Ok, for the fourth week in a row we know what the Irish need to do, and for the fourth week in a row we know they can do it. The question is whether or not they will. Pittsburgh is 2 and 1 and they are not going to be intimidated by what Notre Dame could do, only by their play on the field. Although the Panthers have a better record, I still believe that the Irish have the better team. It will take some effort on the part of Notre Dame to win this game, but it should happen.
For an Irish Win:
The Irish must protect the ball. In addition to stopping the fumbles and interceptions, our special teams crew needs to have surer hands. John Goodman, who has been terrible returning punts, has always been considered to have some of the best hands on the team, but after last week’s performance we may need to revaluate.
Tommy Rees needs to stop being a sophomore. He is still making sophomore mistakes that on most teams and most seasons would be alright, but not in South Bend and not this season. Most of the time Rees plays like a seasoned veteran with ice in his veins, with a 69.7 completion percentage. However, he still has five interceptions in three games.
Cierra Wood needs to do even more (even though he has a 5 yards per carry average), especially in short yardage situations. Jonas Gray has to use his 6.7 yards per carry average to contribute at pertinent times in the game and not just to give Wood a break.
For the passing game, the offense needs to continue distributing the ball among a variety of receivers. Make no mistake about it, Micheal Floyd will continue to be the dominant offensive weapon, but by involving Eifert, Jones, Riddick and even Wood, defenses will be hard pressed to cover them all.
Defensively, stopping running back Ray Graham (419 yards and 6 TD’s in three games) can go a long way toward jamming up their spread offense, which relies more on the running game than most. Graham’s six touchdowns account for 75% of Pittsburgh’s rushing touchdowns. He is their bread and butter. Quarterback Tino Senseri has done a decent job running this offense, passing for 658 yards in three games, but also throwing 4 interceptions compared to only 3 touchdowns.
Pittsburgh’s passing game is also well distributed among their receivers. They are led by two big receivers in 6’4” sophomore Devin Street and 6’5” junior Mike Shanahan. If the line can get pressure on the quarterback and force some bad decisions, we should be able to add to Senseri’s interception total.
