Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 15, 2018 33 shirt sophomore center Jimmy Mor- rissey and fifth-year senior right tackle Alex Bookser — with at least 10 starts up front. However, fifth- year senior guards Connor Ditino and Mike Herndon combined for only one before this season. "There were question marks about that unit heading into the season, and I can't say that any of those questions have been answered positively," Peak said. "The line has struggled, leading Pickett to scramble 17 times this season, which is tied for fifth most in the nation. "They have been better at run blocking, but are not nearly consis- tent enough." With struggles also evident on the defensive side, there haven't been too many bright spots for the Panthers. Up front, redshirt sophomore defen- sive tackle Keyshon Camp and red- shirt sophomore defensive end Rashad Weaver have combined for six sacks and eight tackles for loss so far, serving as the most productive players. "To be frank, the line has been a disappointment," Peak explained. "Weaver is a good player and often finds himself around the ball, but he has been the lone bright spot among the group. "Other than Camp, no defensive lineman has really produced much. They're not getting to the passer or forcing hurried throws, and lately they have been susceptible to the run too." Fifth-year senior linebackers Quintin Wirginis and Oluwaseun Idowu led the team in tackles through five weeks while also combining for 11 stops be- hind the line of scrimmage and three sacks. However, the duo has been burned in the pass game this season. "Wirginis and Idowu are decent run stoppers, but play action and run-pass options have really hurt the lineback- ers because they often play the run first and then struggle to recover in coverage," Peak said. "Teams that have used running backs have found success, and even slot receivers have been able to take advantage of the linebackers' run tendencies." The lack of consistent pass rush (nine sacks in five games) put more pressure on the defensive backs to cover for long periods of time. Pitt ranked 77th nationally in passing yards allowed per game (229.8) and 100th in passing efficiency (144.7 rating).