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Notre Dame Football

Game Thread | No. 3 Notre Dame at Pittsburgh

October 24, 2020
111,474

No. 3 Notre Dame (4-0, 3-0) at Pittsburgh (3-3, 2-3)

Heinz Field | 3:30 p.m. ET | ABC

Game Week Articles | Roster| Depth Chart Schedule |Staff Predictions 


Rugged Saturday

Notre Dame will hit the road for the first time in 2020 and will get to face a Pitt team looking to end a three-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers defense has stolen all the headlines this week despite teams scoring 30 or more against Pitt the last three games. 

Ian Book will need to be aggressive down the field on Saturday, but this game will still come down to Notre Dame being able to run the football against the nation’s top run defense. Pitt is only giving 61.5 rushing yards per game and it’s more impressive when you see teams are averaging just 1.85 yards per carry. The good news is Notre Dame is No. 7 in the country in rushing offense, so if you like physical football, this is the game for you...well at least when Notre Dame is on offense. 

On the other side of the ball, Notre Dame’s defense might not be getting enough credit as Pitt will likely struggle to score with redshirt freshman quarterback Joey Yellen expected to get the start for the injured Kenny Pickett. Pitt has an atrocious run game, which is odd to say, but the Panthers are averaging just 107 yards rushing per game (2.8 ypc). For perspective, 77 FBS teams have played and Pitt ranks 70th in rushing offense. 


Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame WR Kevin Austin
Two targets isn't enough for him. He needs to be involved more often. He will have the benefit of plenty of one on one matchups, so we'll see if Notre Dame can take advantage of that.

Pitt DE Rashad Weaver
Is Weaver the best defensive end in the ACC? He may be the best defensive end in the country. He's an elite player against the run and the pass. His matchup with Liam Eichenberg will be one to watch.

Notre Dame OL Robert Hainsey
There has been more attention given to Eichenberg, but Hainsey has played some of his best football for Notre Dame. He has had some issues dealing with bull rushers in the last few years and defensive end Patrick Jones is an excellent speed to power rusher. Hainsey needs to hold his own against a player who leads the nation in sacks.

Pitt S Paris Ford
Ford leads their team with three interceptions, but he can do it all for Pitt. He's an aggressive player against the run and also leads their team in tackles.

Notre Dame DE Ade Ogundeji
The Pitt starting defensive end duo is outstanding, but don't sleep on the year Ogundeji is having. He's been strong setting the edge and PFF has him second in the country in pressure percentage.


Quotes of the Week

Notre Dame DL Kurt Hinish:
"It means the world to me to go back home and play Pitt. I grew up watching Pitt. I'm excited to play at Heinz Field for the fourth time. We played there in high school, so I've played there before.

"I’m really excited to go home and play in front of my family and friends. This game means everything to me." 

Notre Dame WR Avery Davis:
“We're going to go out there and compete. I'm not worried about what happened last week. We're confident and sticking to our process. We're going to go out there and have a good game." 

Notre Dame OL Aaron Banks:
"They're really strong up front and do a lot of things with blitzes and movement that make it hard for teams to move the ball. I think we have a really good scheme for them this week and we just want to go out and dominate every single play." 

Notre Dame LB Shayne Simon:
"I kind of love road trips. I've never got to play at Heinz Field, so I'm excited to play there. As long as the excitement and we're ready to play, there isn't anything going to be different.

“We're all going to be amped up and ready to put our best effort forward." 

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly:
“I don't know that we have, maybe Clemson is the only team that we've faced that has that kind of depth at the defensive end position. Now Clemson had more depth at the tackle position that we've ever seen, but this is probably the deepest defensive end position rotation that we've seen in quite some time.”


For Your Nerves 

TEAM STATS Notre Dame Pittsburgh
Points Per Game 33.3 29.5
Points Allowed Per Game 11.5 20.3
Total Yards 440.8 390.2
Yards Passing 179.8 283.2
Yards Rushing 261.0 107.0
Yards Allowed 300.8 274.7
Pass Yards Allowed 193.3 213.2
Rush Yards Allowed  107.5 61.5

Game Thread | No. 3 Notre Dame at Pittsburgh

111,460 Views | 659 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by tjhaley
bmhend54
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So Book showed all of the same characteristics that have kept the offense stuck running in pudding. Throwing high and/or hard to guys underneath, behind receivers instead of out front, throwing off the back foot, and after watching a guy make a play on a ball put to a spot for a long TD, back to showing reticence to throw guys open. Also I still haven't seen throwing PA out of that Tremble as H back and Mayer TE look.
Mike Frank
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Staff
jtthedomer said:

Foskey is the man.He's just a big play waiting to happen. I wish he would even more snaps.He always seems to make something happen.
Overall, I'm pleased with the overall performance in the 1st half.The one exception would be Book.He's made a couple of plays, but man he just can't see the field.He locks on to 1 receiver and never goes through his progressions or scans the field.I've saw him throw into double coverage numerous times today and he's lucky not to have a couple of picks .If he would've went through his progressions real quick,I've seen guys standing wide open.Including Mayer a couple of times.You would think with as long as he's been here, he would've improved dramatically. Instead he might be worse in regards to the passing game.He's a gamer ,I'll give him that and can make big plays mostly running for a first down when the play breaks down.But his awareness downfield as a pocket qb is non-existent. He also needs to be told on the little zone read ,if the DE crashes in to pull it and run with it,because the edge will be open.
Overall pleased so far,but would love to see the light come on for Book.
He's completing 50 percent of his passes in year 3 as a starter. If the light hasn't come on yet, I doubt it ever does. Stuck with him.

