Thank Touchdown Jesus it’s back. The early season bye is a tough obstacle to overcome. It’s also a little strange to jump from one neutral site prime-time game to another. I mean, the Irish are 3-0 and Golson is a viable candidate for the Heisman- SO LET’S GET THIS THING MOVING ALREADY…
SYRACUSE
Do not take Syracuse lightly. I said, DO NOT TAKE SYRACUSE LIGHTLY! One only needs to remember the 2008 fiasco, and the 2003 shredding. The Orange haven’t really played anyone yet with wins over Villanova and Central Michigan to go along with last weeks loss to Maryland. But at the same time, Notre Dame hasn’t really played anyone either.
[cue ominous organ music]
The Orange have a dynamic athlete at Quarterback in Terrel Hunt, that leads the team in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns (5) but has thrown for only 1 touchdown. The Orange can move the ball and average over 450 yards a game, but again… Villanova, Central Michigan, and Maryland.
The homefield advantage that the Carrier Dome offers is thrown out of the window with the game being played at MetLife Stadium, but this is still a team that can be dangerous and history tell them THEY CAN DO IT. For more on Syracuse (kind of), check out this Q&A with TNIAAM.
WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DRINKING?
In honor of our “hosts,” we might as well keep it orange.
Lithium Motherfucker
- 1/4 oz Jack Daniel’s® Tennessee whiskey
- 6 oz orange soda (preferably Sunkist)
Stir ingredients together in a highball glass filled with ice cubes, and serve.
WHAT SHOULD YOU BE EATING?
I was going to save this for the Navy game, but after making it tonight- I’ll eat it every night for a month.
Salmone Pistacchio
- 1 Fresh Filet of Salmon
- Bag of shelled pistachios
- Jar of Honey
- Orange Juice
Lay out a large piece of Foil and spray with cooking spray. Lay filet on foil, skin side down, and pour just enough OJ to wet it up a little. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Crush pistachios in a bag. Pour or drizle honey all over the filet. Cover the filet completely with crushed pistachios. Drizzle just a bit more honey on top. Fold foil over the fish and bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serve with asparagus and cornbread.
WHAT SHOULD YOU BE WEARING?
Well, here’s your chance to make the stadium ALL IRISH. Syracuse has got the orange thing down, it’s up to you to wear the green and white to complete the effect. This works:
BREAK OUT THEM UNIS RT @NDTIX: 1961 @NDFootball vs Syracuse tix courtesy of @NDArchives #IRISH http://t.co/lEZ1tLYtel pic.twitter.com/rrRh8cRINL
— The Subway Domer (@TheSubwayDomer) September 25, 2014
GOLDEN TWEETERS
I’ve given an explanation for this segment twice now. HERE and of course HERE. I won’t do it again, so pay attention. (I just copy and paste son).
"America's brightest orange." – Oklahoma State. DAMN, SYRACUSE! ORANGE BURN!
— Matt Q. (@IDtheMIKE) September 26, 2014
Bothers me when people refuse to pronounce the whole word and just say "menally" or "probly" instead of mentally or probably.
— SupermanTDJesus (@SupermanTDJesus) September 24, 2014
How about a Clemson "jump to conclusions" mat?
— Dixie Domer (@Dixie_Domer) September 21, 2014
OTHER THINGS
The major storyline walking hand in hand with Notre Dame football this fall has been the story of the so called “Academic 5.” It finally seems that we will finally get some type of closure on that subject soon. I’m just surprised that this has, at least on the surface, offered very little distractions on the field.
That was almost completely untrue against Purdue as we saw injuries mount up against the Irish roster. Notre Dame still needs to get past Syracuse, and even Stanford the next week and then maybe some of those players will fall back into the depth chart.
Seriously, I’m just amazed that this hasn’t impacted the team more. Perhaps this has really hurt the team, and if a handful of these players return- OH MY GOD WE ARE REALLY REALLY GOOD. This just seems like one of those things that would have buried a Notre Dame Football season, and instead it barely has dirt on its shoulders.
OFFENSIVE MVP
Everett Golson duh. When you have a Heisman Candidate, these type of prognostications are basically an exercise in restraint. Restraint in trying to get too tricky or too cute. This is not the week for that type of slick move. I understand that a great deal of the defensive gameplan for the Orange against the Irish will be primarily focused on Golson. So how could he not be the MVP here when he rises to the occasion and deals out another great game this year? Golson will account for at least 4 TD’s in one way or another.
DEFENSIVE MVP
Cody Riggs. When facing a dual threat quarterback like Hunt, the smart pick here would be a linebacker that might be spying the QB for most of the game. Instead, I just have a feeling that Riggs will have a couple of really big impact plays on defense and maybe even some type of spectacular return on special teams. I look for Riggs to to start getting his name called early, and that very well may impact the rest of the game.
AT THE END OF THE NIGHT
Notre Dame is more talented than Syracuse across the board. Notre Dame has better coaches across the board. But still… Syracuse, historically, has usually given the Irish one hell of a game (or even a big WTF loss). Another night game in a NFL stadium is on the docket for the Irish, and they take care of their business in a very NFL like manner. A slow start will give way to a flood of big plays. IRISH 41, SYRACUSE 17.
