Notre Dame Football: Stopping Dungey is the Key for the Irish Defense
By Jordan Small
Notre Dame football has just two games remaining in the regular season. This week they travel to the Bronx for a matchup with No. 12 Syracuse as part of the Shamrock Series. The defense will be tasked with stopping an elite athlete in Eric Dungey.
For this year’s Shamrock Series matchup, Notre Dame football will travel to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to take on the Syracuse Orange. While the Orange are from New York State, they are a long ways away from the Carrier Dome. This is definitely the toughest matchup remaining for the Irish, as Syracuse has risen through the rankings in recent weeks after going 4-1 since losing to Clemson on the road.
So far this season, the Orange have been dominant at home, going 6-0 at the Carrier Dome. Their two losses have been on the road — the first coming at Clemson, the second being in overtime against Pittsburgh.
This game is a bit different for Syracuse, as it will be the first time they have played away from home but still in the state of New York since 2010 against Kansas State — also at Yankees Stadium.
Syracuse has scored over 40 points in seven games in 2018 and scored 37 points in another game. Their offense, however, is ranked No. 53 in the country for offensive efficiency.
They have given up over 20 points in eight of their ten games this season. Be that as it may, on the defensive side, they rank No. 21. Both defenses will definitely play a huge role in Saturday’s game.
The primary concern for the Irish defense will be stopping Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey.
Dungey has had a very up and down season. But after being taken out in the second half against North Carolina, he has eight total touchdowns in three games. He is as true of a dual-threat quarterback as they come. He can do it all for the Orange, and he has done just that over the past three games.
When it comes to his rushing capabilities, Dungey leads the Orange in attempts and touchdowns — and he is second is rushing yards. He is also in second for average number of yards per game on the team. Stopping him on the ground will be vital to the Irish keeping the score low for the Orange.
Dungey is also a pretty good passer, but this is definitely the weaker part of his game. He completes roughly 60 percent of his passses, has 14 passing touchdowns, and has thrown five interceptions on the year. If the Irish can get to him quickly and keep him in the pocket, they might be able to force Dungey into some uncomfortable throws.
If Jerry Tillery, Julian Okwara, and Khalid Kareem can keep doing what they’ve been doing this season in getting to the quarterback quickly, they can limit the effectiveness of Dungey in both threats. It’s also important that the linebackers and secondary are ready to coral Dungey if he does break through the line as to avoid long runs to extend drives.