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No. 8 Notre Dame meets Syracuse Saturday in New Jersey
By: Freddy Wander - StatFox
Published: 9/26/2014  at  2:24:00 AM
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NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (3-0)
vs. SYRACUSE ORANGE (2-1)

MetLife Stadium - East Rutherford, NJ
Kickoff: Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: Notre Dame -9.5, Total: 51

No. 8 Notre Dame heads east to New Jersey on Saturday night to take on Syracuse at MetLife Stadium.

Here is the BetDSI Sportsbook betting preview for this matchup:

Notre Dame has looked tremendous to start off the 2014 campaign, going 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS with its only failed cover coming against Purdue in its most recent game on Sept. 13. The one contest that was supposed to be close came when the Irish hosted Michigan as 4-point favorites, but ran away with that game by a score of 31-0 as both teams were held under 290 total yards of offense. Against the Boilermakers, Notre Dame secured a 30-14 victory as a 30-point favorite by shutting out its opponent in the second half. The offense put up a hefty 398 yards while taking the ball away from Purdue three times and holding the team to a mere 56 yards (2.2 YPC) on the ground. Syracuse was put in its place last week against Maryland as a 1.5-point favorite, losing 34-20 despite gaining 589 total yards of offense. The big turnaround in the contest was a pick-six late in the first half, which flipped the momentum in the game and forced Syracuse to play catch-up in the second half. The Orange are now 1-2 ATS with their only ATS victory coming in a huge 37-point victory (40-3) against Central Michigan two weeks ago as 4.5-point favorites, when they amassed 464 total yards. These programs have met three times since 2003 with Syracuse going 3-0 ATS (2-1 SU), including a 24-23 road win in the most recent meeting in 2008. Both teams have positive trends for this matchup, as Notre Dame is 27-10 ATS in non-home games in weeks 5-9 since 1992, but Syracuse is 11-2 ATS in that same timeframe after outgaining an opponent by 175+ total yards in two straight previous games. In injury news, DB Austin Collinsworth (knee) is out indefinitely, WR Amir Carlisle (knee) has been downgraded to doubtful for this contest, and WR Torii Hunter Jr. (groin) has been listed as probable for the Irish. For Syracuse, both WR Ashton Broyld (leg) and HB Devante McFarlane (leg) will not be available on Saturday.

Can Syracuse put a scare into Notre Dame in this neutral-field matchup? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014 regular season and bowl season. The experts went a combined 10-7 ATS (59%) last week, highlighted by StatFox Scott's 3-1 ATS mark and StatFox Gary's 2-1 ATS record.

The bulk of Notre Dame’s offense has come through the air, as the team is averaging 260 passing YPG (51st in nation), but tallying a subpar 158 YPG from the ground game, leading to 36.3 PPG. QB Everett Golson (780 pass yards, 7 TD, 0 INT) has looked tremendous after a year off due to academic suspension, as he's completing 64.6% of his passes for 8.1 YPA. Golson has yet to throw a pick and has seen his workload increase each successive week while he has also contributed to the rushing game with 83 yards (2.9 YPC) and 4 TD. The rushing attack is more of a committee setup with HBs Greg Bryant (119 rush yards, 1 TD), Tarean Folston (110 rush yards) and Cam McDaniel (97 rush yards, 1 TD) all getting between 22 and 30 carries so far. WR William Fuller has caught the lion’s share of the passes (16), giving him 225 receiving yards (11.8 avg) and one touchdown in each game. Missing WR Amir Carlisle could hurt them, as he is the only other receiver with multiple touchdown catches (2) and has totaled 117 yards on 11 catches (10.6 avg). The defense has carried this club by allowing a meager 10.3 PPG (3rd in FBS) with 315.3 YPG (24th in nation) thus far in 2014. LB Jaylon Smith (22 tackles, 1 sack) is the leader up front for this defense while DB Max Redfield (10 tackles, 1 INT) stars in a solid secondary which has allowed 216.3 YPG to the opposition.

Syracuse is a mostly one-dimensional offense as it puts up big running numbers (265 YPG, 19th in FBS) while throwing for a meager 193 YPG (101st in nation) and scoring 29.0 PPG (78th in FBS). Under center is QB Terrel Hunt (488 pass yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) who has thrown for more yards in each consecutive game this season, topping out at 219 yards on 14-of-28 passing with a crucial interception against Maryland last week. He is more of a threat on the ground, as he leads the team with 273 rushing yards (7.0 YPC) and five touchdowns. Hunt is certainly not alone in the backfield though, as both HBs Prince-Tyson Gulley (251 rush yards, 7.8 YPC, 1 TD) and Adonis Ameen-Moore (193 rush yards, 6.9 YPC, 1 TD) are both capable backs. The only receiver to have double-digit receptions so far is WR Ashton Broyld (125 yards) who will miss this game with a leg injury. In his absence, senior WR Jarrod West (133 rec. yards, 16.6 avg.) will be Hunt's top target through the air. The defense has allowed only 21.0 PPG (40th in nation) through the first three games while giving up 221 passing YPG and a mere 104.3 rushing YPG. DB Durell Eskridge (11 tackles) is the big talent on this side of the ball while being aided by DL Micah Robinson (10 tackles, 2 sacks) and LB Cam Lynch (30 tackles, 5 sacks).


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