Notre Dame Opponent Preview | Pitt

Pat Narduzzi was a very successful defensive coordinator at Michigan State and it was assumed he would have similar success with his defense at Pitt.

That didn’t happen. In fact, Narduzzi’s defenses were bad his first four years as a head coach. They never finished higher than 76th in yards per play were a huge reason why he has never gotten over the eight win hump.

Things finally changed last season when the defense was one of the best in the country. They finished 4th in YPP and had 51 sacks.

The defense is going to be very good, but unfortunately they are the bizarro Louisville. The offense was bad last year and is expected to be again this fall.

They were 42nd in the SP+ preseason projections, which fits for a team that is so heavily weighted on one side of the ball.

Offense

They are 103rd in SP+, which is surprising for a team that returns a multi-year start at quarterback. It’s less surprising when you consider they are considered below average in the ACC at every position on offense.

That running game which allowed them to control the clock in a near upset at Notre dame in 2018 has taken a turn in the wrong direction. They finished 85th in Stuff Rate (runs that were tackled at or behind the line of scrimmage) and besides center Jimmy Morrissey, they don’t have the personnel up front to hang with the best defensive lines they’ll face.

They need someone to emerge in the backfield. Running back AJ Davis led the team in rushing last season, but only had one run longer than 20 yards all season.

That running game doesn’t exactly help quarterback Kenny Pickett and he’s not good enough to make up for it. He finished 78th in pass efficiency versus Power 5 competition and had eight touchdowns versus nine picks in those games. Against the best defenses he faced, Pickett struggled.

Taysir Mack is the top returning receiver. He’s more of a possession option than a gamebreaker. Look out for freshman Jordan Addison, who is a future number one receiver for them and that may be as early as this season.

X-factor - Kenny Pickett

He threw for over 3,000 yards, but averaged only 6.6 yards per attempt (91st).

Wild card - Jordan Addison

He has big time ball skills and has the potential to be a stud after the catch. He might be a genuine problem for anyone in the ACC to cover and has already turned heads in camp.

Defense

The defense has a chance to be special. They are 12th in preseason SP+ and should have one of the best defensive end duos in the country.

Patrick Jones II had 17 Havoc plays last season, including four forced fumbles. Rashad Weaver missed 2019 with an injury, but is back healthy and had 20 Havoc plays in 2018. They have depth behind those two as well and the pass rush is going to be formidable no matter who is on the field. They finished 6th in Sack Rate.

The one question up front is how they’re going to replace two quality defensive tackles. Starting 3-technique Jalen Twyman was projected to be a high pick and opted out and there shouldn’t be anyone as good as him ready to step in.

The secondary is going to be very strong as well with two former Notre Dame recruiting targets leading the way. Damar Hamlin and Paris Ford are all-conference candidates.

They need to find some answers at linebacker replacing Kylan Johnson, another good pass rusher, but Cam Bright is an elite blitzer and is an all-around factor for them.

Pitt has playmakers at every level of the defense and this looks more like the Narduzzi defenses he had back at Michigan State.

X-factor - Patrick Jones II

He had 8.5 sacks, but the pressure he put on was much greater than that number. He’s an All-American candidate.

Wild card - Rashad Weaver

If Weaver is close to the same player he was prior to his injury, then Robert Hainsey and Liam Eichenberg are going to be tested in this game as much as they were against Michigan in 2018.

Overview

Pitt has a 10-win defense. The offense is an issue for them, though, unless they improve drastically at every position. I just don’t see them scoring many points against Notre Dame or anyone with an above average group across from them.

Efficiency in the red zone is going to be important in this matchup and testing their corners, who are “physical” could be the key to creating big plays against them.

They play Miami the week before Notre Dame and we should get a good idea of just how good this Pitt team will be after that.