Notre Dame vs. Pitt: Confidences & Concerns
Notre Dame has emerged from their very much past due bye week to greet perpetual whiner Pat Narduzzi and his 2-5 Pitt Panthers at Notre Dame Stadium Saturday afternoon. What will the Irish look like coming out of the bye?
Can fans realistically expect to see a more effective offense?
For as brutal as the last four game stretch was, the back end of this schedule is lightening up. Pitt is 2-5 coming off a brutal loss to Wake’s 3rd string QB and Clemson choked a game away against Miami for their third loss of the season. The remaining slate is very gettable for the Irish, but only if they show up focused and ready to perform.
Let’s take a look at some confidences & concerns Irish fans may have entering this contest.
Confidence 1-Pitt Is Not Good At Football
Unlike the opponents of last month of games Notre Dame has played, Pitt is not undefeated and salivating at the idea of getting a piece of the the Irish while riding high. In fact it’s just the opposite as the Panthers are having a very down year.
In college football many weeks comes down to margin of error. In the last four contests, Notre Dame has had little wiggle room to not play exceptionally well and win. This week should hopefully provide a bit more leeway.
Confidence 2- Health
Notre Dame has been struggling offensively. As to why, the reality is that many different factors have all added up to be an offense that hasn’t quite found its way. One of these factors has been the chronic injuries to an already thin when healthy wide receiver group.
Coming off the bye, the Irish should have a spring in their step and get some previously banged-up players back in the fold. This can only help the offensive output that could use a boost anywhere it can find one.
Confidence 3- Irish Defense
Notre Dame’s defense is the backbone of the team. They are coming off a masterful performance against USC and should be full of confidence preparing for Pitt. Hopefully, their recent penchant for timely turnovers can continue.
Ironically for the Irish, Pitt’s best offensive performance came against a Louisville team who must’ve been reading their post-Notre Dame win headlines rather than preparing for the game that week. But outside of that, Pitt has struggled to score averaging under 18 ppg in their other 5 p5 contests.
Concern 1- Pitt Plays Irish Tough Often
For whatever reason, Pitt has historically, at times, been a thorn in Notre Dame’s side. This has cropped up even in years in which the Panthers are “down”. I can’t explain it, it’s just something that’s always in my mind whenever they match up with Notre Dame.
Let’s hope the Irish can avoid a 2012-type Pitt home game situation as Irish fans have been stressed out far too much already this season. While this particular Pitt team seems to be truly not good, the “Pitt factor” is always sitting in the back of my mind.
Concern 2- Irish Offense
If the Notre Dame offense continues on the track it was on heading into the bye, they can lose to most teams they play. They have been getting worse, not better. Hopefully playing Pitt will allow for more sustained success, but can Irish fans bank on it?
If I had to guess, the number ONE thing Irish fans want to see be different from Notre Dame coming out of the bye, its an improved offense. Is this what they’ll get? If so, how much refinement will be displayed?
Bye Week Hangover
There’s no doubt that after playing for 8 straight weeks and in 2 different countries, the Irish were worn down and needed the bye to get healthy and recharge. Notre Dame fans hope that there’s no “bye hangover” as a result of the players’ routines being altered.
Notre Dame has a great chance to run the table on the back end of this schedule and end up in a New Year’s Six Bowl Game, but they must play with more offensive consistency for this to be the likely outcome. Will they?
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