Notre Dame Football: 3 bold predictions for huge Syracuse battle

1. Eric Dungey completes less than 50 percent of his passes

When looking at the top 20 teams in points per game, only four complete less than 60 percent of their passes. Those teams include UCF, Toledo, Georgia Tech, and Syracuse. Of course, Toledo’s competition doesn’t really measure up and Georgia Tech averages less than 10 passes per game, leaving UCF and Syracuse as the only legitimate head-scratchers on the list.

Compare that to some of the country’s worst offenses and you’ll see that only four teams (South Alabama, California, Kentucky, and Colorado State) within the top 25 lowest scoring offenses complete over 60 percent of their passes. As expected, a low completion percentage typically isn’t a good recipe for success.

However, Syracuse has found a way to thrive despite some of quarterback Eric Dungey’s inefficiencies. Call it a soft schedule, call it a good run game, or call it a mixture of both, Syracuse has found a way to average nearly 45 points per game. However, something will have to give against an Irish defense that has let to allow over 27 points in a game.

Much of this can be attributed to Notre Dame’s stingy pass defense, a unit that has held opponents to a 55 percent completion percentage this season. The Irish are more than capable of shutting down Syracuse’s passing attack if they play well, but it will have to start with keeping the ball out of the hands of Dungey’s receivers.