Pitt Looks to Rebound vs. Resurgent Irish | Pitt Blog

The Pittsburgh Panthers hit the road this week searching for answers and looking to rebound following last week's 54-34 loss to Rutgers. The schedule will get no easier this week as the Panthers travel to South Bend to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Both teams come into this game with 5-2 records, but both are also searching for credibility.

For Notre Dame, they search for the credibility that comes with beating a solid opponent, one with a winning record, for the first time this season. In their two other games vs. winning opponents, Michigan State and North Carolina, the Irish suffered tough defeats. However, their lack of quality wins does not mean the Irish are not a quality football team. Quite the contrary, the Irish are a supremely talented but young team that bears little resemblance to last years 3-9 squad. Vast improvements have been made by Charlie Weis and his coaches in every facet of the game.

Pitt Meanwhile is striving for credibility following a downright embarrasing loss to a bad Rutgers team, one in which the defense gave up 54 points to one of the worst offenses in football. Pitt has already proven they can win on the road, however, going 3-0 vs. Syracuse, South Florida, and Navy. But Notre Dame Stadium will be the most intimidating environment they will have played in this year. They must be able to handle the pressure of playing in front of 80,000 fans on the road.

Pitt Offense vs. Notre Dame Defense

Pitt is coming off a string of several solid offensive performances in a row, with last week vs. Rutgers being arguably the best, but will come into this game with the status of quarterback Bill Stull up in the air. Stull suffered a mild concussion in a scary scene at Heinz Field last week, as Stull lay motionless on the ground for ten minutes while he was immobilized and taken to the hospital. Stull returned to full practice Wednesday, and head coach Dave Wannstedt refuses to rule him out for Saturday.

If Stull cannot go, Sophomore Pat Bostick will take his place. Bostick started 9 games for the Panthers last season and is a very capable backup. He probably has more physical talent than Stull, but has not shown the mental wherewithall yet to lead a successful offense.

Lost in the fray of Stull's injury is another potentially more devastating loss. Junior center Robb Houser was lost for the season due to a broken ankle suffered against Rutgers. Houser was the anchor of what was developing into a very strong offensive line. To make up for his injury, Left Guard C.J. Davis will move to center, and senior Dom Williams will take Davis's spot at Guard. Houser's injury could prove costly to a unit that had, in recent weeks, been opening up huge holes for running back LeSean McCoy, who's run for nearly 150 yards in each of his last four games, and protecting Stull very well. The offensive line will be under even more pressure if Bostick plays, given Bostick's incredible lack of mobility.

Youth abounds on Notre Dame's defense, a unit that has been better than in recent years, but not a lockdown defense by any account. They are a very young, aggressive, blitzing unit led by defensive coordinator Corwin Brown and Associate Head Coach Jon Tenuta. Tenuta is sure to try to capitalize on Pitt's questionable offensive line by blitzing early and often. He will try to confuse the line and Pitt's quarterback into making mistakes.

Pass defense is the strength of the Irish defense, combining Tenuta's blitzes with a solid secondary led by corners RaeShon McNeil and Terrail Lambert, as well as safeties David Bruton and Kyle McCarthy.

Notre Dame has struggled with run defense, giving up over 200 yards to Michigan State's Jevon Ringer and struggling to stop the run against North Carolina, Michigan, and Stanford. This is in part due to a struggling defensive line, which has failed to get into the backfield with any regularity. There is young talent up front, mainly in the form of end Ethan Johnson, but it is not ready to make a consistent impact. Tackle Pat Kuntz has been the emotional leader of the defense, and is a very hard nosed player.

At linebacker, fifth year senior Maurice Crum leads an otherwise young unit, joined by sophomores Brian Smith, Kerry Neal, and safety/linebacker Harrison Smith.

Pitt should be able to run the ball effectively against the Irish, but if Stull does not play, that will allow the defense to key on the run and shut down the Panther offense. Stull's health and the play of the re-shuffled offensive line will be critical for the Panthers.

Notre Dame Offense vs. Pitt Defense

Sophomore quarterback Jimmy Clausen is in the process of proving that all the hype surrounding his recruitment was justified, as he is putting up a very strong season. Clausen is completing just over 60 percent of his passes with 15 touchdowns. He has given up nine interceptions, so he will make some mistakes, but his arm strength and accuracy are unparalleled. He is also developing the mental knowledge necessary to run Weis' complex offense. Clausen is the best quarterback Pitt will see this season.

Clausen has had so much success by throwing to a very talented receiving corps led by Sophomore wideout Golden Tate and true freshman Michael Floyd. Both have caught 31 balls on the season for over 500 yards a piece. The depth at receiver is stunning, with four other players catching at least 10 passes. Tight end Kyle Rudolph is one of those players, snagging 14 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns and has shown improving run blocking skills.

The Irish running game has not been so successful though. The Irish offensive line, a much improved unit, has still stuggled with Weis' zone blocking scheme and has not allowed the Notre Dame backs to have much success.

Armando Allen, James Aldridge, and Robert Hughes have all seen significant time at tailback this year, and they have all had moderate success. Each brings something different to the table, but have lacked the kind of consistent success you would like to see. Aldridge and Hughes are big, power backs while Allen is a small, quick back with excellent receiving skills.

Defensively, Pitt must rebound after a terrible showing last week. Pitt was torched for 361 passing yards and six touchdowns. If they don't figure out what ails them, it could be a long day against a skilled Irish passing attack. Pitt's defensive line will have to get pressure on Clausen and force mistakes, something they failed to do last week. The secondary will have to be alert and not bite on play action like they did against Rutgers.

Offensively, this is a good matchup for Notre Dame, a team that passes very well but struggles against the run, against a stout run defense and a suspect secondary. It will be interesting to see if Notre Dame can take advantage of this.

Here's a look at the key questions that will determine Saturday's outcome:

Will Bill Stull play? If not can Bostick be effective?

Can the Pitt offensive line continue its stellar play without Houser?

Will Clausen Have time to pick apart the Pitt defense?

Will the Pitt secondary respond with a solid performance?

Can Notre Dame stop McCoy?

Will Pitt be intimidated by Notre Dame Stadium?

This should be a very interesting matchup between two teams that need this win badly. Both offenses have favorable matchups against defenses that are weak against their strengths. The team that takes advantage of those strengths will be the one that wins.

This should be a somewhat high scoring affair and a close game. Pitt has the ability to steal a win, but will have to play an excellent game to do so. In the end, I think Notre Dame has too much talent and will take adavantage of their strengths.

Notre Dame 28, Pitt 21