Notre Dame vs. Pitt: Game Grades, Analysis for the Fighting Irish
Whether you agree with Notre Dame's initial ranking in the College Football Playoff Top 25 as the No. 5 team in the nation or not, there was little question that the Fighting Irish appeared to be a team on a mission today against Pittsburgh.
Notre Dame, led by DeShone Kizer's six total touchdowns, kept the game out of reach of the Panthers during the entirety of the second half.
There were a few soft spots for the Irish today, but all in all, it was a solid performance that should have Irish fans excited about the playoff potential of Notre Dame.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Here is the box score from today's game, via NCAA.com.
| Pass Offense | A- | A |
| Run Offense | B+ | A |
| Pass Defense | B+ | A- |
| Run Defense | B | B |
| Special Teams | Incomplete | A |
| Coaching | A- | A |
Notre Dame Pass Offense
At one point during today's game, DeShone Kizer completed 10 straight passes en route to a 19-of-26 performance. His 73 percent completion rating was overshadowed only by his five passing touchdowns. (He also added a score on the ground.)
That's some pretty efficient quarterbacking, and that has to make even Brian Kelly smile.
Will Fuller hauled in three of those touchdowns passes, along with four additional catches, amassing 152 yards on the day.
Notre Dame Run Offense
C.J. Prosise left the game in the first half with what appeared to be a shoulder injury. Although Prosise did not return after his 28 yards on five carries, head coach Brian Kelly didn't seem overly concerned with his recovery prospects.
The real story became the impressive three quarters displayed by Josh Adams. With 147 yards on 20 carries (plus a five-yard touchdown reception that was more of a rushing play than a pass), Adams showed that the Notre Dame running back stable is stocked with thoroughbreds.
Adams looked great in the red zone, where Prosise has struggled at times, and the Irish should feel very confident about the future of their running game in 2015 and beyond.
Notre Dame Pass Defense
The Irish defenders did a nice job of locking down receivers all afternoon. After it became apparent that the officials weren't overly anxious to throw flags for hand-fighting, the Irish secondary blanketed Pitt's receivers and held Nate Peterman to just 12 completions on 31 attempts.
The Irish did, however, give up some chunk yardage on those 12 receptions, amounting to 223 yards.
Matthias Farley came away with the game's lone interception, a pick that came in the end zone and ended what had once appeared to be a promising Pitt drive.
Notre Dame Run Defense
Pitt ran the ball 31 times against the Irish defense and picked up a solid average of 5.6 yards per attempt for 175 yards.
While Pitt certainly has some athletes on the offensive line, it won't be the best line the Irish will see for the rest of 2015. That might cause some concerns, as even when Notre Dame seemed to anticipate the play correctly, Pitt was still able to pick up much-needed yardage in crucial situations.
Pitt tends to run the ball left on short-yardage plays, and Notre Dame certainly was aware of the scheming. Still, even on a 4th-and-1, where the Irish brought all their defensive weight to bear on the left side, the Panthers were still able to find a first down.
While it wasn't a game-breaking situation today, there may be a time (especially in a potential playoff game) where the inability to stop short-yardage plays will be a killer.
Notre Dame Special Teams
Admit it: We all hate to watch our team's punter trot out onto the field. It always means our offense has failed in some way, shape or form. But if you must have a punter in the game, Notre Dame is sure glad to have Tyler Newsome.
On his four punts today, Newsome averaged nearly 52 yards—and none of those kicks were touchbacks.
When your offense struggles, there's nothing better than a punter who can completely flip field position, and it makes the coaches' jobs much, much easier.
It also bails out the defense on the upcoming drive.
Notre Dame Coaching
Absolutely zero complaints today. Kelly and company did a fine job of putting a solid game plan into effect, and that game plan was a good one.
Notre Dame's defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder again deserves special recognition. Kelly and VanGorder are two guys who mesh together as well as Kelly did with former defensive coordinator Chuck Martin (now the head coach at Miami University).
VanGorder first joined Kelly's staff in 1989 as Kelly, the new head coach at Division II Grand Valley Statem hired the Florida prep coach. VanGorder eventually found himself coaching against Kelly at conference foe Wayne State before moving on to other positions. VanGorder was brought back on to Kelly's staff last season after spending seven seasons as an assistant in the NFL.
The defense has shined under VanGorder, and like Martin, it probably won't be long until he's offered his own FBS program.
Unless otherwise noted, quotes or references to quotes were obtained firsthand by the writer.
Follow Bleacher Report's National College Football Featured Columnist David Luther on Twitter.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