Mike
bmhend54
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I'd love to see a couple TDs then get Clark in for 4th and let him run the whole offense not just handoff and ditto next week.
ndsean44
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Meanwhile, Louisville put up 48 points and 569 yards in FSU
pbrad28
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Austin out for the year according to radio broadcast..

GulfCoastIrish
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Hoping next year we can make halftime last an extra 25 minutes.

#FingersCrossed
mattfreeman
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Staff
Nice tackle by Jack Lamb
coachscott
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Great play by Foskey and this game is probably put away by the half. Crazy!

There was plenty of good, bad, and even ugly in the half.

Good:
- Book actually taking some shots down the field regardless of whether there was apparent coverage;
- run blocking
- run defense
- Bo Bauer a run defending MLB with an INT;
- Book with some excellent scrambles to inflate our rushing yards;
- continuing to get the job done on offense when it's 3rd and short;
- Kyren Williams running the ball tough
- Big Ben SKOWRONEK!

BAD:
- some inexplicably inaccurate short throws by Book including a few that were completed but should've gone for much more yards;
- Defense generally googling "what's a pass rush?" for at least the 3rd out of 5 weeks;
- some concerning missed opportunities to play the ball from our secondary;
- red zone playcalling continues to look suspect with limited data from just one possession today, Our worst red zone offenses In the BK era were Rees as QB with Martin as OC and I feel like we see many of the same issues so far this year;

UGLY:
- Book continues to bail the pocket needlessly and too early and his inability to scramble while keeping his eyes downfield is galling;
- for the first time this year, I felt Rees really left a ton of yards on the field due to questionable calls. In fairness, there were a handful of really, really, really good calls too. Rees also deserves credit for getting Book to throw the ball down the field, which is the textbook way to beat this defense;
- the read by Book and what had to have been a "read option" - Tyree's only carry was simply inexcusable;
- prior to the block special teams gave lots of yards away,

Still, extremely happy with a bounce back effort against a below average game against a team that frequently plays its best against us. Now we have a chance to build a championship mentality with a strong second half.
andrew32
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The only thing I've been disappointed in is how the defense has started this half.

Pitt has come out looking like it wants to quit.

And ND looks completely unfocused and undisciplined on D.
mattfreeman
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Staff
JOK
mattfreeman
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Staff
andrew32 said:

The only thing I've been disappointed in is how the defense has started this half.

Pitt has come out looking like it wants to quit.

And ND looks completely unfocused and undisciplined on D.
They didn't cross the 50 though.
Rwolf101
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Molly looked tired. Pregnancy will do that to a gal.
andrew32
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mattfreeman said:

andrew32 said:

The only thing I've been disappointed in is how the defense has started this half.

Pitt has come out looking like it wants to quit.

And ND looks completely unfocused and undisciplined on D.
They didn't cross the 50 though.

I was trying some reverse juju.

It worked. But Crawford still almost got caught peeking for 6.
mattfreeman
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Staff
Javon McKinley catch! Gain of 9!
Rwolf101
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What happened to Jaylen Waddle for Bama? That dude is elite
Cassin
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Great throw
andrew32
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It is incredibly refreshing to have a running game . . .

. . . that

. . . converts on third and short!
Cassin
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Rwolf101 said:

What happened to Jaylen Waddle for Bama? That dude is elite


Broken ankle
ndsean44
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Rwolf101 said:

What happened to Jaylen Waddle for Bama? That dude is elite


Metchie and Smith happened
GulfCoastIrish
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Was
Rwolf101
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That sucks. Talented dude and seems like a nice guy.
ndsean44
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Cassin said:

Rwolf101 said:

What happened to Jaylen Waddle for Bama? That dude is elite


Broken ankle


Really? Nvm thats a big loss for bama
SWANSEA
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Do ND's players look a bunch larger than Pitt's players?
dc irish
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Is any one on the board fully comfortable with Book?
mattfreeman
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Staff
Jafar Armstrong looks a little different in there than Kyren Williams.
irishfan32489
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Offense still looks anemic.
Hrothgar
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Mayer deserves AA mention this year.
Rwolf101
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Dang Javon. I feel dumb for hating.
sdnd1
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dc irish said:

Is any one on the board fully comfortable with Book?
If she would tell the truth, not even his Mother.
mattfreeman
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Staff
Javon McKinley 41 yard catch and run.
ndsean44
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dc irish said:

Is any one on the board fully comfortable with Book?


I don't know if there's many on this board even PARTIALLY comfortable with Book.
andrew32
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What a hell of a heads-up play by Ian Book.

Guy is maddening when it comes to consistency.

But dude makes plays.
GulfCoastIrish
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Narduzzi in full mouth breather mode
Rwolf101
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Telegraphed that throw
SWANSEA
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Strange call.
 
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