Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 NOV. 15, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: PITTSBURGH 11: Hawaii's Kansei Matsuzawa. Meanwhile, the Irish tapped freshman Erik Schmidt, who missed his first two attempts of the season, as the start- ing placekicker for the Navy game. It remains to be seen if Schmidt will continue to hold that role ahead of redshirt senior Noah Burnette, who has been struggling with an injury this season. Pitt doesn't really have a weakness on special teams. Both Reid and Johnson have returned punts for touchdowns this season. Redshirt senior Ca- leb Junko averages 44.8 yards per punt, and the coverage unit has allowed a 42.03 average in net punting, which was ranked 23rd in the country entering Week 11. Notre Dame's special team strengths could come into play with the Irish averaging 32.92 yards per kickoff return, which has been second-best in the country. Redshirt senior punter James Rendell is averaging 45.4 yards per punt, and the punt cover- age unit is ranked No. 6 with an average of 43.72 yards. If Notre Dame's kicking troubles are going to influence a game, this could be the one. Advantage: Pitt COACHING Maybe Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi will provide some bulletin board material for Notre Dame to use during the week. He's been critical of Notre Dame's relationship with the ACC in the past. He'd be wise to stay away from any conference talk because that didn't work out well for former Penn State head coach James Franklin in the leadup to the College Football Playoff semifinal last season. After losing to Notre Dame in 2023, Narduzzi had his own players turning on him for the way he talked about his personnel in the postgame press conference. But Narduzzi is capable of helping de- sign a defensive game plan to give Notre Dame fits. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock may need to get creative in finding opportunities to get Notre Dame's playmakers in spaces, but he should be ready for the task. Defensive coordinator Chris Ash has shown tremendous improvement with the Irish this season. Shutting down Heintschel would be another strong statement about how far the defense has come since early September. Head coach Marcus Freeman's decisions on when to attempt field goals or push for fourth- down conversions could be under the microscope in a close game. Advantage: Notre Dame INTANGIBLES Southern Cal showed plenty of fight against Notre Dame at the end of last season. The Trojans gave the Irish a scare in a 49-35 win that Notre Dame secured late in the fourth quarter. What links that game to this one at Pittsburgh is a jersey retirement. During halftime at Los Ange- les Memorial Coliseum, USC formally retired the No. 13 jersey of Heisman Trophy-winning quar- terback Caleb Williams. When Pittsburgh hosts Notre Dame at Acrisure Stadium, the Panthers will officially retire former defensive tackle Aaron Donald's No. 97 jersey. Perhaps that will make Pitt's crowd a bit rowdier than normal. The noon kickoff gives Notre Dame a bit of a break from having to play against a night game crowd, but the Irish can't afford to start slowly like they did at Boston College in their last road game. Notre Dame shouldn't lack any motivation in pre- paring for the game, but Pitt has more to play for than a spoiler role. The Panthers can get in the Col- lege Football Playoff picture if they can springboard a win over Notre Dame into big matchups with Georgia Tech and Miami to end the regular season. Advantage: Pitt Todd D. Burlage: Notre Dame 32, Pitt 17 Pittsburgh ends its regular season with games against Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Miami (Fla.), three future opponents that at some point this season have reached the top 10 in the Asso- ciated Press poll. Win all three, and the Panthers could actually put themselves in the College Football Playoff conversation. Pittsburgh also enters this game off a bye week, and winners of five straight since insert- ing freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel as its starter after a 2-2 start. An impressive win- ning streak, terrific momentum and home-field advantage won't be enough. Notre Dame leans on its defense and opens up a close game in the second half for an easy victory. Steve Downey: Notre Dame 30, Pitt 27 The Panthers, who represent the last poten- tial stumbling block to an Irish CFP at-large bid, nearly derailed two of Notre Dame's last three playoff appearances before the good guys pre- vailed in come-from-behind fashion, 29-26 in three overtimes in 2012 and 19-14 in 2018. The emergence of true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel gives the Panthers a legit op- portunity to put another scare in the Irish this season. The unheralded recruit is 5-0 as a starter and has eclipsed 300 yards passing in four of those games, including becoming the first ACC freshman in 30 years to pass for more than 400 yards and 3 touchdowns in a single contest. However, the Irish possess the best pass de- fense he will have faced to date and Notre Dame has a pretty good rookie quarterback of its own. CJ Carr will outduel Heintschel in another Pitt- Notre Dame nail-biter. Eric Hansen: Notre Dame 34, Pitt 17 I've been saying for weeks that this is the "trap game" for the Irish, given it being on the road, being a difficult defensive transition away from Navy's run-heavy offense to Pitt's pass-heavy approach, and the fact that the Panthers have some strengths that can give Notre Dame prob- lems, including an elite run defense and a formi- dable pass rush. But this is a trap game for Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi, too. He's 0-4 against the Irish, los- ing the last two meetings by a combined score of 103-10. The real trap is if he can make it through a week's worth of press conferences without demanding Notre Dame join a conference in football. Pitt being ranked in the first CFP Top 25 will get Notre Dame's attention, and CJ Carr will light up the Panthers' tepid pass defense. Tyler Horka: Notre Dame 38, Pitt 17 There is a lot of chatter that this is a potential slip-up game for Notre Dame. That's probably more out of the other two remaining opponents not looking like they should even be stepping foot on the same field as the Fighting Irish. So, if someone the rest of the way is going to give them some trouble, it's got to be Pitt. Right? Right?! Wrong. Even if Pitt is the best team Notre Dame has left it doesn't mean the Panthers are world beaters. The Irish are also way better than them and it's going to show, even on the road. Notre Dame by three touchdowns. Tyler James: Notre Dame 35, Pitt 20 Notre Dame's trip to Pittsburgh should be the toughest game remaining in the regular season. The Panthers have been hot since putting fresh- man Mason Heintschel into the starting quar- terback position, and he'll test Notre Dame's improved defense. Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi will likely challenge Notre Dame redshirt freshman quar- terback CJ Carr to beat his defense by loading the box in an effort to slow down Notre Dame's rushing attack. Carr should be able to rise to the occasion with help from his receivers. Kyle Kelly: Notre Dame 35, Pitt 21 There is no doubt that Pitt is Notre Dame's toughest remaining opponent on the regular- season schedule. Since switching to true fresh- man QB Mason Heintschel, the Panthers have won five straight games — all in the ACC — and need to beat the Irish to have any chance to make the College Football Playoff for the first time. So, I expect this game to be close for the ma- jority, but I ultimately like the Irish to prevail in the fourth quarter. They have a great young QB in their own right and I like him to guide Notre Dame to a win. Jack Soble: Notre Dame 31, Pitt 17 Pitt will have a number next to its name when it faces Notre Dame in its own house. The Pan- thers have won five in a row, will be coming off a bye week and have clearly found something in true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel. All of that will give Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman plenty of fuel to prepare the Irish like it's their Super Bowl. Which, as far as the regular season is concerned, it kind of is. This is Notre Dame's "win and in" game, and the Irish aren't losing. Staff Predictions