Notre Dame 42 Pitt 30 – Recap And Highlights
ND rolled over Pitt with Kizer, Fuller and Josh Adams having big games. Tori Hunter is also contributing more and more each game.
This was a relatively easy game for the Irish. They got the lead and held it throughout the game. The blowout was distorted by 2 garbage time scores by Pitt. One of these was a Wimbush fumble for a TD late in the 4th quarter.
While it appeared to be all ND, the stats show an interesting breakdown, in fact ND scored only 7 points in the 1st. and 3rd quarters each. So still not playing 4 quarters on offense. Final stats are surprising.
Stats of the Game:
- Total yards ND 437 Pitt 398
- Rush yards ND 175 Pitt 175
- Pass yards ND 262 Pitt 223
That, my friends is damn near even and if ND did not get the big plays so often this could have been trouble especially in light of the pass drops by Pitt.
So while ND is now 8-1 they still have a lot of improvement needed on both O and D, but really it is the defense that, in my opinion, is in a mess that a good team could exploit – think Stanford.
In all 9 games now the middle of the ND defense is wide open to both the pass and rush. The Pitt QB Peterman, an Ichabod Crane look alike rushed for 60 yards.
It’s now time that the coaching staff recognize that Joe Schmidt just doesn’t have it anymore. He is misdiagnosing plays and just doesn’t get there and when he does is either blocked out or misses the tackle.
He has lost whatever speed he had last year and as a Captain he should volunteer to step down. If Jarrett Grace is fully healthy he should start and anchor the middle of this defense. Someone needs to plug the middle and at 250 lbs he would be my choice.
I don’t have a clue what KeiVarae Russell’s problems are nor Max Redfield’s. I am no longer enamored by DC VanGorder. The D at times is simply awful and sooner or later some one is going to score real big against it.
We have 2 games to get some new blood on the field – at least bolster the middle and just scrap whatever VanGorder is doing. Hell I remember when Holtz took over his defense.
Can’t argue with 8-1 but a bad BC team with a good D is lurking and then there is a very good Stanford team at home.
Here is the Brian Kelly post game press conference: