Notre Dame Football: Irish Travel to Pittsburgh Looking To Even the Ledger

Notre Dame (1-2) at Pitt (2-1)

Noon, ABC

The Irish will look to even their record at 2-2 after a dreadful start and get their first road win of the season when they venture to Pittsburgh on Saturday. 

How do the Irish stack up against Pitt and first-year head coach Todd Graham? 

Will the Irish continue to be an error-filled enigma that frustrates fans?  Or was last Saturday the elixir that has calmed the turnover diarrhea that has plagued this ball club for the first three weeks?

Pitt Offense vs. Notre Dame Defense

Pitt returns quarterback Tino Sunseri and running back Ray Graham. 

Through three games, Graham has put up more than 400 yards rushing—mostly against inferior opponents. 

Nevertheless, Graham is on pace to produce a 1,000-yard-plus season and will provide a test for Notre Dame. 

Pitt also features two solid receivers in Devin Street and Michael Shanahan.  Pulling the trigger at quarterback for the Panthers is Tino Sunseri, who has hit 62 percent of his passes this season and appears to have improved from last season. 

Pitt is in the upper half of the nation (51st) in total offense, but again, they have put up these numbers against Buffalo, Maine and an Iowa team that needed to rally from 17 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat the Panthers last week. 

In addition, the Panthers have allowed 12 sacks and eight turnovers through the first three games.

The Notre Dame defense could not have picked a better time to arrive than last Saturday.  A defense that appeared lost after Michigan became a stifling run defense that contributed timely turnovers versus Michigan State.  They will look to continue this trend moving forward.

If the Irish can control Ray Graham, they stand a very good chance of controlling the Pitt offense. 

I don't believe that at this stage of his career, Tino Sunseri can carry the Panther offense without an effective running game. 

I'll look for the Irish to control Graham, thereby making a very long day for Tino Sunseri and the Pittsburgh receiving corps.

EDGE: Notre Dame

Notre Dame Offense vs. Pitt Defense

The only team that has stopped Notre Dame on offense in three games is Notre Dame. 

Last Saturday, it appeared that Brian Kelly went back to a more controlled spread attack very similar to the last four games of 2010. 

The Irish will hope to minimize mistakes and take advantage of a weak Pitt secondary.

Pitt comes into this game ranked just 70th in scoring defense and 96th in total defense. 

In addition, they are next-to-last in passing defense—ranked 119th.  

Someone once told me that statistics are for losers. However, when you factor in the opponents that Pitt has played, you have to question the ability of this particular defense to stop Notre Dame.

EDGE: Notre Dame

Special Teams

This unit for Notre Dame has been as Jekyll-and-Hyde as the team has been through the opening weeks. 

Last week seemed to typify that for the Irish.  They returned a kickoff for a touchdown but fumbled a punt return and nearly lost a fumble on a kickoff return. 

Ben Turk struggled again before finishing the game with two very nice punts in the fourth quarter. 

Pitt has also struggled in the kicking game.  Their punt game is ranked lower than Notre Dame (87th in the nation), and they are just 4-7 on field goals. 

Both teams have struggled in the kicking game, and despite George Atkinson III's kickoff return for a touchdown, the Irish have struggled in the return game.

EDGE: Even

Intangibles

A road game with an early start time will definitely test Notre Dame. 

That being said, Notre Dame is coming off a huge win and will look to build momentum. 

Pitt, on the other hand, blew a huge lead against Iowa (similar to the lead Notre Dame coughed up at Michigan), so it will be interesting to see how their psyche is on Saturday.

Notre Dame fans typically travel well.  The fact that Heinz Field is not on campus is also a plus, as it is not known to provide a tremendous home-field advantage to the Panthers. 

Finally, Pittsburgh head coach Todd Graham, perhaps attempting to deploy some reverse psychology, had nothing but praise for a 1-2 Notre Dame team. 

"I think we've got the best team on our schedule coming in here this week," noted Graham at his weekly news conference. "I'm very surprised by Notre Dame's record."

"They've turned the football over and had some of the same problems we've had, but they're very impressive offensively, very balanced, very explosive. Defensively, they're by far, I think, the best defensive football team that we've played."

Given all this information—a road game is still a road game.

EDGE: Slight edge Pitt

Final Analysis

Notre Dame is clearly the better football team on paper. 

However, as we have witnessed the better team doesn't always win especially when it commits multiple turnovers. 

Notre Dame is better in every phase, although given their inconsistency, I listed Pitt as equal in the special teams.  Intangibles favor Pitt because going on the road is always a difficult task. 

I believe the Irish control Ray Graham and make a long day for Tino Sunseri throwing the ball. 

Notre Dame will also have many opportunities for big plays in the passing game. 

Provided they don't commit multiple turnovers, the Irish win in a walk.

PREDICTION: Notre Dame 31, Pitt 14