Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2020 Notre Dame Football Preview
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128 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY PATRICK ENGEL T he overlooked taut tripwire on Notre Dame's schedule has often been a pesky rival. Pittsburgh, a normally competitive but hardly top team in recent years, sits on Notre Dame's schedule like an unmarked police car. The Fighting Irish nearly got popped in their last two 12-0 regular seasons. First was a 29-26 triple-overtime escape in 2012. Then in 2018, Notre Dame squeezed out a 19-14 victory with a fourth-quarter comeback. Both were in South Bend. Even when an unbeaten season isn't on the line, the suspense has been palpable. Eight of the last nine meetings between Pitt and Notre Dame have been one-score games. Once again, they'll meet in a year Notre Dame has realistic playoff aspirations. The prior Irish battle scars should still be sore and prevent this game from being over- looked. It's on the road, before an off week. Clemson is still three weeks away. At the same time, Pitt could have its best team under Pat Narduzzi. It's rich in experi- ence. A defense that finally looked like an old Narduzzi Michigan State unit returns nearly all its best playmakers. The Panthers allowed the fourth-fewest yards per play na- tionally, were 15th in total defense and tied for second in sacks. They lost cornerback Dane Jackson, a seventh-round pick, but defensive tackle Jay- len Twyman and safety Paris Ford chose to return for their senior years after first-team All-ACC seasons in 2019. Second-team all- conference defensive end Patrick Jones is also back for his final campaign. "Everyone they're going to be relying on this year got extensive experience last year," PantherLair.com publisher Chris Peak said. "It's pretty close to an ideal situation." If Pitt wants to push for 10 wins and win the ACC Coastal Division, it can't waste a stellar defense with an offense that scores the second-fewest points per game in the confer- ence again. The Panthers had four losses in which they allowed fewer than 30 points. Their offense is heavy on experience, too. There is no reason not to take a leap. "It's really about improving the offense and scoring enough points to win games," Peak said. "They don't need to drop 45 per game. They just need to score 30 a game and they can have a really good win total." Senior quarterback Kenny Pickett is back for his third year as a starter, but another level is needed from him. He has completed 60.1 percent of his throws and averaged 6.6 yards per attempt in his career. The burden is not all on him, though — Pitt was 86th nationally in sacks allowed and ranked 118th in rushing offense. "He's not the guy who's going to carry the team and make up for every deficiency," Peak said. "But he's good enough where if you get some solid play from guys around him, he can lead them to victory." ✦ PITTSBURGH PANTHERS GAME 7 • OCT. 17 • HEINZ FIELD X-FACTOR: Jaylen Twyman had 10.5 sacks in 2019, which ranked second among Power Five interior linemen. He was one of Pitt's two first-team All- ACC defensive players. PHOTO COURTESY PITTSBURGH ATHLETICS 2020 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2019 Result Sept. 5 Miami (Ohio) — Sept. 12 at Marshall — Sept. 19 Richmond — Sept. 26 Duke W, 33-30 Oct. 3 at Miami (Fla.) L, 16-12 Oct. 17 Notre Dame — Oct. 24 Georgia Tech W, 20-10 Oct. 31 at Florida State — Nov. 6 Virginia Tech L, 28-0 Nov. 14 at North Carolina W, 34-27 (OT) Nov. 21 at Virginia L, 30-14 Nov. 28 Syracuse W, 27-20 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 49-21-1 Last Meeting: Notre Dame 19, Pitt 14 (Oct. 13, 2018 in South Bend) Head Coach: Pat Narduzzi, 36-29 at Pittsburgh and overall (6th year) 2019 Record: 8-5 overall, 4-4 ACC Coastal (T-3rd) Returning Starters: 15 (8 offense, 7 defense) Prediction: Notre Dame 26, Pitt 23 RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB A.J. Davis (530 yards, 4 TD) Passing: QB Kenny Pickett (3,098 yards, 13 TD) Receiving: WR Taysir Mack (736 yards, 3 TD) Tackles: S Paris Ford (97, 2.5 TFL) Sacks: DT Jaylen Twyman (10.5, 12.0 TFL) Passes Broken Up: Ford and CB Damarri Mathis (11, 5 combined INT) Reasons For Optimism • Overall experience • DT Jaylen Twyman • Top-level defense Upon his 2019 hiring, offensive coordinator Mark Whipple was the fourth person to hold that role in Narduzzi's five years. He is back, as are four offensive line starters — two of which were All-ACC selections. Pitt's expected starting lineup is full of upperclassmen. Reasons For Concern • Offense needs to grow • Lack of running game • Losing CB Dane Jackson Pitt's offense needs to take a few steps and avoid losses where the winner doesn't crack 20 points. No one ran for more than 550 yards last year, but Pitt is two years removed from having a pair of 1,000-yard rushers, and neither was a star recruit or high draft pick.