|
 Golson also set the school record for consecutive completions,
although there is some disagreement about whether it was 25 or 26.
The school says he equaled the Football Bowl Subdivision record with
26, although the play-by-play and other reports indicate it was 25.
Either way, Golson's effort allowed him to overcome his four
turnovers, including two interceptions.
"What I take from the game is that I have to get better," the senior
quarterback said. "(The completions record) is stuff that does not
matter. The coaches did a good job of putting me in good situations,
but I made some foolish mistakes and there is a lot to clean up."
Two second-quarter touchdown passes from Golson to sophomore wide
receiver Will Fuller on as many plays from scrimmage gave Notre Dame
a 14-3 halftime lead.
A 23-yard connection between Golson and Fuller with 10:56 remaining
in the half opened the scoring. After the Orange went three-and-out,
the pair struck again when Golson looked deep for Fuller, who
outraced corner Corey Winfield to the ball for a 72-yard score and a
14-0 lead with 8:31 to play.
"There was a lot for Everett to learn from tonight," Notre Dame
coach Brian Kelly said. "Some of the things he did tonight he will
learn from and will ultimately make him a better quarterback. We
made some adjustments that allowed him to have 26 straight
completions, but there were also mistakes."
Fuller finished the game with six catches for a career-high 119
yards.
Syracuse managed to get on the board when Cole Murphy nailed a
38-yard field goal with 3:07 left in the half.
The Irish turned the ball over twice in the first quarter, but the
Orange was unable to take advantage.
"It was a learning experience tonight," Syracuse quarterback Terrell
Hunt said. "We knew that Notre Dame was the No. 8 team in the
country, but we knew we could play with them if we played our game.
We cannot get discouraged by what happened tonight and we cannot
hang our heads because we have to turn around and get ready for a
big game Friday night against Louisville."
The first half ended on an odd note.
With 11 seconds remaining and Notre Dame at the Syracuse 15-yard
line, Golson went to spike the ball but never had control. The
Orange's Julian Whigham picked up the loose ball and went the
distance, but it was ruled an incomplete pass by the officials. A
review overturned the ruling, with Syracuse taking possession at the
25-yard line and running out the final 13 seconds.
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"I don't know whether it was a good call or bad call, but we're not
going to lose any sleep over it," Syracuse coach Scott Shafer said.
Notre Dame pushed the lead to 21-3 in the third quarter on an 8-yard
touchdown pass from Golson to sophomore wide receiver Corey
Robinson.
Notre Dame was driving on its next possession when Greg Bryant
fumbled at the Orange 28. Syracuse responded by driving 72 yards on
seven plays, cutting the deficit to 21-9 when quarterback Terrell
Hunt scored from seven yards out on the first play of the fourth
quarter. The extra point was blocked.
Golson's final scoring pass of the evening was a 13-yarder to Torii
Hunter Jr. that made the score 28-9 with 10:19 to play.
Hunter, son of the major league baseball player by the same name,
was making his collegiate debut, and the touchdown reception was his
first catch.
Syracuse made it 28-15 with 5:09 to play when junior safety Durell
Eskridge returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown. The
Orange failed on a two-point conversion.
"We did a great job getting the ball back and one of our keys every
week is to get turnovers," Eskridge said. "That was a positive for
the game, but it still didn't work out for us."
The Irish, who got a 37-yard field goal from Kyle Brindza with 1:57
remaining to close the scoring, turned the ball over once in their
first three games.
NOTES: The FBS record of 26 consecutive completions was set by East
Carolina's Dominique Davis against Navy in 2011. ... Notre Dame WR
Corey Robinson closed the half with a career-best six receptions and
finished with eight for 91 yards. He has helped pick up the slack
for injured Amir Carlisle (MCL sprain). ... Notre Dame QB Everett
Golson is 14-1. ... The Notre Dame record for consecutive
completions was 14. It was held by Ron Powlus, Brady Quinn and Tommy
Rees. ... This was the third New York's College Classic for host
Syracuse. The Orange lost to USC in 2012 and Penn State last season.
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