Notre Dame football: 3 takeaways from dominant win over Syracuse

Notre Dame football survived yet another upset bid, taking down Syracuse by a score of 36-3 at Yankee Stadium. What did we learn?

Notre Dame and Syracuse had met only eight times heading into this week’s matchup, with the Irish holding a 5-3 series lead. Head coach Brian Kelly and his Notre Dame squad furthered that lead today, handling Syracuse in the continuation of Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series, a string of games that has brought the Irish to historic stadiums throughout the country.

It was a slow start for both teams, but the Irish were the first on the board courtesy of a Dexter Williams touchdown run. Creative playcalling helped power Notre Dame to their 11th win, leaving USC as the only team between the Irish and a College Football Playoff berth.

Here are three takeaways from Notre Dame’s latest win in a season that is trending towards a potential national championship.

3. Ian Book’s consistency is exactly what the Irish need

Consistency is an attribute that has been sorely missed by Notre Dame over the course of the last couple decades. While the Irish have been flashy at times, they’ve lacked an overall balance that comes along with an elite defense paired with a dynamic offense. Quarterbacks from Brady Quinn to Everett Golson have led the Irish to 10 win seasons, but the Irish always seem to come up short.

The last time we saw a record like this, an overmatched Notre Dame team marched into a National Championship bout with Alabama. This game would end in a humiliating 42-14 loss on the biggest stage, sending what looked like a perfect season into disarray. Since then, Notre Dame has seen more late-season heartbreak than most programs.

This feeling was summed up in last year’s collapse, a season in which the Irish took an 8-1 record into November before finishing the season at 10-3. It looked like Irish fans might see more of the same this season, but the emergence of quarterback Ian Book has given the Irish more hope than they’ve had in years.

Heading into this game, Book had completed 74.5 percent of his passes for 1,824 yards, 15 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He was no less impressive today, throwing for 293 yards and two touchdowns to one throw-away interception. For the first time in a long time, Notre Dame fans can feel confident that their team can hang with the best of the best.