what we learned: pittsburgh
A day after Notre Dame's 37 to 15 win over Pittsburgh, the winning streak sits at eight games, and on the field, this was one of the most complete road performances of the season. Off the field, it has become the day's biggest talking point for an entirely different reason, one that has nothing to do with anything that happened between the lines.
The Positives
Notre Dame's defense set the tone from the opening quarter, scoring two touchdowns of its own on Saturday, a 49 yard interception return from T. Johnson and a separate pick six off a poor Pitt throw. Those two defensive scores accounted for 14 of Notre Dame's 37 points and put Pitt in an immediate hole it never recovered from. The pass rush was just as disruptive in a more traditional sense, with Jason Onye and Boubacar Traore combining for three of Notre Dame's four sacks on the day and consistently forcing Pitt's quarterback rotation into rushed, inaccurate throws. Pitt's offense, as a result, managed just 219 total yards on the day, including only 70 rushing yards on 25 carries, a 2.8 yards per carry average that reflects just how little room Notre Dame's front seven allowed all afternoon.
Offensively, Jeremiyah Love broke off a 56 yard touchdown run in the first quarter to set the tone immediately, part of a rushing attack that finished with 175 yards on 36 carries. CJ Carr threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns, connecting twice with Malachi Fields, and added a rushing score of his own, giving Notre Dame touchdowns through the air, on the ground, and on defense in the same game. Notre Dame also controlled the clock for over 35 minutes, a 35 minute and 17 second to 24 minute and 43 second split that allowed the offense to dictate the pace of the entire game and kept Pitt's own offense off the field for long stretches. This was a comprehensive, no doubt road win over a ranked opponent, exactly the kind of performance a playoff hopeful needs in mid November.
The Negatives
On the field, there is genuinely little to complain about, though the box score does show a couple of soft spots. CJ Carr was picked off twice on the day, the first time all season he has thrown multiple interceptions in a single game, and while neither turnover proved costly given the final score, it is a reminder that even Notre Dame's most efficient performer can have an off night with the ball. Notre Dame was also flagged eight times for 84 yards, its most penalized game since the Boise State win in early October, and several of those penalties came at inopportune moments that stalled otherwise promising drives before the offense settled in.
With reserves seeing extended time in the second half, Notre Dame's backup secondary gave up a late touchdown after Pitt called a timeout with the outcome long since decided, a lapse that Freeman flagged directly after the game. It was a minor blemish in the grand scheme of a 22 point win, but it did allow Pitt to finish with 149 passing yards and a touchdown of its own, numbers that look slightly better than they should given how thoroughly Notre Dame's starters controlled the first three quarters. Off the field, the postgame handshake between Marcus Freeman and Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi, in which Freeman appeared to brush past a hug Narduzzi seemed to be going for, has become the dominant story of the day, overshadowing an otherwise dominant Notre Dame performance. The moment came after Narduzzi had downplayed the rivalry's importance during the week, and while Freeman kept his own comments brief and pointed afterward, the incident is proving to be a distraction from what should be a celebration of the team's eighth straight win.
Who Shined
T. Johnson's pick six was the signature play of the game, and CJ Carr's dual threat performance through the air and on the ground continued his strong second half of the season despite the two interceptions. Jason Onye and Boubacar Traore's combined pass rush effort was one of the best individual defensive line performances of the year, consistently collapsing the pocket and forcing Pitt's offense into obvious passing situations.
Notre Dame's defense as a whole turned in one of its best overall efforts of the year, holding a ranked opponent to 219 total yards and forcing multiple turnovers, and Jeremiyah Love's 56 yard touchdown run set an early tone that Pitt was never able to answer. Malachi Fields' two touchdown catches gave him another strong showing in what has become a increasingly reliable connection with Carr down the stretch of the season.
Who Disappointed
There was little to criticize from Notre Dame's starting units in this one, though CJ Carr's two interceptions and the offense's eight penalties for 84 yards are worth noting even in a comfortable win. Those mistakes did not end up costing Notre Dame anything on the scoreboard, but they are the kind of self inflicted issues that could matter far more against a tighter opponent later in the season.
The backup secondary's late lapse against Pitt's reserves is the other real individual blemish, allowing a game's final numbers to look closer through the air than the performance actually was. It is a minor gripe in an otherwise dominant, if overshadowed, road win, but depth at cornerback remains a thread worth watching as Notre Dame closes out its schedule.
