Notre Dame vs. Pitt: 3 Keys for the Panthers To Pull off Victory

Notre Dame travels to Pittsburgh on Saturday to take on the Panthers. Depending on where you look, the Irish are favored by somewhere around seven points.

Here are three things the Panthers will need to accomplish to pull the upset.

Force Turnovers

This has easily been Notre Dame's biggest weakness throughout the first three weeks of the season, and if Pitt wants to pull the upset, they will need to force turnovers.

In three games the Irish have the turned the ball over an astounding 13 times. And seven of those have come from starting QB Tommy Rees. If they continue to do that, they won't win.

On the other hand, however, Pittsburgh has only forced three turnovers in three games. They will have to find a way to take advantage of Notre Dame's main weakness.

Get Tino Sunseri Going

Notre Dame has a good defense, but when they do get beat, it's usually through the air. The Irish are 25th in the nation at defending the run, but a meager 85th against the pass.

If Pittsburgh is going to get their offense going, it will have to be through the air. 

Quarterback Tino Sunseri has been inconsistent this season, throwing three touchdowns and four interceptions. If Pittsburgh's offense is going to be good enough to win, he will have to make better decisions

When Sunseri has time in the pocket, however, he has been able to find his receivers. If his offensive line protects him and lets him get in a rhythm, it will be a good day for Pitt. 

Easier said than done, however, as Notre Dame has been good at getting after the quarterback, and if they continue to do so Sunseri will probably make some mistakes.

If he has time in the pocket he will cut down on mistakes, but if has to throw off the run it may be a different story. Simple as that.

Contain Michael Floyd

Notre Dame's star wide receiver has the propensity to make big plays at big times. With 31 catches for almost 400 yards in just three games, he's already made plenty of big catches.

Pittsburgh has constantly gotten burned through the air, so Floyd and quarterback Tommy Rees seem to be ready to have a field day.

The Panthers have to contain Floyd and make someone else beat them, however. If someone else steps up, then that's fine. They did everything they could.

But they know how dynamic Floyd is. They need to be ready for him.

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