Know your foe, Syracuse: Which Orangemen could give Notre Dame problems

This one won’t be easy for the Irish

The Irish have yet to host a ranked opponent this year, having to travel away from South Bend each game. This week they face an opponent that is very similar to what they do, play very good defense and have enough offense to get them the win in Syracuse. The Orangemen have plenty of upperclassmen to help them achieve those goals. Find out below which ‘Cuse players could give the Irish problems Saturday afternoon.

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Syracuse DT Caleb Okechukwu gets a THICC-SIX touchdown against Purdue

THICC-SIX touchdown alert! Syracuse’s Caleb Okechukwu made the Big Man Touchdown happen against Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell.

As we all know, there is no better thing in football than when a big guy gets to score a touchdown. Whether it’s an offensive lineman catching the ball on a trick play, or a defensive tackle picking the ball off and running it back, THICC-SIX touchdowns are the most prominent works of art in football, and they should always be celebrated.

As the late, great, John Madden said of “fat guy touchdowns” in The Replacements, “I love to see a fat guy score. Because first, you get the fat guy spike, and then, you get the fat guy dance.”

We are with you all the way, Coach.

Here’s all seven Fat Guy Touchdowns scored in the 2019 season

Fast-forward to Saturday’s Syracuse-Purdue game. With 8:08 left in the fourth quarter, Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell attempted a risky pass under pressure, and Syracuse defensive tackle Caleb Okechukwu — all 6-foot-4, 268 pounds of him — was all over it when O’Connell actually let that errant dart go.

And with that, Okechukwu — who, per Pro Football Focus, had never defended a pass in his time at Syracuse, which goes back to 2018 — added his name to the THICC-SIX Pantheon.

You can have your various football Halls of Fame, but there is no greater honor than this.