EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Julian Whigham didn’t realize Everett Golson threw 25 straight completions.

“He had 20 straight completions?” the SU cornerback said when asked about them. “… Wow. Good for him.”

They came quick. And while the Syracuse (2-2) secondary largely limited No. 8 Notre Dame’s (4-0) passing attack to short passes to the outside, time on the field with Golson took its toll. Being shorthanded in Wayne Morgan’s absence and the defensive line not getting enough pressure on Golson tore at the SU secondary enough for Notre Dame to get 362 yards and four touchdowns through the air.

“That’s going to happen if you don’t get consistent pressure on the quarterback,” SU defensive line coach Tim Daoust said.

Brandon Reddish had an interception in the first quarter and recovered a fumble, but he also got beat by Corey Robinson for a touchdown, despite tugging the Fighting Irish wide receiver’s jersey off his shoulder pads.

Will Fuller torched Corey Winfield for 72 yards and a score in the second quarter. Winfield converted from wideout to cornerback in training camp and slid into the No. 3 corner spot as Morgan missed the game with a knee injury.

“The depth part was difficult,” Whigham said. “Obviously me and (Reddish) took a few more plays and that took a toll.”

UND’s next longest pass was a 23-yarder, but the consistent stream of short passes was potent enough for the Fighting Irish. Whigham said the Irish simply took what they could get against SU’s softer zone.

And when Notre Dame did go deep it was against tired defensive backs, contributing to three defensive holding penalties and two pass interference calls.

Whigham said the Orange is up for the short turnaround for Friday’s game against Louisville. But as it prepares for the Cardinals, it’ll be looking to reinforce the secondary.

“I think Corey (Winfield) did a good job, got his feet wet,” Whigham paused, laughing. “He got his feet wet and I think he’s confident though. He’s feeling good. He finally got some game action and that’ll really be beneficial to us going down the road.”

Published on September 29, 2014 at 12:15 am

Contact Jacob: jmklinge@syr.edu | @Jacob_Klinger_