The ninth-ranked Notre Dame offense hasn‘t had any trouble scoring points lately, having lit up the scoreboard to the tune of a combined 86 points in its last two victories. Nevertheless, the Fighting Irish defense and special teams decided it wanted to carry the load to begin Saturday‘s contest against Syracuse, as the two units combined to score the Irish‘s first three touchdowns of the game without the offense running a single play.
In terms of college football history, it‘s the first time such a feat has occurred since at least the 2015 season, according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press. In terms of Notre Dame football history, the feat is even rarer. It's the first time the Fighting Irish have scored its first three touchdowns of a game via the defense and special teams since 2002, according to the school‘s communications department.
How Notre Dame scored its first three touchdowns vs. Syracuse
The Notre Dame defense wasted no time in leaving its imprint on the game, as it stuffed Syracuse running back Will Nixon for a loss of two yards, then saw safety Jalen Stroman intercept Orange quarterback Joseph Filardi, a pick Stroman returned 44 yards for six.
Then, after the Fighting Irish defense forced a three-and-out, Stroman again made his presence felt, as he blocked Syracuse punter Jack Stonehouse‘s kick, which was returned for a touchdown by fellow safety Luke Talich.
On its third drive of the game, the Syracuse offense began to slowly inch its way down the field. Unfortunately, the progress was short-lived, as Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore picked off Filardi and returned the interception 46 yards for another Irish score.
The explosion from Notre Dame‘s defense and special teams was all part of a historic first quarter for the Irish.
Notre Dame football sets first quarter points record
After the offense joined the party, with running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price each adding scores of their own, Notre Dame officially set a school record for the most points scored in the first quarter in program history. It‘s been an eventful day for the Irish—and already a long one for the Orange.
