Both No. 9 Notre Dame and then No. 22 Pitt came into Saturday’s game at 7-2, but an impressive Irish side dismantled Pitt to pick up their second ranked win of the season. It was a rollercoaster of a game which provided plenty of entertainment for Irish fans, although none quite as spectacular as Pat McAfee’s pre-game antics on College GameDay.
Quarterbacks
Despite Notre Dame’s dominant victory, it was freshman CJ Carr who got reps at quarterback this Saturday, and he produced an uncharacteristic mistake-ridden performance. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock decided to begin the game leaning heavily on the Irish’s dynamic running back duo, with Carr going one for two for eight yards, a likely attempt to avoid his start-of-game inconsistency which has been one of few criticisms of an otherwise stellar freshman season. Carr never really got into the game in the rest of the first quarter, although a 35-yard pass to senior wide receiver Malachi Fields at the end of the first brought hope.
This hope was quickly crushed as Carr made a poor decision to try and find senior tight end Eli Raridon over the middle in tight coverage, and an even poorer throw led to his fifth interception of the season. He settled into the game more soon after as Notre Dame moved the chains on both of their following drives, with Carr making a number of short completions which seemed to prevent any further rash decision-making.
Despite junior duo running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price still dominating the workload, two touchdown passes on Carr’s next two drives, including a perfectly placed 25-yard touchdown throw to Fields, helped turn a slow start into an ever more impressive performance. Head coach Marcus Freeman’s decision to keep Carr out despite the Irish’s blowout victory seemed a conscious decision. This allowed Carr to feel more comfortable in the game, and it seemed to work. Bar another poor decision which resulted in a pick six, Carr looked much better to end the game as we saw his accuracy return with some well-placed throws into tight coverage.
Overall, this performance showed some of the flashes of brilliance that we’ve begun to expect from Carr, but some uncharacteristic mistakes blemish the stat line, as Carr finished going 21 for 32 for 212 yards, with two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and two interceptions. While it was a game of highs and lows for the ever-improving freshman, Irish fans should feel safe with him at the helm moving forward.
Weekly grade: “B.” Season grade: “A.”
Running backs
What more can be said about what is undeniably the best running back duo in football. Love was again the driving force behind the Irish’s offensive success as he had 23 carries and three receptions for 167 yards. Love is a pure workhorse, and his grit to fight for every last yard epitomizes the fight of this Irish side. Combine this with his exceptional vision, and you have a man who is gaining more and more momentum in this year’s Heisman race. The moment of the day was a 56-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second drive of the game, which kickstarted the Irish’s scoring spree. All I’ll say is Syracuse and Stanford will not be looking forward to facing this man.
It was a quiet day for the other half of the Irish’s own Sonic and Knuckles. Price had 21 yards from eight carries going down as one of his worst performances of the season as the Pitt defense seemed to get the best of him, but we can never underestimate how much his contributions allow Love to shine.
Weekly grade: “A.” Season grade: “A+.”
Receivers
Saturday was one of the best performances this season from Notre Dame’s receiving core but one that was dominated by one man, Fields. Fields had an absolutely amazing day at Acrisure Stadium, which is shown in part by his impressive stat line of seven receptions for 99 yards and two touchdowns. This tells part of the story, but Fields was consistently open which made him a reliable target for Carr and a nightmare for the Pitt secondary.
Fields’ 35-yard catch has been doing the rounds online and has many viewers reminiscing on Odell Beckham Jr. in his Giants days. It was a spectacular one-handed grab over two defenders, which is sure to be in the running for catch of the year, and showed the athletic ability that has been an amazing asset to the Irish offense since his transfer from Virginia. His first touchdown consisted of another impressive catch, this time an incredible sideline grab, again showing dominance in contestable catch situations. Fields’ seven receptions were his highest since he arrived in South Bend, and his 99 yards beat out his previous high of 97 against Navy just last week.
The other standout was Raridon, who bounced back from an injury which kept him out of the Navy game in impressive fashion. He caught six passes for 67 yards although his search for his first touchdown of the season continues. He again proved to be one of Carr’s most reliable targets, and his consistency has been key for this Irish passing offense.
Weekly grade: “A.” Season grade: “B+.”
Overall, Notre Dame put in a dominant and ruthless offensive performance, with 387 offensive yards to the Panthers’ 219. Once again, the combination of the running and passing game gives the Irish one of the most well-rounded offenses in the country, and I would give the offense an “A-” for Saturday’s performance.
The two interceptions may be lost among the array of spectacular moments, with Love and Fields in particular adding to their highlight reels. The interceptions may have not impacted the result, but they do limit me from grading this performance any higher, despite its many positives. Looking forward, with the College Football Playoffs seemingly within touching distance for the Irish, this is an offense to watch out for and one I think defensive coordinators around the country will hope to avoid come December.
