syracuse offensive line has had its share of struggles this year. And against Notre Dame, they will have their hands full. However, they are important in Filardi having success passing the ball, as well as the running backs finding success on the ground. The rushing attack is the best complement to the pass, yet it can only be done if lanes are created to rush through. Yasin Willis and Will Nixon shouldn’t have to create on their own on nearly every rushing attempt. At some point, there needs to be some push from the line and to get the chains moving. The unit will also be very important in helping set protections, giving Filardi time to throw when the team has to do so. If the offensive line has a bad day, Syracuse won’t have a chance offensively.
It may be a cop-out, but the entire front seven is going to be key more than any individual on defense. Notre Dame’s rushing attack is elite. Syracuse has had a lot of trouble stopping the run against good backs. This is a matchup nightmare for Cuse, and all eyes will be on the performance of that unit. There’s a possibility Cuse could get gashed through the air – but that’s okay. Yet, if they aren’t able to stop the ground game of the Irish, none of it will matter.
Key Players for Notre Dame
CJ Carr is the signal-caller for Notre Dame, but it’s the running backs who will be most important in this matchup. Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price have a mouth-savory matchup ahead of them against Syracuse in Week 13. As mentioned previously, the Orangemen have struggled to stop good running backs. Notre dame has two of them, and they like to run the ball – a lot. If Love and Price can get going, it wouldn’t shock me if they wouldn’t need to pass the ball more than 10 times to win this contest. The ground game is their strength, and if they win, it’ll be the reason why.
On defense, edge rusher Boubacar Traore is a player worth highlighting in this contest. Traore has 30 total pressures in just nine games, and is tied for 10th in the nation with eight sacks. He opens things up for his teammates, and finishes with big plays himself. He’s even better in true pass rush sets, and facing a true freshman is a mouthwatering matchup for the edge rusher. Yet, his importance setting the edge against the rush will be equally important. If Traore is able to do both, Syracuse’s offense could be in fits the entire contest.
Can Syracuse Upset Notre Dame?
To be honest, there’s not many ways that Syracuse could find themselves upsetting Notre Dame on the road. Stranger things have happened, but with Cuse’s current offensive ineptitude, it being unlikely is putting it nicely. This should be a contest Notre Dame wins with ease. It would be surprising if the game was still competitive entering the fourth quarter, and would honestly be a credit to head coach Fran Brown if his team can compete for that long. Syracuse is talented, but there’s a certain stink on the team that they’ve been unable to shake off. While unfortunate, look for that stink to remain pungent in Week 13.
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