Fourth-ranked Notre Dame not looking past Pitt
By DOUG GRIFFITHS
ISL Correspondent
So far this season, Notre Dame has played like a champion, as its sign just outside its locker room suggests. But how will the Irish play as a heavy favorite at 3:40 p.m. Saturday when they host Pitt?
The game against the Panthers begins a three-game stretch where 8-0 Notre Dame, ranked fourth in the country, will be decided favorites.
The Irish have been favored in games this season, but this week is different than all those others. This week Notre Dame is coming off a very impressive victory over the eighth-ranked team in the country, at Oklahoma.
At 4-4 Pitt, who is 1-3 in Big East play, has shown it’s capable of pulling off a major upset. On Sept. 15, the Panthers stunned then-No. 13 Virginia Tech, 35-17. That victory came after Pitt had lost its first two games of the season to Youngstown State and Cincinnati.
The Panthers will come into Notre Dame Stadium winners of four of their last six games, including a 47-17 victory a week ago over Temple.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly knows Pitt is more than capable of upsetting his Irish.
Pittsburgh is a team that has played us extremely well over the past couple of years in my time here, Kelly said. It’s going to be a great challenge for us because they will play their very best here at Notre Dame Stadium, and we’re prepared for that.
Leading the way for Pitt is senior quarterback Tino Sunseri, who has started 34 consecutive games. He’s enjoying the most productive season of his career. Sunseri has thrown for 2,199 yards and 13 touchdowns against just two interceptions. Over the past six games, he has completed 71 percent of his passes for 1,682 yards with 11 TDs and only one interception.
Sunseri, who hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 143 pass attempts, leads the Big East and ranks eighth nationally in pass efficiency with a 164.79 rating.
Kelly is really impressed with what he’s seen from Sunseri this season.
You know, he’s not turning the football over, Kelly said. Last year he was similar to what we were going through with some untimely turnovers. He takes great care of the football.
The offense fits him very well and he can make plays. He’s a guy that I think is playing the best football that he’s played his entire career at Pittsburgh.
Keep an eye on junior Devin Street, the Big East’s most productive wideout. He’s averaging a league-best 6.25 receptions and 86.88 receiving yards per game. Street has 50 catches for 695 yards and four touchdowns this season. Against Temple last week, he had a career-high 140 receiving yards on six catches.
Senior wide receiver Mike Shanahan, along with Street, ranks among the most prolific pass catchers in Pitt history. In his career, Shanahan has hauled in 134 passes for 1,924 yards to rank fifth on the school’s receptions list.
Pitt also has a good running game, spearheaded by senior running back Ray Graham, who had 109 yards rushing against Temple. It was his second 100-yard game of the season and ninth of his career.
Graham will finish his career as one of the most productive backs in Panther history. He currently ranks second in all-purpose yards (4,427), fifth in rushing (2,851) and 10th in scoring (192 points). Of course, Pitt legend Tony Dorsett is the school’s all-time leader in those aforementioned categories with 6,526 yards rushing, 7,117 all-purpose yards and 380 career points.
Other than Graham, freshman tailback Rushel Shell has proven he can get the job done. He ran for 157 yards on 23 carries against Virginia Tech. That performance was the highest single-game rushing total by a Big East player this season.
Kelly knows Graham and Co. will be a good test for his stout defense, which excels at stopping the run.
We have a great deal of respect for Graham, Kelly said. He was difficult to defend last year.
Having Shell in there obviously gives him an opportunity now that he doesn’t have to carry the load, which keeps him fresh. They’re two really good running backs, and we’ll be challenged to slow them down.
Helping Pitt’s offensive cause has been the fact that the same starting five has taken the field on its line this season. It’s a line that helped generate 537 yards of offense against Virginia Tech after rolling up 626 against Gardner-Webb.
First-year Pitt coach Paul Chryst, the former offensive coordinator at Wisconsin, is concerned about his o-line tendency to give up sacks. Through eight games, the Panthers have allowed 20 sacks. That’s a troubling stat considering they’re about to face an Irish front seven, the likes of which they haven’t seen this season.
The Panthers’ defense is on the up-tick since it struggled in the first two games of the season. Against Youngstown State and Cincinnati, Pitt allowed an average of 422.5 yards. Since that time, however, the Panthers are giving up an average of only 312.3 yards.
Over the past six games, Pitt opponents have scored an average of 18.2 points. Even more impressive is three touchdowns scored during that stretch have been on returns – two on fumbles and one on a punt. As a result, the defense has really only allowed an average of 14.7 points per game since the first two games of the season.
The Panthers have been known to pressure opposing quarterbacks. Their defense has recorded at least one sack in 32 of the past 33 games. Junior defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a preseason first-team all-conference pick, paces Pitt in sacks with 3.5.
Another marquee player on the Panther defense is junior safety Jason Hendricks. He has a team-best four interceptions and his average of 0.50 picks per game ranks first in the Big East and seventh nationally.
Pitt ranks 29th nationally and second in the Big East in pass defense, giving up just under 200 yards per outing.
On special teams, the Panthers have a good field goal kicker in Kevin Harper. He has connected on six of his last seven tries with the lone miss being a 50-yarder. On the season, Harper is 10-of-15 with a season long of 45.
Pitt leads the Big East in kickoff returns, averaging about 28 yards per run back, thanks to redshirt freshman cornerback Lafayette Pitts. He’s had a 64-yard return this season.
The Irish also have to be concerned with the Panthers’ knack for blocking punts, especially Andrew Taglianetti, a senior safety, who has a school-record six blocks to his name.
My Take
Nothing I’ve seen to this point in the season indicates Notre Dame will suffer any kind of a letdown against Pitt.
The Irish are so focused right now. They play lights out defense and if their offense builds on its performance in Norman, look out.
Unless Notre Dame gets turnover happy, it will win going away.
Notre Dame 38, Pitt 3
(I’m 7-1 this season predicting Irish games with the loss being last week’s Oklahoma game)
ND Nuggets
– The Irish are an 17-point favorite.
– According to The Weather Channel’s website, Saturday afternoon’s forecast in South Bend calls for mostly cloudy skies with highs around 47 degrees and lows around 32. There’s a slight chance for rain (10 percent). Winds will be out of the north northeast at 8 miles per hour.
– The Irish lead their series against Pitt 46-20-1, but the Panthers have won two of the past three games at Notre Dame Stadium.
– Running back George Atkinson III will be available for the Pitt game after missing last week’s tilt at Oklahoma as he was under the weather.
– Notre Dame is the only FBS team this season that has not allowed a TD drive longer than 75 yards.
– The Irish defense has not allowed more than 17 points in a game this season.
– Notre Dame has outscored opponents 44-6 in the first quarter and 47-7 in the third quarter this fall.
Also:
Notre Dame notebook
Big Ten picks
How Robert Marve’s faith could save Purdue’s season
Purdue desperately needs win vs. Penn State
