Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: PITTSBURGH action, but the ultimate goal is to control the clock, steadily move the chains and limit possessions for the opposing offense. After eight games, Pittsburgh ranked just 94th na‑ tionally in passing yards per contest (195.5), but red‑ shirt junior quarterback Nate Peterman ranked 14th nationally in completion percentage (67.4) and 34th in pass efficiency (147.4 rating). Junior wide receiver Tyler Boyd — whose 226 career receptions is an all‑time Pittsburgh record — ranked fourth nationally in receptions per game (9.0) through Oct. 29, but averaged just 9.2 yards per catch. The Irish defense was a respectable 35th in pass‑ ing yards allowed, numbers that are bolstered by limiting option opponents Georgia Tech and Navy to a combined 143 yards through the air. In the other five games, Notre Dame has allowed 243.6 yards per game, which would rank 90th. ADVANTAGE: Even NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. PITTSBURGH RUN DEFENSE Pittsburgh allowed 138.8 rushing yards per game through eight outings, due in large part to giving up 376 yards to Georgia Tech's potent triple option. Its non‑option opponents rushed for just 104.9 yards. A key to the Panthers' success has been their ability to create negative plays — they ranked tied for 44th na‑ tionally in tackles for loss (53, 6.6 per contest) through eight games. Pitt held Virginia Tech to just nine rush‑ ing yards on 33 attempts due in large part to racking up 11 tackles for loss. Notre Dame has dominated on the ground this season, ranking 15th nationally with an average of 234.6 yards per game. Senior running back C.J. Prosise ranked 10th nationally in yards per game (131.7) and 12th in rushing touchdowns (11). The Irish have been a big‑play ground attack, gen‑ erating 29 runs of at least 15 yards in only seven games, surpassing the total of 26 such runs during the entire 2014 season. Notre Dame's 5.95 yards per rush ranked sixth nationally. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. PITTSBURGH PASS DEFENSE The Panthers ranked 24th in passing yards allowed (186.5 per game) and 36th in pass efficiency defense (114.6 rating) through Oct. 29. Their ability to pres‑ sure the quarterback has fueled their success. After eight games, the Panthers ranked 26th nationally with 22 sacks and had broken up 19 passes. Fifth‑year senior defensive end Ejuan Price was the team's top pass rusher, racking up 3.5 sacks and a team‑leading six QB hurries. Pitt also likes to blitz its linebackers, who had 9.5 sacks and seven QB hurries during the team's 6‑1 start. Notre Dame counters with one of the top passing attacks in the land. The Irish ranked 32nd nationally in passing yards per game (264.7) and 14th in yards per completion (14.2). Sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer has shined since taking over for junior Malik Zaire and was ranked 14th nationally with a 156.9 pass efficiency rating. Junior wide receiver Will Fuller presents a unique matchup problem for Pittsburgh. The Notre Dame wideout was 13th nationally with 100.3 receiving yards per game, 10th in the land in receiving touch‑ downs with eight, and sixth in the country with 21.9 yards per reception. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Pittsburgh has had strong special teams all season. The Panthers ranked 16th in kickoff coverage, 21st in punt return defense and 25th nationally in kick return average through eight games. First‑year head coach Pat Narduzzi wants to play for good field position, which puts the run game and defense in good posi‑ tion to thrive. Redshirt sophomore punter Ryan Winslow ranks just 67th nationally in net punting average, but op‑ ponents have been able to return just nine of his 39 kicks. The Irish special teams were instrumental in the team's success against UMass and USC, but consis‑ tency has been an issue. Notre Dame ranked just 42nd