Notre Dame Fighting Irish Flatten Pitt: Is a Playoff Berth On the Horizon?
Well, that was about as one-sided as a Mike Tyson fight in the ’80s. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish rolled into Pittsburgh, treated Acrisure Stadium like their own personal practice field, and flew back to South Bend with a decisive 37-15 victory. For anyone who bet the farm on a nail-biter, my condolences. For the rest of us, it was a Saturday stroll for the Fighting Irish, who are now riding an eight-game winning streak and keeping their College Football Playoff dreams very much alive.
If you showed up late, you basically missed the whole first act. Notre Dame didn’t just knock on the door; they kicked it down, ransacked the place, and were halfway down the street before Pitt even knew what hit them.
First Quarter Beatdown
The game got out of hand faster than a greased-up pig at a county fair. It started with Jeremiyah Love, a man who clearly has a personal vendetta against would-be tacklers. Love took a handoff, hit a spin move so nasty the defender might need therapy, and was off to the races for a 56-yard touchdown. Just like that, it was 7-0. That run didn’t just put him over 1,000 yards for the season; it also marked his 17th touchdown, leading the entire country.
Before the stadium announcer could even finish listing Love’s stats, Pitt Quarterback Mason Heintschel decided to gift-wrap a touchdown for the Irish. On the very next play, he threw a pass that Tae Johnson read like a children’s book, jumping the route and taking it 48 yards to the house for a pick-six. In the span of about 15 seconds of game time, Notre Dame was up 14-0. The Pitt fans looked like they’d just seen a ghost.
Carr Shakes Off Rust, But the Damage Was Done
Notre Dame’s Quarterback, CJ Carr, wasn’t perfect. He threw a couple of picks that kept this from being a total shutout, including one that Rasheem Biles nearly took to the house for Pitt. But let’s be real, complaining about Carr’s performance today is like complaining about the seating on your private jet. He still finished with a respectable 212 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Malachi Fields for a couple of scores.
One of those connections was a “did you see that?!” moment. Fields went airborne, climbing over a defender like he was trying to get a jar off the top shelf, and snagged a 35-yard pass with one hand. It was the kind of play that makes you question the laws of physics. The Irish offense wasn’t just efficient; it was putting on a show. By halftime, the score was 21-3, and the game was effectively over. Notre Dame had outgained Pitt 240 to 81. Ouch.
Can This Irish Team Actually Make the Playoff?
So, here’s the million-dollar question: Are the Fighting Irish for real? This win keeps them in the conversation, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. They dominated a Pitt team that looked completely outmatched, but bigger tests are on the horizon. The kicking game is still a legitimate concern—Erik Schmidt missed another field goal, putting the team at a shaky 5-for-9 on the season. You can’t leave points on the field against the big dogs.
Still, with a defense that suffocates opponents and an offense that can strike from anywhere on the field, you can’t count them out. Love is a bona fide superstar, and the defense is opportunistic and physical. They created turnovers and, aside from a couple of lapses, gave Pitt’s offense absolutely nothing to work with all day.
The final score of 37-15 is a bit misleading, thanks to a garbage-time touchdown from Pitt as the clock hit zero. Make no mistake, this was a demolition. The Irish came to Pittsburgh with a point to prove, and they shouted it from the rooftops. Their playoff hopes are still breathing, and if they keep playing like this, they might just be a team nobody wants to face in January.
