Throwback Thursday: Syracuse shocks Notre Dame in 2008

We look back on Syracuse’s stunning win over Notre Dame in 2008 for this week’s Throwback Thursday column.

Syracuse and Notre Dame meet in South Bend this week in a battle of two ranked teams. Since 1914, the two teams have faced each other only eight times with the Fighting Irish holding a 5-3 advantage. While several of these games were dominated by one team, the latest being a 50-33 win by Notre Dame, one meeting stands out that happened a decade ago.

The Fighting Irish were just about at the end of the Charlie Weis era in 2008. Coming off a 3-9 season in 2007, Weis knew he was on the hot seat. The team was led by a solid passing attack with Jimmy Clausen, Golden Tate and Michael Floyd.

Notre Dame started 2-0 with wins over San Diego State and rival Michigan, but lose four of their next eight games. A grueling four-overtime loss to Pittsburgh and 17-0 shutout against Boston College had Irish fans livid at 5-4. A slim 27-21 win over rival Navy gave Weis and company a 6-4 record and bowl eligibility. While most expected more from this team by that point, the Irish had a winnable game coming up.

When most people hear “Syracuse”, they think of basketball. The football program at that time was doing little to make headlines. With wins vacated from the 2005 and 2006 seasons due to violations found in 2015 and a 2-10 season in 2007, the Orange were not the toast of the Big Apple.

Entering 2008, head coach Greg Robinson did not have world-class weapons to work with. The team did have a solid running game led by Curtis Brinkley, who would rush for 1,193 yards, and Tony Fiammetta. Cam Dantley was the Orange’s quarterback and, despite his underwhelming numbers, posted a 102.12 passing efficiency.

The season began like most predicted. Syracuse lost their first three before getting their first win against Northeastern. The team lost another three consecutive games but knocked off the Louisville Cardinals 28-21. Syracuse lost two more before heading into their matchup against Notre Dame in South Bend, where not many gave them a chance to win.

The contest started off slow with both teams kicking field goals in the first quarter to make it a 3-3 game. Brinkley scored the game’s first touchdown to give the Orange their first led, but Clausen and the Irish stormed back to take a 13-10 lead going into halftime thanks to a touchdown reception from Tate.

Clausen continued to shine in the third quarter, finding Tate for a second touchdown. After Notre Dame knocked in two more field goals, they held a comfortable 23-10 lead going into the last quarter. The Orange could have backed down, but the fourth quarter was about to produce one of the best finishes of the season.

Syracuse answered quickly with a 26-yard touchdown run by Antwon Bailey to bring them within six. For the next ten minutes, Clausen and the Irish failed to put the game away, giving the Orange one last drive in the last minutes. After driving his team down to inside the red zone, Dantley hit Donte Davis for an 11-yard touchdown to tie it. Patrick Shadle made the extra point and Syracuse pulled off a stunning win over Notre Dame.

The win was Syracuse’s biggest highlight of their disappointing season. The team finished 3-9 and Robinson was fired at the end of the season after four years on the job. The Orange ushered in the Doug Marrone era and won eight games in 2010.

The loss was one of the many nails hammered into Weis’ coffin. Notre Dame lost by 30 points to No. 5 USC the next week and finished the season with a win over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl. After a 6-6 finish the following season, Weis was fired and replaced by Brian Kelly.

This contest in 2008, might not have been a headliner, but this Saturday’s meeting on ABC will be. Notre Dame comes in ranked No. 3 looking for a spot in the College Football Playoff while Syracuse is ranked No. 13, surprising many folks. Will this week’s game bring up old memories of this one? Fans around the country will find out Saturday night.