Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/208902
murphy's Law dan murphy BCS Opportunity Slips Past Notre Dame Head coach Brian Kelly watched his team make mistake after mistake against Pitt, but he blamed himself and the coaches for his team's inability to execute. L eather over laces it wobbled, aimlessly making its way toward the Pittsburgh sideline. The football, sprung from the quarterback's hands by a vicious hit, rolled in slow motion into open space. The spoils laid out waiting for their victor. Notre Dame had its chance to pull out a win over Pittsburgh, and in doing so move one step closer to a toptier bowl berth. But when presented with an opportunity as dripping with juice as the game will provide, the Irish failed to pick up the ball and run with it. "We had many chances to pick it up and we didn't. We just lost it," said senior linebacker Prince Shembo, who sacked Pitt's Tom Savage in the fourth quarter of a tie game. photo by Bill Panzica Shembo's hit jarred loose a gamechanging fumble, but the rest of Notre Dame's defense let it roll safely into the arms of a Panthers running back. A punt, an interception and a goal line burst later, Pitt scored a deathblow to upset the Irish, 28-21, and killed the program's last hope of a BCS victory. "It's a lot of stupid stuff," Shembo said. "There's no explanation for that." The stupid stuff was stacked high at Heinz Field. Notre Dame lost three turnovers — one in Pitt's end zone, one on Pitt's 6-yard line and another that gave the Panthers a first down from the Irish 5 — and created none. A missed tackle sprung Pitt wide receiver Devin Street for a 63-yard score. A fourth-down pass interference penalty extended another drive