Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/204831
Game Preview: pittsburgh Special Teams Despite having an unfortunate name for a kicker, freshman Chris Blewitt converted 6 of 8 opportunities in Pittsburgh's first seven games. Senior punter Matt Yoklic has been solid in the field position game for Chryst's squad, boasting a 43.0-yard average with 10 boots inside the 20yard line. As far as kickoff and punt returns go, Pittsburgh's production has been middle of the road (20.0 yards per kick return and 10.4 yards per punt return). For the Irish, junior kicker Kyle Brindza has proven to be dependable on the road and in lategame situations. Considering the recent history between the two teams, he could be called upon for a last-second kick. Advantage: Even Coaching In the school's first season in the ACC, Chryst is trying to put the program together after it encountered a carousel of head coaches in recent years. Kelly, meanwhile, is searching for a November surge to reach a second consecutive BCS game. He is 3-0 against the Panthers, but all three contests were close calls (23-17 in 2010, 15-12 in 2011 and 29-26 in three overtimes in 2012). Advantage: Notre Dame Intangibles Last year's triple-overtime thriller will be discussed at length this week as the latest example of Pittsburgh's ability to give Notre Dame a scare. This year, the Irish will have to win at Heinz Field, which was a difficult environment for Notre Dame in 2009 (27-22 loss) and 2011 (15-12 win). Like Kelly's previous squads, this team seems to relish playing in close games, whereas the Panthers have struggled in similar situations under Chryst. Advantage: Even Redshirt junior linebacker Anthony Gonzalez recorded a team-high 46 tackles (1.5 for loss) and one interception in Pitt's first seven contests in 2013. PHOTO COURTESY PITTSBURGH