Saturday, November 17, 2018 02:30 PM (ET)

No. 3 Notre Dame improves to 11-0 with rout of No. 12 Syracuse

Field Level Media
Nov 17, 2018

Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns, and Dexter Williams scored twice as the No. 3 Fighting Irish defeated No. 12 Syracuse 36-3 on Saturday in the Bronx.

Notre Dame (11-0) moved its home game to Yankee Stadium as part of the school's Shamrock Series, in which it plays games at neutral sites.

Book threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Chase Claypool late in the third quarter, after opening the scoring with a 9-yard pass to Williams with 9:15 to play in the first quarter.

Williams added a 32-yard touchdown run with 4:05 to go in the game to widen the lead to 36-0. Orange kicker Andre Szmyt, who missed a 23-yard field-goal attempt with 8:20 left in the game, made a 28-yarder with 10 seconds left to break the shutout.

Williams finished with 74 yards rushing and made his first touchdown reception of the season while Claypool finished with six receptions for 98 yards.

The Orange (8-3) lost starting quarterback Eric Dungey to injury in the first quarter.

Syracuse entered the game averaging 44 points and 482 yards, but the Irish defense picked off Dungey once and his replacement, freshman Tommy DeVito, twice more. They also registered six sacks, two by linebacker Drue Tranquill, and 11 tackles for loss.

Dungey and DeVito combined to go 15 for 35 for 115 yards as Syracuse managed only 234 yards.

Notre Dame, which finished with 463 total yards, put up 305 in the first half. Most of that came from Book, who threw for 253 yards.

Dungey was intercepted by safety Jalen Elliott on the first play of the Orange's second possession, leading to a Justin Yoon 26-yard field goal to extend the Irish lead to 10-0.

On the Orange's next possession, Dungey went down with an injury after being tackled on a 4-yard run.

He got up and limped back toward lining up for the next play, then collapsed to the ground and grabbed at his lower back. He was helped to the sideline and walked to the locker room without assistance.

The school listed his return as questionable in the second quarter with an upper-body injury, but he did not return.

DeVito replaced Dungey and nearly threw a touchdown pass on his first play, but the ball went off the fingertips of wide receiver Nykeim Johnson.

Notre Dame then went 83 yards on nine plays, settling for Yoon's 29-yard field goal after a holding penalty negated a rushing touchdown.

Irish safety Alohi Gilman intercepted DeVito both times, returning the second one 54 yards to the Syracuse 9. Jafar Armstrong ran for a touchdown on the next play for a 20-0 lead 4:52 before the half.

Yoon's third field goal, from 29 yards out, extended the lead to 23-0 with 9:30 to play in the third quarter.

--Field Level Media

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