Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Taking A Closer Look What Worked • Stopping the run. Pittsburgh tried to establish the run early and often, but the Notre Dame defense wasn't going to budge. The Panthers ran the ball 41 times for 112 yards for an average of 2.7 yards per carry. Freshman running back James Conner did find the end zone twice, scoring from one and two yards out, but the backs underachieved as a unit. The Irish front seven did a terrific job of limiting the rushing attack and forced quarterback Tom Savage to beat them through the air. However, that's exactly what he did. Excluding one shootout victory against Duke earlier this year, a game in which he threw six touchdowns and no interceptions, Savage entered the game with Notre Dame having thrown eight TD passes and seven picks. Many expected him to struggle and give a few extra possessions to the Irish through turnovers, but that wasn't the case. • Getting TJ Jones involved. Prior to the season, head coach Brian Kelly called Jones a potential firstround pick in next year's NFL Draft. Many people scoffed at that idea, but the senior wide receiver has played very well on the season. While he will likely be drafted in the second or third round next April, Jones continued his stellar senior campaign against Pittsburgh. On the night, he produced 204 all-purpose yards (41 rushing, 149 receiving and 14 on punt returns), caught an 80-yard touchdown pass and even ran for a one-yard score. When the Irish are successful in the passing game, Jones is usually heavily involved in the game plan and is a key factor offensively. That's exactly what occurred at Pittsburgh. What Didn't Work • Winning the turnover battle. It's already difficult winning on the road, but the odds of coming out on top become significantly less when you spot the opposition three turnovers. Notre Dame turned the ball over three times and didn't force a single miscue by the Panthers. Senior quarterback Tommy Rees struggled at times and threw two interceptions. The first was a costly throw into the end zone from the 4-yard line early in the fourth quarter, and the second set up Pitt's game-winning score. The other turnover came during a catch-and-run by Jones in the second quarter. The senior receiver was racing toward the end zone when he was tackled and lost the ball at Pitt's 6-yard line. • Slowing down Tyler Boyd. Freshman wide receiver Tyler Boyd is one of the most dynamic players in college football. The talented Pittsburgh-area athlete is electric with the ball in his hands, has advanced skills at the receiver position and put his talent on display against Notre Dame. While the Irish defense did a good job of keeping him out of the end zone, Boyd consistently found holes in the secondary and was a major factor in continuing drives and picking up first downs for the Panthers. He finished with eight catches for 85 yards. — Tom Loy by the numbers 3 Turnovers forced by Pitt free safety Ray Vinopal, a transfer from the University of Michigan. Vinopal stripped the football from senior wide receiver TJ Jones at the Pitt 6-yard line that the Panthers recovered in the second quarter. In the fourth quarter, he intercepted a Tommy Rees pass in the end zone on second-and-goal from the 4-yard line. Two series later, on second down from the Irish By lou somogyi 24, Vinopal picked off a Rees pass that he returned to the Irish 5-yard line to set up the game-winning score. 10 The loss to Pitt snapped a steak of 10 consecutive wins for Notre Dame in games decided by seven points or less. That was the third longest such streak in the nation since 1980, the