Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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and three scores — was nothing new. "It's another day at the office," a smiling Fuller said. "Just doing what I have to do. When the ball is in the air, it's my ball so I have to go get it." Having a playmaker like Fuller gives a young quarterback plenty of confidence. Kizer showed that against Pittsburgh, lofting a number of deep balls in Fuller's direction. Kizer is also starting to lean on Fuller more and more in clutch situ- ations. Three of Fuller's seven recep- tions came on third-down and another came in the red zone. "You put the ball up there and he comes down with it. You get the ball in a playmaker 's hands and a lot of good things can happen," Kizer noted. "Will's the kind of guy that any given time he can pop off an 80-yard run or an 80-yard catch." Fuller now has 44 receptions for 900 yards and 12 touchdowns on the sea- son. MATTHIAS FARLEY FILLS IN In the second half of Notre Dame's win over Temple, safety Elijah Shu- mate was ejected from the game for targeting. By NCAA rule, the senior had to then sit out the first half against Pittsburgh. Filling in for Shumate was fifth-year senior and team captain Matthias Farley. Farley was far from perfect, but he made a number of key plays for the Irish defense. He tied for the team lead with seven tackles despite only play- ing half of the game. Farley also made a great read on a seam route in the second quarter, jumping a pass by Pitt quarterback Nate Peterman and pick- ing it off. It was a game-changing moment for the Irish defense and served to give Notre Dame the momentum it needed BIG PLAYS (25 YARDS OR MORE) Pittsburgh • 1-10 PITT21 Tyler Boyd rush for 37 yards to the ND42 • 3-1 ND33 Nate Peterman rush for 26 yards to the ND7 • 1-10 ND48 Nate Peterman pass complete to J.P. Holtz for 27 yards to the ND21 • 1-10 PITT16 Nate Peterman rush for 27 yards to the PITT43 • 2-8 ND47 Nate Peterman pass complete to Dontez Ford for 37 yards to the ND10 • 2-6 PITT49 Nate Peterman pass complete to Tyler Boyd for 51 yards and a touchdown Notre Dame • 2-1 PITT47 Kizer pass complete to Fuller for 47 yards and a touchdown • 1-10 PITT47 Adams rush for 25 yards to the PITT22 • 1-10 PITT46 Kizer pass complete to Fuller for 46 yards and a touchdown MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • Junior wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. got reps on defense against Pittsburgh. It makes him the first Irish player to get snaps on both sides of the ball in a single game since wide receiver/safety Tommy Zbikowski did it in 2007. • To adjust to the noon kickoff time, Notre Dame traveled to Pittsburgh on Thursday — a day earlier than the team normally travels. It allowed the Irish to get a morning practice in to better prepare for the early start to the game. • Senior defensive end Romeo Okwara had two tackles for loss, giving him eight in the last four games. He had just seven combined tackles for loss in his first three seasons.