Notre Dame spins Past Pittsburgh 37-15

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Nov. 15, 2025 — No. 9 Notre Dame extended its winning streak to eight games Saturday, defeating No. 22 Pittsburgh 37-15 at Acrisure Stadium in a game that was never particularly close.

The Fighting Irish improved to 8-2 on the season, continuing to build their College Football Playoff resume with a road win over a ranked opponent.

Turnovers and Big Plays Define Blowout

Notre Dame scored two defensive touchdowns in the game — a 49-yard interception return touchdown by the ND defense and a pick-six off a poor Pitt throw — while Jeremiyah Love broke off a 56-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to set the tone early. CJ Carr threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns, connecting twice with Malachi Fields, and added a rushing score of his own in the fourth quarter.

Pitt's offense struggled throughout, managing just 219 total yards and getting sacked four times, while Notre Dame controlled the clock for over 35 minutes.

Freeman Skips the Pleasantries With Narduzzi

The most talked-about moment of the day came after the final whistle, when Freeman appeared to brush past Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi during the customary postgame handshake, avoiding a hug Narduzzi seemed to be going for. The moment came after Narduzzi had downplayed the rivalry game's importance during the week, saying he'd "gladly get beat 110-10" as long as Pitt ran the table in ACC play.

Asked about the interaction after the game, Freeman kept his answer brief and pointed.

"No, I wanted to go celebrate," Freeman said when asked if Narduzzi said anything to him during their postgame exchange. "But here's what I'll say — I'll answer it this way. I, to each their own, you know what I mean? I don't ever comment on another program, but also I don't have time to think about that."

Freeman quickly turned his focus to a late Pitt touchdown scored against Notre Dame's backups after Narduzzi called a timeout with the game well in hand, rather than letting the clock expire.

"Like, they called a timeout? All right, guys, let's get them stopped, right? And that's my challenge with our guys," Freeman said. "I don't know what exactly happened and how they scored that last play. We got to evaluate it, but they called a timeout — let's go."

What's Next

Notre Dame's winning streak reached eight games, improving to 8-2 and keeping the Fighting Irish's College Football Playoff hopes firmly alive with two games remaining in the regular season.

Lucky Lefty Top Play and Performers

Key Play: T. Johnson's 49-yard interception-return touchdown in the first quarter, coming just 17 seconds after Jeremiyah Love's opening score, staked Notre Dame to a stunning 14-0 lead before Pitt's offense had found any footing.

Offensive Performer: CJ Carr — 212 yards passing with two touchdowns through the air plus a rushing score, spreading the ball to Malachi Fields twice for scores.

Defensive Performer: T. Johnson — his pick-six was the backbreaking play of the game and set the tone for a dominant defensive effort on the road.

Box Score

Notre Dame 37, Pittsburgh 15 — Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pa.

SCORING BY QUARTER 1 2 3 4 F Notre Dame 14 7 9 7 — 37 Pittsburgh 0 3 6 6 — 15

SCORING PLAYS Q1 8:26 — J. Love 56-yd TD run (ND 6-0) Q1 8:16 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 7-0) Q1 8:09 — T. Johnson 49-yd INT return TD (ND 13-0) Q1 7:59 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 14-0) Q2 13:59 — S. Carpenter 24-yd FG (ND 14-3) Q2 1:56 — C. Carr 25-yd TD pass to M. Fields (ND 20-3) Q2 1:56 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 21-3) Q3 10:48 — C. Carr 6-yd TD pass to M. Fields (ND 27-3) Q3 10:43 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 28-3) Q3 1:54 — R. Biles INT return TD (ND 28-9) Q3 1:39 — Two-point attempt fails, ND defensive stop (ND 28-9) Q4 10:02 — C. Carr 5-yd TD run (ND 34-9) Q4 9:55 — E. Schmidt PAT good (ND 35-9) Q4 0:05 — E. Holstein 21-yd TD pass to M. Thomas (ND 35-15)

TEAM STATS Notre Dame Pittsburgh Total Yards 387 219 Passing Yards 212 149 Rushing Yards 175 70 First Downs 20 17 Penalties-Yards 8-84 5-41 Turnovers 2 1 Time of Possession 35:17 24:43

PASSING CJ Carr (ND) — 21/32, 212 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Pitt (Heintschel/Holstein combined) — 19/39, 149 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT

RUSHING Notre Dame — 36 att, 175 yds, 4.9 avg, 2 TD, long 56 Pittsburgh — 25 att, 70 yds, 2.8 avg, 0 TD, long 14

RECEIVING Notre Dame — 21 rec (31 targets), 212 yds, 2 TD, long 35 Pittsburgh — 19 rec (37 targets), 149 yds, 1 TD, long 27

KICKING Erik Schmidt (ND) — 0/1 FG Sam Carpenter (PITT) — 1/2 FG, long 24

DEFENSE Notre Dame Pittsburgh Total Tackles 48 66 Sacks 4.0 1.0 Interceptions 1 2 Forced Fumbles 1 0 QB Hits 4 2