Notre Dame returns to action on Saturday as the Fighting Irish host the Pittsburgh Panthers from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Following a statement win over archrival USC, the Irish enjoyed their first break of the season. Several players who were nursing injuries should be at or near 100% readiness, while the coaching staff found time to self-scout. Pitt is coming off a crushing last-second 21-17 road loss at Wake Forest and is in danger of being ineligible for a postseason bowl for the first time since 2017. The game will be televised nationally on NBC beginning at 3:30 PM Eastern time.

Head Coach Pat Narduzzi is in his ninth season with the Panthers. His overall record is 64-45 including a 2-5 mark this year. Their season highlight to date is an upset 38-21 win over Louisville. The Panthers outscored the Cardinals by 24-0 in a dominant second half despite gaining only 288 yards on offense.

Former Notre Dame quarterback Phil Jurkovec started this campaign for Pitt after three seasons at Boston College. The Pennsylvania native struggled out of the gate until an injury forced him to the sidelines. Despite becoming healthy again, the Panthers elected to stick with Christian Veilleux at quarterback. Jurkovec has subsequently requested a move to tight end.

On the injury front, the Irish expect to have wide receivers Jayden Thomas and Jaden Greathouse ready to see significant action after being limited in the past few games. Another injured wideout, Deion Colzie, remains out this week. Running back Audric Estime should also be back to his early season form after playing through the cumulative aches and bruises earned during his 127 carries.

The Panthers suffered a pair of costly injuries this year among their offensive linemen. Key performers such as All-ACC offensive tackle Matt Goncalves and guard Ryan Jacoby went down and are out for the season. Starting linebacker Solomon DeShields missed last week’s game but is expected to play on Saturday.

NOTRE DAME’S OFFENSE vs. PITTSBURGH’S DEFENSE

Pitt’s front seven consists entirely of seniors and graduate players. Tackle David Green and end Dayon Hayes are the most consistent performers while Bam Brima is a pass rusher to watch on third down. The Panther rotation is deep although there are no obvious superstars among them. Hayes could raise his NFL stock by improving his play against the run.

Middle linebacker Shayne Simon, another former Notre Dame player in his sixth college season, starts at middle linebacker. He is flanked by DeShields and Bangally Kamara. The group has the requisite size to stuff the run, as evidenced by the very low 3.1 yards per carry that Pitt has yielded this season. Notre Dame can counter that by using its speed on the perimeter rather than persistent A-Gap running plays into a crowded box.

The secondary features a trio of veteran cornerbacks and a pair of safeties that lead the team in tackles. At corner, MJ Devonshire, Marquis Williams and AJ Woods are among the best cover men in the ACC. They are small in stature but unafraid to take chances. Devonshire’s 86-yard pick six against Louisville sealed that win for the Panthers. Safeties Donovan McMillon and Javon McIntyre are steady back-end players. The weakness of this unit has been poor tackling by the undersized corners.

It’s difficult to understand how a team that allows only 320 yards per game has only two wins in seven tries. Narduzzi’s formula this week will be to trust his corners to keep the wide receivers in check while he utilizes extra resources to stop the run. Notre Dame’s offensive line must block well and avoid the mistakes in assignment execution that have slowed the Irish attack in recent weeks. The Panthers liberally utilize their linebackers and safeties to blitz in passing situations. This will test Notre Dame’s pass protection, which was much better against USC than the disaster at Louisville.

Quarterback Sam Hartman will also need healthy targets in the passing game. Hopefully, Thomas and Greathouse are truly ready because their size will be an advantage. If the Irish can run well enough to make play-action passes effective, they should be able to put points on the board.

PITTSBURGH’S OFFENSE vs. NOTRE DAME’S DEFENSE

Understanding Pitt’s mediocre performance this season becomes easier when one looks at their offensive struggles. Both Jurkovec and Veilleux are barely above a 50% completion rate and the receiving corps is uninspiring. Even Patrick Mahomes would have a difficult time completing passes to wideouts Bub Means, Konata Mumpfield, and Daejon Reynolds. All three are transfers from other programs. Mumpfield is the best of the group, but it is a low bar.

