Tag: Rex Culpepper

Notre Dame vs. Syracuse: Third-Quarter Analysis

At halftime, Brian Kelly told his team to win the third quarter.

At halftime, Brian Kelly told his team to win the third quarter. Instead, we got maybe the sloppiest two-way quarter of any Notre Dame game this season. Nobody seemed to want to take control. Nevertheless, the Irish enter the final 15 minutes of the regular season leading Syracuse, 38-14.

The Irish recovered a fumble on the Orange’s first drive only to watch Ian Book cough the ball right back up. With his team given new life, Sean Tucker soon ran for a 40-yard touchdown. It was the perfect representative of an uncharacteristically rough day for the Irish’s run defense. That it’s happening against Syracuse of all teams is stunning.

When Book returned to the field, he threw only his second interception of the season to Ja’Had Carter. It didn’t matter because Rex Culpepper lost a fumble on the first play of the drive. Kyren Williams then put together some nice runs before Book called his own number and ran 17 yards for his second touchdown of the game. Some probably felt a serious sense of deja vu.

Any hopes that Syracuse’s play since late in the second quarter was an aberration were snuffed out when Daelin Hayes intercepted Culpepper for the Orange’s third turnover of the third quarter and fourth overall. The DJ at Notre Dame Stadium marked the occasion by playing My Own Worst Enemy by Lit. It was such a level of savagery that no one seemed to mind when Jonathan Doerer missed a 50-yard field-goal attempt.

After the defense forced a three-and-out, the offense immediately benefited from a roughing the passer call. Williams came closer to the 1,000-yard mark with a 23-yard run. Two plays later, Javon McKinley continued to make up for lost time by scoring his third touchdown of both the game and season on a 26-yard reception. All of the offensive leaders are chipping in.

Notre Dame vs. Syracuse: Second-Quarter Analysis

When Clark Lea stepped off the Notre Dame bus Saturday, he probably didn’t expect Syracuse to present such a challenge to his defense.

When Clark Lea stepped off the Notre Dame bus Saturday, he probably didn’t expect Syracuse to present such a challenge to his defense. In the first half, we saw that at times. A victory that appeared to be such a foregone conclusion didn’t seem like it midway through the second quarter. Then, the Irish woke up, and they now hold a 24-7 halftime lead.

The Orange started their first drive of the second quarter at their own 38-yard line and executed it to perfection. Rather than go for it all on one big play, they successfully relied on a series of runs and short passes. It paid off when Rex Culpepper connected with Anthony Queeley for an 18-yard touchdown to give their team the lead. Dino Babers said that this is his team’s title game, and that’s how it’s played for the most part.

For most of the second quarter, the Irish’s offense continued to have trouble getting anything going. On one drive, they got into Orange territory and appeared to pick up a fourth down, but Michael Mayer’s momentum carried him back behind the marker, and the Irish turned it over on downs. Everyone was waiting for anything to happen to get this unit going.

The Orange inadvertently provided a spark for the Irish when they appeared to force a three-and-out, but Kingsley Jonathan was flagged for roughing the passer. Ian Book made Jonathan pay for his mistake with a couple of first-down completions to Tommy Tremble and Javon McKinley. He put a stamp on the drive with a 28-yard touchdown run to put the Irish back in front. That’s what happens when you give a team like this second chances.

After that, the Irish we’ve come to know finally showed up. Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa sacked Culpepper and forced a fumble that was recovered by Marist Liufau. It took forever for the replay booth to confirm that, but it finally happened. Speaking of things finally happening, McKinley, the Irish’s leading receiver, scored his first touchdown of the season on a 21-yard pass from Book on the first play of the drive.

With time running out in the half, the Orange gave the Irish another opportunity when Cooper Lutz ran into Matt Salerno after Salerno had called for a fair catch on a punt. The Irish took advantage of this latest in a series of Syracuse mistakes by putting together a drive in which they marched down the field as quickly as any offense in college football is capable of. Book’s 21-yard pass to Ben Skowronek put the Irish in field-goal range, but Book decided that wasn’t enough, and he hit McKinley for a 28-yard touchdown pass with six seconds left. All of that took 32 seconds, and the Irish went into the locker room feeling much more confident about their chances of a blowout win.

Tale of the Tape: Starting Quarterbacks – Ian Book vs. Rex Culpepper

When Notre Dame plays Syracuse in what has become its final regular-season game in 2020, we’ll see a major difference in the two offenses.

When Notre Dame plays Syracuse in what has become its final regular-season game in 2020, we’ll see a major difference in the two offenses. The Irish have Ian Book, who has long proven himself as a quarterback who can both run and pass. Having one of the best offensive lines around, even with a recent string of injuries to that unit, has allowed him to create and adjust on the fly. With the competition level going up after this game, this could be the final opportunity to see Book when he’s able to perform freely at the collegiate level.

The Orange have Rex Culpepper, who has not performed well in almost any area. He plays behind an offensive line that has allowed 37 sacks this season, second-most in the country behind Kansas (42), so forget about him doing anything on the ground. He’s also still getting over the embarrassment of how his last game ended. If he doesn’t pull off a surprise at Notre Dame Stadium and have a huge game, people still will be watching videos about what happened, including this one:

Watch: Syracuse QB spikes ball on fourth down to seal loss to North Carolina State

How did Syracuse’s last-gasp against North Carolina State fall apart?

If anything, Rex Culpepper can consider himself in company with Tom Brady. It’s easy to lose track of downs with the game on the line.

That’s exactly what happened Saturday at the Carrier Dome as Syracuse frantically drove for a late score that could have given it a chance to tie North Carolina State in an ACC contest.

On third down at the Wolfpack 7, Culpepper took an 11-yard sack and everyone in Orange and Blue went into panic mode to get back to the line of scrimmage as the clock ticked away.

The announcers knew Culpepper couldn’t spike the ball to stop the clock. However, the quarterback didn’t realize it was fourth down and clocked the ball and sealed the 36-29 defeat.

The play was similar to when Brady lost track of downs at the end of Tampa Bay’s loss to the Chicago Bears earlier in the NFL season.

Watch: Syracuse QB Spikes on Fourth Down at End of Game

Notre Dame’s Senior Day game will be played in one week against Syracuse.

Notre Dame’s Senior Day game will be played in one week against Syracuse. If the game is close and the Orange still has a chance, quarterback Rex Culpepper have to be a little smarter than he was Saturday against NC State. It was a strange ending to a 36-29 loss. Culpepper took a sack from Payton Wilson and then did this:

No, it’s not up there with J.R. Smith as far as lack of awareness, but the Orange need all of the luck they can get in the type of season they’re having. That means giving yourself a chance to win when you can. This ain’t it.