Pittsburgh vs Notre Dame Football Preview

This game could well be called the “Pressure Bowl.” The team that falls short will be staring at a deep, dark ditch of failure before the month of October begins.

Head coach Todd Graham came to Pittsburgh promising to bring “high octane” football to the Panthers. It was a welcome rallying cry after the moribund offenses of the Dave Wannstedt era. After three games, the offense has been less than “high octane” and the defense has struggled mightily to adjust to Graham’s unique version of the 3-3-5 defense.

Notre Dame, conversely, could be the best 1-2 team in the nation. After turning the ball over multiple times in the red zone, the Irish lost games to both South Florida at home and Michigan on the road despite outgaining both teams. The change at quarterback to Tommy Rees from Dayne Crist has solidified and steadied the offense and after winning on the road at Michigan State, the Irish turn to the meat of their schedule looking to gain momentum and perhaps make a late run at earning a BCS bowl berth. Winning at Pitt and getting back to .500 would be a good start.

The single biggest factor in the success of Todd Graham’s up-tempo, no-huddle offense is the ability for the quarterback to keep the chains moving. Thus far, the Panthers have sputtered, mainly due to the erratic play of Tino Sunseri. The veteran quarterback appeared to finally gain some level of comfort in the offense on the road at Iowa, but in the second half he badly misfired on throws that ultimately cost Pittsburgh the game. After struggling with Buffalo and New Hampshire and now losing to Iowa, Pitt fans are already gripping for what could be a tough year if things don’t improve.

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Notre Dame’s offense hasn’t struggled to move the ball in 2011, it has only struggled to hold on to it when it counts. The Irish have been plagued by turnovers in the red zone that, had they avoided, would have easily left them 3-0 and perhaps a BCS title game hopeful. Nevertheless, Tommy Rees has settled into the quarterback role well and receivers Michael Floyd and Theo Riddick form a dynamic duo. The Irish front seven has played well all year, with perhaps the exception of the final quarter at Michigan, and will be tough for the Pitt offensive line to handle.

Pitt currently sits 119th out of 120 teams in pass defense. That’s bad news with an offense like Notre Dame’s coming to town. Rees should have plenty of time to throw and Floyd and Riddick are a complete mismatch for the Panthers’ secondary. Sunseri will face more pressure than he has faced all year in a game where Pitt will have to score to keep up. That’s not a recipe for success Pitt. The Irish just need to hang onto the ball, and they should be in very good shape.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer