Notre Dame played their worst game of the season on Saturday.
The entire team came out flat and plaed like crap for the entire first half.
Syracuse's defense was actually pretty good, but the offense was shooting themselves in the foot with dropped balls, mental errors, and uninspired blocking.
The defense was undisciplined for the first quarter and a half, giving up a couple of big plays and generally allowing Syracuse, one of the country's worst offenses, to run their offense.
We were actually trailing 3-0 after the first quarter.
Part way through the 2nd quarter, the defense woke up and remembered that Syracuse's offense sucks; thereafter Syracuse could not move the ball at all.
The offense never really got going, as Syracuse's defense played smart football. Brady's throws were off-target all day, and Samardzija was dropping anything that didn't hit him in the numbers. Stovall had an average day, and Walker did as well.
However, due to our athletic superiority, we were able to pull away in the late 3rd and early 4th quarter, getting far enough ahead to put in the seniors for senior day.
What amazes me is that, although the team had a bad day, they still won the game. With Ty as coach, a bad day would have meant a drubbing (like last time this team played Syracuse). With Charlie as coach, this team can beat inferior opponents in their sleep.
Here's hoping, however, that the team wakes up for Stanford. They were realy bad at the beginning of the season (losing to a Div. I-AA opponent), but have picked up their game play and dragged themselves within one win of bowl eligibility. They'll be ready to play, and we can't get caught looking ahead to Tempe.
