Who needs an offense?
Notre Dame jumped out to a 21-0 lead before the Fighting Irish offense even took the field during their 70-7 destruction of Syracuse on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.
On the first drive of the game, safety Jalen Stroman intercepted quarterback Joseph Filardi and returned it 44 yards for a pick-six as Notre Dame took a 7-0 lead.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Jalen Stroman (7) celebrates scoring on an interception with Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Adon Shuler (8) against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Michael Caterina-Imagn ImagesThen, on the next drive, safety Luke Talich blocked Jack Stonehouse’s punt and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown as Notre Dame took a 14-0 lead.
On the third drive of the game, cornerback Leonard Moore intercepted Filardi and returned it 46 yards for another pick-six as Notre Dame took a 21-0 lead.
“Unbelievable start for the Notre Dame defense,” NBC play-by-player Dan Hicks said.
And then when the Notre Dame offense finally got its turn, it didn’t waste any time piling on to the rout.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Leonard Moore (15) returns an interception for a touchdown against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Michael Caterina-Imagn ImagesThe Fighting Irish rattled off three straight touchdown drives to take a 42-0 lead just seconds into the second quarter, and they extended that to 49-0 by halftime.
The Fighting Irish (9-2) are certainly keeping their College Football Playoff hopes alive, while Syracuse (3-7) continues to regress from its surprisingly strong season a year ago.
