Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 29, 2018 25 1 Touchdown permitted by the Notre Dame defense in the second half of the last three games while limiting the foes to 10 points — not including the 99-yard kickoff return by Pitt to open the second half. In tight contests at halftime that saw the Fighting Irish lead Stanford 21-14 and Vir- ginia Tech 17-16, and trail Pitt 7-6, they outscored the Cardinal 17-3, the Hokies 28-7 and Pitt 13-7 in the final 30 minutes. 1-15 Record produced by Pitt against Notre Dame teams ranked in the As- sociated Press top five at the time of the game. The lone defeat occurred in 1987, when second-year head coach Lou Holtz's 3-0 and No. 4-ranked Irish fell behind 27-0 in the first half before losing 30-22. 6 Victories by Notre Dame during its 7-0 start that have come against Power Five teams (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC). The Irish and Ohio State are the only two teams who have achieved that distinction. In addition, the Fighting Irish and Buckeyes are the two undefeated teams that have exclusively played Football Bowl Subdivision compe- tition through seven weeks of the season. 10 Consecutive victories posted at home by Notre Dame, dating back to last year's win versus Miami (Ohio). This streak ties it for the sec- ond longest since 1950. The 1969-71, 1997-99 and 2011-13 teams also produced 10-game winning streaks at home. The longest since 1950 was 19 from 1987-89. In the 22 seasons from 1990-2011, Notre Dame had only unbeaten season at home (1998). A victory on Senior Day versus Florida State Nov. 10 would make it three in the past seven years (joining the 2012 and 2015 teams). 12 Games played between Notre Dame and Pitt, dating back to 2002 — with 10 of them decided by one score. Each of the last six outcomes in Notre Dame Stadium were white knucklers that were basically decided on the final series, if not final play. The Irish won four of them in 2002 (14-6), 2010 (23-17), 2012 (29-26 in three overtimes) and this season. Pitt won the other two in 2004 (41-38) and 2008 (36-33 in four overtimes, the longest contest ever played by the Irish minus weather delay). 16 Carries, a career high, for junior quarter- back Ian Book while tying junior running back Dexter Williams for game-high honors for the Irish in rushing yards with 31. Book actually moved forward for 66 yards, but three sacks subtracted 35 yards in the net total. His 26 completions (in 32 attempts) also were a career high, moving past the 25 apiece he had versus Wake Forest and Virginia Tech earlier this year. 40:43 Minutes and seconds Notre Dame trailed Pitt, falling behind 7-0 at the 1:26 mark of the first quarter and not regaining the advantage until 5:43 was left in the contest. Entering the game, the 360 minutes of football time during the 6-0 start saw the Fighting Irish trail only 2:13, a 3-0 deficit in the first quarter at Wake Forest Sept. 22. 159 Yards total offense accumulated by Pitt on its final eight possessions on offense (or 20 yards per series) after racking up 83 yards (plus a five-yard penalty) on its first series of the game that took 9:43 and enabled the Panthers to take a 7-0 lead. In other words, 34.3 percent of Pitt's total offense occurred on its first drive. BY THE NUMBERS BY LOU SOMOGYI 51 Career field goals for senior JUSTIN YOON after converting both of his attempts (22 and 41 yards) in the win against Pitt. That ties him with John Carney (1984-86) for second-most in school his- tory, with Yoon achieving it in 64 attempts (school record .797 accuracy percentage for at least 50 tries) and Carney in 69. The school record is 57 by Kyle Brindza (2011-14). PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL