In a November showdown of two ranked teams with playoff aspirations, No. 9 Notre Dame proved superior in all aspects of the game in its 37-15 victory against overmatched No. 22 Pittsburgh at sold-out Acrisure Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Irish jumped on Pitt from the outset, building a 14-0 first-quarter lead and eliminating any potential momentum for the Panthers. Notre Dame combined a plethora of big plays with persistent and relentless intensity to control the game from the outset.
Touted Panther freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel struggled to generate any consistent threat versus an ever-improving Irish defense that held the prolific Pitt attack below 10 points until the game’s final play. Head coach Marcus Freeman clearly had his team ready for what amounted to a must-win game for the Irish. Here are key moments from the win that propelled Notre Dame to 8-2.
Jeremiyah Love sets the tone early with his 56-yard touchdown run
On their second possession of the game with 8:16 left in the first quarter, the Irish took over at their own 44-yard line. Junior running back Jeremiyah Love quickly got to work, adding to his Heisman reel. He cut up the middle and then made an electrifying spin move to avoid Panther safety Kavir Bains-Marquez before turning on the jets to outrace fellow safety Javon McIntyre. The run rivaled those of Pitt Heisman-winning running back Tony Dorsett, who was in attendance at the game. The score gave the Irish an early lead that they would never relinquish.
Freshman safety Tae Johnson makes it 14-0 on next play from scrimmage
On the ensuing kickoff, Pitt gained a semblance of momentum with a strong return by wide receiver Deuce Spann to its own 44-yard line. However, that blip of positive play quickly ended. On the first snap of the drive, Heintschel threw a quick underneath pass intended for wide receiver Cataurus Hicks. Freshman safety Tae Johnson perfectly read the route and took his interception back 49 yards untouched to give the Irish two touchdowns in 10 seconds of game time.
The one-two punch of Love and Johnson clearly staggered Pitt and set the tone for the rest of the game. Heintschel found it difficult to gain any traction against a thriving Notre Dame secondary. On the day, the Irish intercepted the freshman twice and broke up eight passes.
Irish defense holds Pitt to field goal after CJ Carr interception
Standout quarterback CJ Carr had his own freshman struggles on Saturday, including an ill-advised pass across the middle intended for senior tight end Eli Raridon that Bains-Marquez picked off and returned 49 yards to the Notre Dame 12-yard line on the first play of the second quarter. The Panthers desperately needed a touchdown, given the 14-point deficit and the golden opportunity for a short-field score. After Heintschel gained six yards on a first-down quarterback draw, the Irish defense stiffened and forced two incompletions. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi elected to kick a field goal instead of going for it on fourth-and-four, and backup Pitt kicker Sam Carpenter converted the 24-yard chip shot to put the Panthers on the board. The field goal cut the Irish lead to 14-3.
Malachi Fields makes sensational touchdown catch
Irish senior transfer Malachi Fields made a spectacular one-handed catch over two Pitt defenders for a 35-yard gain on the final play of the first quarter, as the heady Carr took advantage of Pitt jumping offsides to attempt a deep shot. However, Bains-Marquez picked off Carr on the next play as aforementioned.
Later, in the second quarter as the two-minute timeout approached, Carr clearly intended to let the clock wind to a timeout unless he was able to draw Pitt offside. Three seconds before the timeout, Panther defensive end Jaeden Moore invaded the neutral zone, and Carr again looked to Fields for a big play from the Pitt 25 on second-and-six. Fields outleapt Pitt cornerback Allen Bryant and hauled in another amazing catch at the Pitt one-yard line, landing in the end zone to give the Irish a 21-3 lead entering the locker room.
Love races 22 yards on fourth-and-two on opening second-half drive
The Irish entered the second half hoping to break the game open with the opening drive. Fellow junior running back Jadarian Price put the Irish in good position with a 43-yard return to the Notre Dame 46-yard line, continuing his trend of big returns. The Irish crossed midfield but faced a fourth-and-two from the Pitt 46-yard line. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock decided to put the ball in the hands of arguably the best playmaker in the sport. Love took the handoff and appeared to be boxed in by Pitt defenders. Love quickly made a jump cut outside and sprinted 22 yards down the sideline for the first down.
Six plays later, Carr again found Fields for a score. While not as impressive as his earlier one, the eight-yard run and catch by Fields pushed the lead to 28-3 and, for all intents and purposes, eliminated any chance for the Panthers given the Irish’s defensive prowess.
Defense comes up with another stop in the red-zone
After the second score by Fields, Heintschel and the Pitt offense put together its best sustained drive of the day. Pitt marched 74 yards on 14 plays, but the Notre Dame defense once again held inside the 10-yard line. The Panthers earned a first-and-goal from the two-yard line after standout Irish sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore was flagged questionably for pass interference in the end zone.
Pitt could not create any push in the ground game and eschewed the run after Moore stuffed Pitt running back Ja'Kyrian Turner on first down. Then, on fourth-and-goal, Heintschel completed a short pass to Panther wide receiver Raphael Williams Jr. that was initially called a touchdown on the field. However, after a lengthy review by the ACC officiating crew, Williams was ruled down at the Notre Dame half-yard line.
After Pitt pick-six, Adon Shuler intercepts two-point attempt and scores
Like Heintschel, Carr fell victim to the pick-six after Notre Dame’s goal-line stand. Pitt linebacker Rasheem Biles jumped in front of a screen pass intended for freshman wide receiver Micah Gilbert and walked into the end zone for the easy 10-yard score, cutting the Irish lead to 28-9. Narduzzi elected to go for two to cut the deficit to three touchdowns.
Sophomore safety Adon Shuler dispelled any such notions and scored two points of his own. He intercepted a Heintschel pass and weaved through a bevy of would-be tacklers with the assistance of a horde of Irish defenders on his way to a return score that was over 100 yards.
It capped a tremendous effort by the Irish first-team defense, as it scored eight points of its own on the day and limited the Pitt offense to only three points. Pitt’s only offensive touchdown came on the final play of the game with Shuler, Johnson, Moore and the rest of the Irish regulars standing on the sideline.
