Notre Dame vs Pittsburgh: 5 Things We Learned About Fighting Irish in Victory

It might not have been pretty today versus the Pittsburgh Panthers, but the Fighting Irish have won their second straight game after starting with two straight losses in 2011.

Notre Dame has certainly improved in the recent weeks, with today’s win in addition to the upset of the Michigan State Spartans, since Tommy Rees took over for Dayne Crist after the South Florida upset in Week 1.

With four games in the books for the 2011 season, we will take a look at what new information we learned about the identity of the Fighting Irish after their 15-12 win in Pittsburgh today.

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Turnovers, Turnovers, Turnovers

If the Irish want to continue their upswing this season, the turnovers must be addressed by the coaching staff of Brian Kelly. Playing on their heels when the team gives up a turnover to the opposing team is not a path to success.

Special Teams Not Very Special This Season

While most college fans know of the Fighting Irish being dead last in turnovers, Notre Dame also ranks in the bottom ten in punt returns nationally with less than a full yard in returns this season.

If the Irish can solve this problem, quarterback Tommy Rees and the Notre Dame offense can breathe a little easier while on the field the remainder of the season against some tough road opponents like USC and Stanford.

Defense Keeping the Irish Afloat

As the Notre Dame offense has been inconsistent at best this season, the Irish defense has definitely kept the team in all of their games; the Notre Dame offense has already had an early quarterback controversy and continuing turnover problems this season.

The pass defense might have been gashed this season, giving up nearly 270 yards through the air; but the Irish control the ground game, giving up only 90 yards a game and ranking 30^th nationally in 2011.

Tommy Rees Becoming a Quarterback

Even though Rees is still interception prone, the sophomore quarterback is steadily becoming a solid quarterback in the Brian Kelly offense for Notre Dame; he’s accounted for nearly 800 yards and six touchdowns this season.

Penalties

The Fighting Irish were unable to find any kind of momentum today. Notre Dame was continually bogged down by a great deal of penalties that totaled nearly a quarter of their total yards against the Pitt Panthers.

With eight penalties for 85 yards this afternoon, the Irish can add this problem to the laundry list of difficulties the team is having in the second year of the Brian Kelly era in South Bend.