This is a big test for the Notre Dame offense. Pitt has the No. 3 ranked rush defense in the country in yards per game allowed and the No. 1 ranked rush defense in yards per carry allowed. The Panthers also rank No. 5 in the country in tackles for a loss generated. The Irish have looked impressive at times on offense; they've also looked inconsistent at other times. There's a lot of potential takeaways from their matchup this Saturday afternoon. Here are the three biggest storylines, two key battles and one player to watch for the Notre Dame offense.
Three Biggest Storylines
1. Can The Offense Stack Performances? - Overall, Mike Denbrock's offense has been inconsistent since their win over Arkansas. They scored 56 points against the Wolfpack, 28 against Boise State, 34 against NC State, 27 against USC, 25 against Boston College and 49 against Navy. Moving the ball in any game hasn't been the issue. Finishing drives, on the other hand, is a different story entirely. Notre Dame has the No. 9 ranked scoring offense in the country. If it wasn't for them ranking 124th in the country in red zone scoring, it's likely they'd be in the top three of scoring offenses in college football. Saturday will be a major test for Denbrock's unit.
2. Final Regular Season Test For The Offensive Line - With all due respect to Syracuse and Stanford, this Pitt defensive front will big Notre Dame's biggest remaining challenge in the regular season. Between Jimmy Scott on the defensive line and Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles in the linebacking corps, the offensive line will be tested in a big way this Saturday. Scott, Louis and Biles are the top three leaders in tackles for a loss with Scott leading the way in pressures, sacks plus hits on the quarterback and is second on the team in tackles for a loss. Louis and Biles have combined for 14.0 tackles for a loss this season and Biles hasn't played the last three games.
3. Can This Unit Travel Well? - Road games have been shaky for the offense. In their season opener, they scored 24 points but only scored seven points in the first three quarters. Their next road outing was against Arkansas and the offense took off. They had 42 points on the board by halftime and capped it off by scoring 14 more points in the second half. Their most recent road game was extremely sloppy. Despite putting up 458 total yards of offense, Notre Dame scored just 25 points in the contest due to their inability to finish drives. If this team wants to make a run in the post season, the Irish will have to play at a consistent level away from South Bend.
Two Key Battles
1. Notre Dame Running Backs vs Pitt Linebacking Corps - This will probably be the most talented linebacking corps Notre Dame will face this season, barring a few exceptions in the post season. Louis, Biles and Braylan Lovelace have combined this season for 159 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 17.5 tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles and and four interceptions. The Notre Dame running back room is the best in the nation with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price combining for 1,556 rushing yards, 22 rushing touchdowns, 301 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Pitt has a heavy emphasis on defense to take away the run and their linebackers play a major role in that.
2. Offensive Tackles vs Jimmy Scott - The Notre Dame offensive tackles have performed extremely well since their home loss to Texas A&M. Left tackle Anthonie Knapp and right tackle Aamil Wagner has combined to only allow one sack and five total pressures in their last seven games. Wagner hasn't allowed a sack and only one pressure in their last seven outings. This weekend, they'll be matched up against Pitt's best defensive end, Scott, who currently leads the team in pressures, sacks plus hits on the quarterback and is second on the team in tackles for a loss. This will be a major test for the Irish offensive tackles.
One Player To Watch: Tight End Eli Raridon
Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon has had an impactful season, but he's been hit or miss over the last couple of weeks. After starting the season with a 97-yard game against Miami and an 85-yard game against Texas A&M, his production has been up and down the last several weeks. This weekend, he takes on a defense that relies heavily on man coverage and plays aggressively to take away the run. Raridon will have his opportunity for mismatches in the pass game at 6-7, 252-pounds.
Pitt's top three defensive players in receptions allowed are Louis, a linebacker, and safeties Kavir Bains-Marquez and Javon McIntyre. This season, those three have combined to allowed 74 receptions on 99 targets, 789 receiving yards, five receiving touchdowns and 529 yards after the catch. Raridon has yet to find the end zone this season, but that could potentially change this weekend. Denbrock has done a good job this season getting his playmakers matched up favorably in the pass game. If one of these three players are manned up against Raridon, it's likely we know where quarterback CJ Carr is going.
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