'Stache Invasion

Coming off a dominating victory against Boston College that the Irish had to have, Pitt awaits Notre Dame in South Bend on Saturday at 330pmET. The Irish should have some confidence after handily beating an opponent- albeit a team without a passing game that the Irish rightly were expected to drill.


The key question in my mind is - Can the Irish dominate a solid opponent in Notre Dame Stadium? Night games on the road seem to bring out the best in the Irish - maybe not always wins, but at least solid efforts and close losses. Notre Dame stadium is where the Irish have struggled against both superior and inferior opponents - never able to beat anyone handily. The missing ingredient seems to be emotion - which is easy to muster up when you are on the road and at night than it has been for the Irish at home. While certainly Notre Dame Stadium is a very tame environment to play in, its up to the coaches and players to find that emotion, that intensity from somewhere. Otherwise playing afternoon games in Notre Dame Stadium will continue to be a drag. 


Pitt at home will be a great test for the Irish - who will have to play solid football to win this game. If the Irish play inconsistent or average football, they will lose another close one against a Pitt team that has some talent. But if the Irish can get fired up and amp up the level of intensity & emotion - like Brian Kelly was seen displaying on the sidelines during the Boston College game - Notre Dame should win this game by 10 points. Funny how Brian Kelly's most animated game all season was probably our best as a team. Expect a fired up coach that hopefully will be an example for the rest of the team come Saturday. 


Pitt is a similar but better team than Boston College - with two proven running backs and some defensive talent all over. Pitt has trouble on both lines, as well as at QB. Expect the Irish to guard against the Pitt rushing attack, while playing soft coverage on their top WR Jonathan Baldwin. Whether Pitt can muster a passing attack will be the key to the game for both teams. If the Irish can keep Pitt under 20 points, the Irish should win; otherwise, all bets are off, and the game will likely go down to the wire. 


I predict an average offensive day from the Irish - but a scoreboard that looks better because of some big defensive and special teams play. A comfortable win, but not terribly impressive given how poorly Pitt has played this season. Like my dress shirt size, I expect a score of . . . 


IRISH   33      PITT  17


(straight up pick, 3-2 for the year, ATS 2-2-1)