3 takeaways from Notre Dame’s dominant victory over Syracuse

Notre Dame defeated Syracuse 41-24 on Saturday afternoon on the road.

It’s the Irish’s second ranked win of the season away from home. It’s also their second consecutive victory overall after picking up a win over UNLV in South Bend last weekend.

Here are three takeaways from Notre Dame’s win over the Orange:

Notre Dame dominated in the trenches

Marcus Freeman has been consistent in his messaging about where he wants this program to be the strongest: in the trenches. That bore out on Saturday afternoon vs. Syracuse.

Offensively, Notre Dame was able to get almost anything it wanted to by running between the tackles. Audric Estime had a standout day, rushing the ball 20 times for 123 yards. He also scored two touchdowns. Logan Diggs also made a big impact as he rushed the ball 20 times for 85 yards and a touchdown. The Irish ran the ball on 54 of their 73 offensive plays and gained a steady average of 4.6 yards per carry.

Defensively, the Orange’s offensive line was not able to keep up with Notre Dame’s pass rush. The Irish recorded three sacks, seven tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries. Notre Dame also knocked out starting QB Garrett Shrader at the half with an injury.

Special teams is still a strength

Notre Dame blocked its fifth punt of the season on Saturday. Clarence Lewis did the honors and helped seal the win for the Fighting Irish with a fourth quarter punt block.

Notre Dame scored a touchdown on the next play, taking a 38-17 lead with under eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

The Irish’s punt block unit continues to be a major strength in Freeman’s first season.

There’s a lot to play for in November

With three regular season losses, Notre Dame is out of the College Football Playoff picture. But this win signals that the Irish still have a lot to play for in November.

The Irish now have a pair of ranked wins on the season and their schedule will give them at least two more opportunities to add to that number down the stretch. Notre Dame faces Clemson and USC in November.

Notre Dame is now 5-3 on the year and is one win away from bowl eligibility. The Irish host Clemson in Week 10.