Irish Escape Against Pitt
#5 Notre Dame (7-0) squeaked out a 19-14 win over Pittsburgh (3-4) with a late touchdown in the fourth quarter to avoid an upset.
Late in the fourth quarter, Ian Book hit his favorite target Miles Boykin for a 12-yard strike and followed it up with a 35-yard touchdown pass a play later. Book lofted a long pass and hit Boykin in stride to give the Irish their only lead of the game with 5:43 remaining.
After Pitt’s Maurice Ffrench took the opening kickoff of the second half back for a 99-yard touchdown, the Panthers had a chance to stretch their lead to 17-6 with five minutes to play in the third, but place-kicker Alex Kessman missed a 47-yard field goal.
"They weren't at their best, and Pittsburgh played well," stated head coach Brian Kelly. "They did a great job. We had one possession in the first quarter. They played exactly the way they needed to play to keep this game in the manner that they did, and we still found a way, giving up a kickoff return for a touchdown, throwing two picks and not scoring touchdowns in the red zone.
"So having said all that, if you told me all those things are going to happen and we still found a way to win the football game, I'd be pretty excited."
This sparked the Irish offense and they were able to cap an eight play 71-yard drive with a touchdown. Book completed all six of his pass attempts and found Chase Claypool for a 16-yard touchdown. Book and Boykin were unable to hook up on the two-point conversion attempt, leaving the score 14-12 with two minutes to play in the third.
After yet another missed field goal by Hessman on Pittsburgh’s next drive, Notre Dame wasn’t able to capitalize. However, the Irish defense was able to force a punt to set up their game-winning drive.
Book struggled early, but found a rhythm in the second half when the game was on the line. He completed 26 of his 32 pass attempts for 264 yards and two touchdowns. Boykin caught four passes for 84 yards and the game-winning touchdown.
"His pocket awareness was not great in the first half," Kelly said of Book's first half. "Had a nice conversation with him in the second half. He settled down nicely, but I think this is just maturation.
"Seeing things, feeling them and then, as I mentioned, had a great second half. I think he had one incompletion, and if we can work on his sliding skills to get the ten full yards, he'd be flawless in the second half."
Julian Okwara was excellent and made many crucial plays for the Irish defense. The junior defensive end totaled six tackles and an eye-opening seven quarterback hurries.
"He harasses the quarterback more so than you know," explained Kelly. We were even talking about this earlier in the week in terms of quarterback sacks versus hurries. He gets quarterbacks uncomfortable. They move their feet. They change their launch point, their eyes drop. Things just make them uncomfortable."
Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett completed 19 of his 28 pass attempts for 126 yards. Darrin Hall carried the ball nine times for a game-leading 62 yards while Qadree Ollison carried the ball 16 times for 50 yards for the Panthers.
Damar Hamlin led Pittsburgh with nine tackles while Jason Pinnock and Jazzee Stocker each had an interception for the Panthers.
The Irish offense could only muster a pair of Justin Yoon field goals in the first half. Book looked very uncomfortable in the first half. The junior signal-caller was sacked three times and threw an interception to end the second quarter to Pinnock. Book completed 13 of his 18 pass attempts for 106 yards in the first half and ran 11 times for nine yards.
Meanwhile, Pitt went 88 yards on 17 plays on its opening drive, capped with a nine-yard touchdown run by Ollison.
But other than that drive, the Pittsburgh was unable find a rhythm and was forced to three consecutive three-and-outs.