Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/208902
on paper revisited Pitt Running Game Vs. Notre Dame Run Defense The running back tandem of junior Isaac Bennett (17 carries for 57 yards) and freshman James Connor (10 carries for 35 yards) did not have a run longer than 11 yards, but the 230-pound Connor picked up some tough yards in goal-line and short-yardage situations that helped the Panthers hold the ball a little more than 13 minutes longer than the Irish. Pitt didn't do anything spectacular with its 112 yards rushing and 2.7 yards per carry, but it did just enough to keep Notre Dame enough in check to make the play-action pass relatively effective. Advantage: Pitt Pitt Passing Game Vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense One of the more discouraging stats of the game on Notre Dame's end was Pitt quarterback Tom Savage getting sacked only once on his 35 pass attempts, not including several scrambles. The Panthers' QB By lou somogyi had been sacked 29 times this season to rank 116th (3.6 sacks per game) among 123 Football Bowl Subdivision teams, yet other than several strong rushes off the edge by senior linebacker Prince Shembo, Savage was well protected, especially once star junior defensive end Stephon Tuitt was ejected at the 14:53 mark of the second quarter for a targeting hit. Notre Dame safeties played deep in an effort to keep everything in front of them, and Savage primarily went underneath in the first half while completing 12 of 21 passes for a modest 102 yards. In the second half, he was 10-of-14 passing for 141 yards, with the most damaging completion the 63-yard touchdown to Devin Street in which a missed tackle by safety Matthias Farley resulted in 40 more yards after the catch. Advantage: Pitt Notre Dame Running Game Vs. Pitt Run Defense No one in Notre Dame's backfield-by-committee Although Pitt's rushing attack wasn't spectacular (112 yards and 2.7 yards per carry) against Notre Dame, it was tough to stop in short-yardage situations and freshman running back James Connor ran for two touchdowns. photo by Bill Panzica