Notre Dame added its seventh win in a row this past Saturday night after defeating the Navy Midshipmen 49–10. It was a matchup that the Irish controlled from start to finish. Notre Dame’s offense outgained the lowly Midshipmen in yardage 502 to 228. The Irish have outscored Navy 142–27 in their last three matchups.
This weekend, Notre Dame will be traveling to Pittsburgh to take on a team it’s had similar success with in recent years. During the 2020 season, the Irish defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers 45–3 and again 58–7 in 2023. However, this season’s 24th-ranked Panthers appear to be improved compared to years past. They are 7–2 on the season, including winners of their last five games.
Below are some of the key matchups to look out for on Saturday:
Pittsburgh Passing Offense vs. Notre Dame Passing Defense
The Irish will be facing an entirely different animal this weekend when it comes to passing offense, as Pittsburgh enters this week’s game with the nation’s 10th-ranked passing offense, averaging 302.6 yards per game. The Panthers will be led by their quarterback, Mason Heintschel. In six games, the freshman has completed 118 of 184 attempts for 1,547 yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He’s also carried the ball 49 times for 143 yards (2.9 YPC) and a score.
He’ll be facing a Notre Dame defense that’s now ranked 89th in passing yards allowed per game after limiting Navy to 22 passing yards last week. Even with defensive back Christian Gray returning to the Irish secondary this week from injury, still look for the Panthers to complete some big passes through the air.
Edge: Pittsburgh
Notre Dame Passing Offense vs. Pittsburgh Passing Defense
Like the Irish defense, the Panthers’ defense will also be facing a different beast when its secondary squares up against Notre Dame’s CJ Carr. The redshirt freshman is currently ranked third in the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 176.80. Through nine games, he’s completed 152 of 225 attempts for 2,275 yards, 19 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
Carr will be facing the 95th-ranked pass defense in the country. The Panthers have allowed 237.4 passing yards per game.
Edge: Notre Dame
Notre Dame Rushing Offense vs. Pittsburgh Rushing Defense
Notre Dame currently has the best running back combination in the country in Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. The Irish rushing offense is averaging 194.4 yards per game, putting them 26th in the nation. Love is ranked fifth in total rushing yards with 988 so far this season.
The Irish duo will be facing the third-ranked rush defense in the land, allowing just 80.9 rushing yards per game. Notre Dame will enter this game without several of its offensive linemen (Charles Jagusah, Ashton Craig, Peter Jones, Billy Schrauth).
Edge: Pittsburgh
Notre Dame Kicking vs. Pittsburgh Kicking
After a kicking nightmare versus Boston College two weeks ago that featured two missed point-after attempts and a missed field goal by three different Irish kickers, coach Marcus Freeman decided to just go with Erik Schmidt last weekend against Navy, and it worked. Schmidt finished the game making all seven of his PATs. He’s made 19 of 20 PATs so far this season. However, the freshman is 0-for-2 on field goal attempts on the year, missing both tries from within 39 yards.
Contrarily, Pittsburgh will be trotting out Trey Butkowski for its field goal situations. The freshman has made 19 of 21 attempts, including a long of 47 yards. He’s also converted 40 of 41 PATs.
Edge: Pittsburgh
Notre Dame Scoring Offense vs. Pittsburgh Scoring Defense
The Irish offense will enter Saturday averaging 38.7 points per game, ranking ninth in the country in that category. That average includes a 25-point scoring output at Boston College that consisted of a fumble on the Eagles’ 5-yard line, two missed PATs, and a missed field goal.
Notre Dame will be lined up against Pittsburgh’s 43rd-ranked scoring defense, which is surrendering just 21.78 points per contest. The Panthers’ defense allowed 17 points to Central Michigan during Week 2 and nine points to Duquesne in Week 1, which helped boost that ranking.
Edge: Notre Dame
Both offenses are expected to score.
Excepting turnovers, very often the critical factor: “Who will control the LOS will win”, says Captain Obvious
How difficult that will be for ND vs. the #1 rushing D’ is the central question.
Will NDs OL with 2-3 backups hold up?