The 9th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this weekend to take on the 22nd-ranked Pitt Panthers. This is head coach Marcus Freeman's second time squaring off against the Panthers; the Irish won 58-7 in his first matchup. Head coach Pat Narduzzi is headed into his fifth matchup against the Irish; he's 0-4 against Notre Dame and only one of those losses was by one possession. Both of these teams are riding an impressive win streak and are looking to keep it alive when they faceoff Saturday afternoon inside of Acrisure Stadium.
Where: Pittsburgh, PA - Acrisure Stadium
When: 12:00 PM EST
Television: ABC - Joe Tessitore (play-by-play); Jesse Palmer (analyst); Katie George (sideline)
Radio: Notre Dame Radio Network: Tony Simeone (play-by-play); Ryan Harris (analyst); SiriusXM 129
Spread: Notre Dame -11.5; O/U 55.5 (FanDuel)
What To Know: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
After starting the season 0-2, Notre Dame has won seven straight games winning all of them by at least two scores. Their closest game was on October 18 against the USC Trojans, a game Notre Dame won 34-24. The second half has been huge for the Irish in their win streak. Since Arkansas, they've outscored their opponents 115-14 in the second half alone. A major part of their winning streak has been the performance of redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr who has thrown for 2,275 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions this season. He's joined in the backfield by running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, the best running back tandem in the country.
The defensive turnaround has also been extremely impressive to watch as the regular season has progressed. This is a much different unit than the one we saw take the field against Miami, Texas A&M and Purdue. Over their last five games, Notre Dame has allowed an average of 11.6 points per game, 203.2 passing yards per game and 87.4 rushing yards per game. This team is starting to get hot at the right time; this weekend against Pitt will tell Irish fans a lot about this program.
What To Know: Pittsburgh Panthers
Pittsburgh is riding a win streak of their own. After starting 2-2, Narduzzi made a switch at quarterback and elected to bench returning starter Eli Holstein and replaced him with true freshman Mason Heintschel. That move, so far, has saved the Panther's season. They are the victors of five straight games and are now ranked 22nd in the latest college football playoff rankings. Injuries have hurt this team throughout the season, but unlike last season, they've been able to over come them.
Their passing offense and rush defense is the highlight of this team, not a surprise when you look at the years Narduzzi has been successful at Pitt. Their rush offense and pass defense, however, have been a different story. Their offensive line has hindered their run game production while their aggressive philosophy on defense leaves the susceptible to big plays on the back end. Despite some of their flaws, this team has found a way to string together five straight wins and have put themselves in the conference championship conversation.
This Saturday will be the 73rd meeting between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Irish hold a 50-21-1 lead in the series overall. Narduzzi has yet to be Notre Dame in his tenure at Pitt while Freeman is 1-0 in his only matchup with the Panthers and won in resounding fashion 58-7.
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