Tight end Gavin Bartholomew has above average athletic ability and is productive. He leads the team with an average of 18 yards per reception and should be targeted more frequently. While Jurkovec was a threat to run the ball effectively from the quarterback position, Veilleux is more of a pocket passer with average mobility.

The patchwork offensive line is also a negative factor for Pitt. The group has good size, averaging 325 pounds per man. The injuries to Goncalves and Jacoby meant that guard Blake Zubovic is the only returnee this season with extensive experience as a starter. The Panthers have rushed for an average of only 3.4 yards per carry.

Tailbacks Rodney Hammond and yet another former Notre Dame player, C’Bo Flemister, are used interchangeably. Both have a hard running style but have only 529 combined yards to show for it in seven contests. Flemister is a high-energy player whose role has increased of late. Narduzzi was asked about him following last week’s game.

 
“C’Bo has been playing well the last couple weeks, and again he’s also helping to lead our football team as far as just being a leader”, he said. “I think he’s stepped up with the absence of Matt Goncalves. He’s kind of got some natural leadership skills to him. Our guys have really bought into what he’s all about. He plays his tail off. I mean, he’ll be on any special teams. So he’s played hard. You know, Rodney didn’t start but Rodney, he’s good, too. We like them both. You go with your hot hand.”

Notre Dame’s defense should be able to handle this group. The Irish have avoided serious injuries this season and the bye week was undoubtedly beneficial to assuage the various bruises and soreness that impacts all players after eight consecutive weeks of football.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Veteran Panther kicker Ben Sauls has been a clutch performer for multiple seasons. In 2023, he is six of seven on field goal attempts under 50 yards but has missed both attempts beyond that mark. Punter Caleb Junko holds a 43-yard average. He has a strong leg, as evidenced by a record-setting 85-yard effort in last year’s Sun Bowl against UCLA.

Pitt’s kick return game features freshman Kenny Johnson, who has a 100-yard touchdown this season. Devonshire handles punts but has had only limited opportunities to date. The Panthers have blocked two punts this year.

Jadarian Price gave the Irish special teams a huge lift against USC with a 99-yard scoring return at a key moment in that contest. Hopefully this will infuse more energy into these units after a relatively poor start to the season. Kicker Spencer Shrader is four of six from greater than 50 yards while Punter Bryce McFerson sports a 45-yard average.

SUMMARY

This game shapes up as a defensive struggle, at least to start. The Irish should introduce a few new wrinkles on offense that provide an advantage. The disparity at quarterback is significant in Notre Dame’s favor, as it is with overall team speed. In the trenches, the Irish defensive line will cause problems for the Panther offensive front. Pitt’s aggressive defense has a knack for generating sacks and other negative plays. They have very little to lose at this point of the season and will pull out all the stops. The Irish must be prepared to make them pay.

For the Panthers, Veilleux has generated some improvement in the passing game. The overall  offensive production is better but Pitt still struggles to sustain drives. The unit lacks game breaking speed or dominant performers at any position.

The hosts will win comfortably if they can run the ball successfully to create balance. This may not happen until the second half, though. The score will remain close until Audric Estime and friends start running downhill. Conversely, Pitt’s offense probably won’t be able to maintain possession for long stretches of time, so the Panther defense will play extended minutes and ultimately wear down.

Here are a few questions that will shed light on the outcome:

• Will either team be able to run the ball effectively?
• Can Irish receivers such as Thomas and Greathouse regain their early season form?
• Which team will have a higher conversion rate on third down?
• Can Notre Dame’s defense pressure Veilleux into turnovers?
• Will any of the ex-Irish players perform especially well?
• Which special teams will have the greatest impact on the outcome?
• Can Narduzzi’s blitzing style keep Hartman and the Irish off balance?
• Which team’s signs will Michigan try to steal?

PREDICTION

I expect Notre Dame will come out of the bye week with plenty of energy. If not, they will find themselves in an unwanted slugfest. It’s no secret that Narduzzi dislikes Notre Dame and his team will arrive in South Bend with plenty of attitude. Despite that bravado, the Panthers don’t have the talent to win more than once in ten tries in this matchup. This does not look like the week that they will catch the Irish napping.

NOTRE DAME 30  PITTSBURGH 14

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