Pitt at Notre Dame – 4th Quarter Notes
- Three straight plays out of the “wildcat” formation and we have no answer for it. The way Bostic is throwing the ball today why even line him up under center again?
- After dominating this game everywhere but on the scoreboard for the first three quarters, the game is now tied. McCoy had 35 yards on the most recent Pitt drive alone after being held to 70 yards prior.
- Pitt has no offense whatsoever outside of their two running backs. Bostick is rarely accurate and the Pitt wide receivers are dropping balls that are catchable. That said, why is the defense having so much trouble stopping the Pitt ground game here in the second half?
- Huge, huge, huge 3rd down conversion by Clausen and Tate. Tate made a great catch on a bullet from Clausen to keep the chains moving and the drive alive.
- Irish offense showing signs of life with the no huddle offense and has the ball inside the red zone, but are now facing a huge 3rd and goal.
- Tate shows his strong hands once again with just a fantastic catch on a fade route to the corner of the end zone to put the Irish back on top with 5:38 remaining.
- Great response by the Irish offense after looking very ineffective while gaining just 7 yards of offense in the 3rd quarter.
- Time for the Notre Dame defense to make a stand. Pitt has driven the ball down the field inside the 10 yard line but are now facing a 4th and 6 after two straight Bostick fade passes sailed out of bounds.
- Third time is the charm for the Pitt offense as they run a fade for the 3rd straight play and it finally works. With 2:22 left we once again have a tie game. Clausen’s never had a game winning drive in the final 2 minutes of a game, but will get an opportunity to do just that right now.
- 2:13 and 75 yards left to go for the Irish offense. While Walker has connected on 4 straight kicks, I think everyone will feel a lot better if we could somehow put the ball in the end zone on this drive.
- Pitt defense has helped out with two penalties, but their four man front is getting pressure on Clausen and making things rough on the Irish offense so far.
- And that could be the drive killer… 15 yard offensive pass interference penalty on Kyle Rudolph. Was that make up call for the 2 Pitt penalties because that was a complete BS call.
- Wow… that is how you respond to a 15 yard penalty – with a 21 yard pickup to set up a 3rd and 4 at the ND 47 yard line.
- Some bad clock management here with 40 seconds to go. Facing a 4th and 1 the Irish appear to be ready to go for the first down at midfield. This is a very questionable call. If we convert and go on to win, Weis is a genius. If we miss it and Pitt wins he will be blasted.
- And be prepared for Weis to get destroyed in the media and on the message boards if Pitt converts here. Why go for it on 4th down when the Pitt passing offense has been questionable all game long?
- Jimmy Clausen still doesn’t have a game winning drive to add to his resume. He’s had chances against UNC and now Pitt and hasn’t been able to convert either.
- David Bruton just saved Charlie Weis from a week’s worth of second guessing with a great interception and appears to have suffered an injury after falling to the ground rather hard.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
Brilliant 4th and 1 calls, coach. Would a video camera on the visitors’ sideline help?
I don’t know which was better. There was the first 4th and 1 flanker screen in the history of organized football. Then there was Clausen’s sack where the o-line stood flat footed, scratching their asses while Jimmy was still scrambling.
Charlie Weis has got to go. He doesn’t know what he is doing. ND football is slipping further and further every week. This is painful to watch.