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Across the Hudson from Heisman Trophy headquarters, Everett Golson, the quarterback of the Fighting Irish, displayed his bona fides and absentmindedness against Syracuse Saturday night in the Meadowlands.
His performance proved remarkable in its balance of efficiency and ineptitude, ranging from a 72-yard touchdown strike to a fumbled spike attempt.
At the same time that he failed to kill the clock, he was in the midst of completing 13 straight throws, eventually enough for a Notre Dame program record. He finished that stretch with 25 consecutive completed passes, one short of the Football Bowl Subdivision standard.
The statistic distracted from his uneven play.
No. 8 Notre Dame knocked off unranked Syracuse, 31-15, in front of 76,802, a home crowd for the Orange but filled in by green T-shirts and jackets at all levels of the stadium. Golson had the most to lose, and ceded control of the ball four times, twice losing fumbles with a matching pair of interceptions. He absorbed a blitz-and-blast approach by Syracuse, only seizing control in the second half.
The turnovers never took their full toll, allowing Golson (33-of-40 for a career-high 363 yards and 4 touchdowns) to gain a firmer grip.
Still, success proved to be a burden as he threw one more interception that was returned for a touchdown with five minutes left in the contest, leaving his candidacy's reality to be debated.
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Controversy crept into the 'New York Classic' late in the first half.
With Notre Dame up 14-3 and driving inside the red zone, Golson slowly ambled up field in between plays, then hurried to spike the ball and kill the clock. He received the snap, but failed to maintain a hold before spiking the ball. It was initially called an incomplete pass, but the officials reviewed the play and determined that Golson fumbled it.
The officials also ruled that there was no advancement of the ball on the play, even though Syracuse cornerback Julian Whigham picked up the ball and returned it 80 yards to the end zone.
The Irish opened the game with a swing offense. Golson threw left, then right, left, then right, finding open receivers on either side. He lost touch quickly, though, fumbling at the end of a 23-yard gain, then fumbling again when two Syracuse defenders combined to sack him.
The Irish recovered that loose ball, but Golson was not done giving the ball away. He threw deep on the next series and was intercepted.
He recovered to throw two touchdown passes before the half, strafing short (23 yards to wideout Will Fuller) and deep (72 yards to Fuller), but his failed attempt to spike the ball followed.
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No matter the turnovers, his offense remained active. The Irish outgained the Orange, 311-142 by halftime.
Golson, a reformed cheater in the classroom, led a team still playing without several key players into Jersey.
Notre Dame did not dress five players due to an ongoing investigation into academic dishonesty at the university.
Four players - Ishaq Williams, Kendall Moore, KeiVarae Russell, DaVaris Daniels - have been withheld from practices and games since Aug. 15. The Irish also have withheld Eilar Hardy since Aug. 29 for potential academic dishonesty.
Golson, gleaming now in a golden helmet beneath the lights, added to the arc of his return narrative versus Syracuse.
It will be up to him to sustain the success - both for himself and, in turn, his team, moving forward.
Posted by Unknown on Saturday, September 27, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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