Notre Dame Looks to Regroup After Navy Loss Against No. 8 Pittsburgh

Sports News - November 12th, 2009 - Written by John

Notre Dame's matchup with No. 8 Pittsburgh on Saturday has taken on a new meaning. The Fighting Irish suffered an embarrassing 23-21 loss to Navy at home and now find themselves out of a possible BCS bowl bid. They will look to regroup and salvage their season, but will find it hard against a Panther team that has won 5 straight and has their highest ranking since 1982. Pittsburgh (8-1, 5-0 in Big East play) is coming off their 37-10 win over Syracuse. The Panthers are facing the toughest stretch in their schedule and their remaining three games are against teams with a combined record of 20-5. No. 5 Cincinnati awaits in their season finale and the winner of this game should come out with the Big East title.

Notre Dame has performed well on the offensive side of the ball and is averaging 463 total yards per game. Their passing attack ranks 5th in the country and is led by quarterback Jimmy Clausen. Clausen has passed for 2,770 yards and 20 touchdowns. He has instrumented four-fourth quarter comebacks also this season. The rushing attack is led by Armando Allen and Robert Hughes, who have combined for 845 yards and 8 touchdowns. Wide receiver Golden Tate has been unstoppable this season and has topped the 1,000 yard receiving mark and has 10 touchdowns. The Irish have not have trouble moving the ball, the problem has been with converting red zone opportunities. Out of 40 trips inside the red zone, they have only scored 21 touchdowns. Protecting Clausen and converting these opportunities will be key.

The goal for Notre Dame's defense will be stopping the run. Pittsburgh is getting 187 yards rushing per game.

Pittsburgh's offense has been explosive in all facets this year and good offensive line play deserves most of the credit. They have only allowed 9 sacks and given quarterback Bill Stull plenty of time to distribute the ball. Stull has thrown for 1,879 yards and 17 touchdowns. Their greatest weapon on offense is running back Dion Lewis. The freshman back has rushed for 1,139 yards and 12 touchdowns. Jonathan Baldwin has emerged as Stull's go-to guy at receiver and has 698 yards and 4 touchdowns. Receiver Darin Dickerson has been productive as well and has 10 touchdown receptions on the year.

Defensively for Pittsburgh, getting pressure on Clausen will be key and forcing him to make mistakes. Their defensive unit would benefit greatly if their offense can sustain long drives to keep Notre Dame's offense on the sideline.

Pittsburgh comes into the game favored by 6 1/2 according to BetUS sportsbook with an over/under set at 59. This is an important game for the Panthers as they look for a BCS bowl bid and continue to climb in the NCAA College Football Standings.

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