Conor Lee’s fourth field goal in overtime ended the longest game in Notre Dame history as Pittsburgh beat the Irish 36-33 on Saturday. Trailing by 17-3 at the half, the Panthers rallied behind running back LeSean McCoy and a stout defense that smothered Notre Dame in the second half and throughout four overtime periods. Lee’s winning 22-yard kick came after Brandon Walker missed a 38 yard attempt for the Irish. Both kickers matched field goals in the first three overtime periods.

McCoy was held to five yards on three carries in the first quarter, got it going as his teammates wore down Notre Dame. Pitt dominated the second half and was able to come back and tie the score in regulation after the only productive Irish drive in the second half gave the hosts a brief 24-17 lead with 5:38 left.

The Panthers roared downfield with help from Notre Dame. The Irish missed two tackles on wide receiver T.J. Porter, which turned a short gain into a 37 yard romp into Irish territory. McCoy ran Pitt into the red zone and second string quarterback Pat Bostick hit Jonathan Baldwin from ten yards on a fourth down pass to tie the game at 24.

Notre Dame had a last shot to win in regulation with three minutes left, but was hit with a holding penalty as soon as they started to gain traction. Facing a fourth down and one at midfield with under a minute left, Coach Charlie Weis elected to go for the win. Eschewing a power running play, Weis rolled the dice in an attempt to pass the ball into field goal range. Pitt blanketed the Irish receivers and took over, but a David Bruton interception two plays later sent the game into overtime.

Many people questioned Weis’ decision to pass, but it was clear that the Panthers were dominating play on both sides of the ball in the fourth quarter and the Irish defense could no longer stop McCoy. Perhaps the Irish sideline correctly sensed that an overtime battle would play into Pitt’s hands, and Lee gave Pittsburgh a statistical edge over Notre Dame’s Brandon Walker in the kicking game.

It’s not as if the Irish did not have numerous other opportunities to win the game. The defense recorded three interceptions, one of which set up a second quarter score that gave the hosts a 17-3 lead. The defense was playing well at that point and Bostick was off target with his passes. Notre Dame did not commit any turnovers, but a few key negative plays were costly.

The Irish suffered a blocked punt that led to a Pitt field goal, committed a personal foul penalty that turned a Panther three and out into a touchdown drive to open the third quarter, and squandered a golden opportunity to score a touchdown on two occasions during overtime.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh showed the value of sticking with the running game even when behind and reaping the benefits in the fourth quarter when the defense becomes tired. The Irish have no such advantage because they have no such commitment to physical offensive football and are at a loss to generate offense when an opponent has the personnel to bring pressure on the quarterback and tight, aggressive coverage on the Notre Dame receivers. Butch Davis made a similar adjustment to shut down the Irish at North Carolina, and Weis has yet to find an answer.

The loss stands as a setback to a program and coaching staff that was just beginning to generate hope for the faithful for the first time in recent memory. It also underscored the limitations of Weis’ offense and brings into question its suitability to the college game. The numerous personnel groupings do little other than telegraph a predictable set of plays to the opposition.

Perhaps the most egregious shortcoming is the utter failure of this staff to develop a consistent and reliable running game. This is unconscionable given the talent along the offensive line and at running back, but the plays generally take too long to develop. Technique is poor, blocks cannot be sustained long enough for back to get through the holes, and the lack of execution seems to indicate that this aspect of the attack takes a back seat to the passing game during practice.

Equally disturbing is that opponents have been able to generate a disruptive pass rush in the last few weeks. The Irish have not given up a bundle of sacks, but the number of throwaways and unproductive plays is enough to kill drives. In overtime, when it’s best to play to your strength on offense, Notre Dame had nothing to call upon except the usual grab bag of plays with no discernable strategy or purpose.

As the dust clears and the sprinklers come on, fans are left with the reality that Notre Dame has no wins against teams with winning records this season and Weis has never beaten a team that finished the season ranked in the national Top 20. When one considers that this Panther team, like North Carolina, was forced to start its backup quarterback and had to come from behind to win, frustration sets in.

Notre Dame has lost any realistic opportunity to play in an attractive bowl game this season, but Weis can stop the bleeding by beating Boston College on the road next week. The team’s demeanor and ability to play well for sixty minutes will provide a clear message regarding the future of Weis and some of his assistants. In the wake of this discouraging and inexcusable loss, the indicators are not very positive right now.

Let’s take a last look at the questions that we thought would determine the outcome:

Will Notre Dame’s offensive line tighten up its pass protection after sprouting leaks in Seattle?
Not when it counted. Pitt harassed Jimmy Clausen into unproductive plays even without blitzing.

Will McCoy carry the ball 25+ times and achieve his 5.2 yards per carry average?
McCoy met his average with 169 yards on 32 carries, but the physical toll on Notre Dame’s defense was the real key to his performance.

Can Bostick be effective if forced into action?
He was generally a liability with three interceptions, but Pitt’s running game ensured that he did not have to be the hero.

Will the Irish defense force any turnovers after two consecutive unproductive outings?
Raeshon McNeil had two picks and Bruton had one, which makes this loss difficult to swallow given the 3-0 edge in turnovers.

Can Wannstedt fix his porous secondary?
Absolutely, but Notre Dame fell into a predictable pattern and made it easier for them.

Which team will win the time of possession battle?
Notre Dame held sway in the first half with help from McNeil’s interceptions, but Pitt held the ball for more than 18 minutes in the second half and wore down the Irish.

The Irish will not beat many teams without using its personnel to develop a reliable running game. If Weis continues to insist on making Notre Dame a passing team, his quarterback needs to be comfortable in the pocket and complete more than 50% of his passes.

Other areas of the team could also stand to improve. The defense plays hard but will run out of gas each week that the offense cannot sustain many drives. Special teams are still anemic when it comes to generating a punt or kickoff return. Blockers try to get in the way of defenders but do not really hit anyone during returns. While there are pockets of improvement from the debacle that was the 2007 season, that is hardly saying much. In truth, this staff has not done enough to restore the program to a level that is acceptable, and its chances are starting to run out.