On Monday, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said he didn’t care if Notre Dame put up 100 on his team, he was only concerned with the ACC games.
Well Notre Dame didn’t score 100, but the win was never in doubt.
The Irish dominated the Panthers from bell to bell, running away with a 37-15 ranked road win that moves them closer to a possible CFP home playoff game.
Jeremiyah Love also continued to make his bid for the Heisman trophy, rushing 23 times for 167 total yards and a touchdown.
Notre Dame’s defense may have very well put together its best performance on the season, holding the Panthers to 165 meaningful yards. Pitt was also 0-11 on third down and 1-4 on fourth.
The Irish defense was in complete control from the jump on Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh. In the first half the Panthers could only muster 81 yards of offense, giving up three sacks and a pick-six to defensive coordinator Chris Ash’s defense.
Joshua Burnham dialed up the pressure on each of Pitt’s first two drives, getting home for two sacks to get the Panthers off the field quickly.
With the defense rolling, the offense only needed one play on their second drive to find the endzone. Jeremiyah Love continued his Heisman campaign with yet another highlight touchdown run. Love hit the circle button, spinning a Panther out of his cleats and sprinting the rest of the way for a 56-yard score. The touchdown brought Love to 17 total on the season, which is good for the FBS lead.
It didn’t get any better on the very next play from scrimmage for Pitt as Tae Johnson jumped true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel’s throw, hauling in the interception and running into the endzone untouched for a 48 yard pick-six.
The Irish offense didn’t look completely in sync for their next two drives as Carr threw an interception himself to Kavir Bains. The defender ran it back for 50 yards to the Irish’s 10, setting up his offense in prime position to score.
But Pitt’s struggles continued even when knocking on the door of the endzone as the offense could only muster a field goal to cut the deficit to 14-3.
Following Carr’s interception, the freshman turned to his safety valve in Eli Raridon. The tight end hauled in five catches on the drive, helping get the Irish on the doorstep. But the short-yardage problems continued as on fourth and goal from the one, Notre Dame opted to roll Carr out to the right, whose pass intended for Raridon fell incomplete.
The offense was able to make up for it though on their next drive as Carr got the ball at midfield. The quarterback drew the defense offsides for the second time, and he capitalized. Carr sent a free play shot to his wide receiver in Malachi Fields who met the ball up high for a 25-yard touchdown. Fields was the leading receiver in the first half, hauling in four catches for 77 yards and the score.
To open the second half the Irish offense got to work at midfield thanks to an outstanding kick return by Jadarian Price. The junior dragged a Panther who was holding on for dear life before ultimately stalling Price.
With the short field, Notre Dame was aggressive, converting on fourth down thanks to Love bailing on an inside run and getting the edge to move the chains. Carr finished the drive by rolling out right to find Fields once again for a touchdown and a 28-3 lead.
The Panthers were able to move the ball down the field for the first time all game. Heintschel found Desmon Reid who used a good burst of speed to gain 27 yards and move Pitt inside the 10. But once again the defense stood tall, forcing two separate fourth and goals before ultimately getting off the field after Rapheal Williams Jr. came up just short of the goal line.
Backed up deep in his own zone, Carr committed a deadly sin, throwing a pass directly into the hands of Rasheem Biles at the line for a pick six. The interception was Carr’s second of the game.
Following the interception, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock gave the Panthers a heavy dose of Love. The junior got six touches for 27 yards before Carr settled back into a rhythm. The quarterback went back to Raridon for 15 yards before taking it in himself for a rushing touchdown.
Next up for the Irish is Syracuse on Nov. 22 in what could be the last game in South Bend this season. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
