Syracuse Football: Breaking down the Orange 2022 schedule, Notre Dame

Before the Syracuse football 2022 schedule was released, I said that despite the tough teams on the schedule, I thought this team could still have success and be a bowl team based on what I have seen so far this offseason. And when the schedule came out, it does appear difficult but I still stand by it.

So I sat down and decided that instead of just saying that I believe it again, I wanted to break the games down one by one and give you the information you need to decide for yourself. I will go game by game with fun stats like head-to-head outcomes, players to watch, my way too early rating of difficulty, and a few other notes that might help.

Here are the teams scheduled and links to those that are already published in case you missed one:

Louisville

UConn

Purdue

Virginia

Wagner

Bye Week

NC State

Clemson

Notre Dame

Pittsburgh

Florida State

Wake Forest

Boston College

Let’s take a look at Syracuse football hosting mighty Notre Dame.

Syracuse Orange vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Saturday, October 29, 2022 (time and viewing options TBD)

Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY (no not Yankees Stadium or MetLife or whatever)

Last season head to head: Did not play last season. Last played in 2020 in South Bend which Notre Dame won 45-21. Winsipedia says that Notre Dame has won 7 of their previous meetings and Syracuse has only won 3. The last time Syracuse football beat Notre Dame was in 2008 when Greg Robinson was already on his way out but led the team to a win with only 42 seconds left in the game. This is also a fun opportunity to say the name of one of my favorite running backs, Antwon Bailey, who was a freshman at the time and ran for 126 yards and a TD in that one.

Opponent’s overall record last season: Notre Dame went 11-2 last season and I thought should have been a playoff team. Instead, they lost to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl 37-35.

Stats from their last face-off: Per usual, I consulted ESPN for their game break down to help refresh my memory. Cooper Lutz was huge with 114 yards rushing including an 80-yard TD run. Rex Culpepper was the Orange QB for this game and had 185 yards passing, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Current Orange WR Anthony Queeley had the only TD reception for Syracuse football. Linebacker Geoff Cantin-Arku, who is transferring to Memphis next season, had 2 sacks.

Possible level of difficulty on a scale of 1-10: 9. This is a Notre Dame team that will come in off a season they almost made the playoffs but also lost head coach Brian Kelly and a lot of players to the NFL draft. It’s also Notre Dame and I’m willing to bet there will be many Irish fans in attendance for this game.

Key person on the opposing team: DE Isaiah Foskey. I thought for sure Foskey would go pro after last year but he’s announced he’s returning and that will not be ideal for the Syracuse football offensive line and offense in general. He was a legitimate threat to get to the quarterback and even was amongst the best in the nation in forced fumbles.

How can Syracuse win: In my opinion, the best chance Syracuse has here is to not turn the ball over and let those with NFL prospects shine. There will be some attention paid to this game including from NFL scouts and if the Orange stands a chance, it’ll be because those with high expectations take advantage of the spotlight. Ride Sean Tucker, Mikel Jones, Duce Chesnut, Garrett Williams, Andre Szmyt and others who want to make a name for themselves to make big plays. Syracuse football may also have a shot if they can score early and try to keep it close throughout most of the game. I don’t think Notre Dame is a team that will allow SU to come back from multiple scores down. One other thing that might help is if Syracuse can get the Loud House rocking, causing confusion with play calling.

Other news, notes and nuggets:

– Syracuse football has a lot of Catholic folks in its community and it would not be too surprising if many of them showed up in green to support the Irish.
– Water Street Bagel Co > Einstein Bros Bagels
– Why didn’t Brian Kelly dance like that at Notre Dame? And does his hiring at LSU make Alabama and Notre Dame actually more likable now?
– Notre Dame refuses to join a conference in football because of TV revenue and enjoying the attention and flexibility of being an independent. But wouldn’t it be to their advantage and give them a better chance to make the playoffs if they joined the ACC and win the conference title game especially if you put them in the opposite division of Clemson and win it over them?
– Rudy is a classic film and I will not besmirch its great name for the sake of entertainment despite certain inaccuracies (that’s Hollywood y’all) but he’s not the only Notre Dame alumnus/attendees worth noting and not all are athletes. How about Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Amy Coney Barrett, The Notebook author Nicholas Sparks, sports journalist Hannah Storm, 80s talk show icons Regis Philbin and Phil Donahue, and before there was Norm on Cheers, even a young George Wendt attended the university (though he did not graduate from there).
– Notre Dame is an Under Armor team. Syracuse is a Nike school. Do you ever wonder what it would be like if Syracuse football had an Under Armor deal? I can’t help but wonder sometimes.
– At one point in my young life, I did actually like Notre Dame as well as Syracuse. I’ve never not been a Syracuse football fan but there were times I liked both. I was also a Dallas Cowboys fan as a kid too because of Roger Staubach and Tom Landry so I’m not perfect. I think I just liked the Notre Dame clothing because it was often easier to find and more interesting than Syracuse.