Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Dominates Pitt to Win Eighth Straight: Instant Takeaways

Notre Dame didn't score 110, but they did beat the brakes off No. 22 Pittsburgh
Nick Shepkowski|
Nov 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman (right) leads the team onto the field to play the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium.
Nov 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman (right) leads the team onto the field to play the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Fighting IrishPittsburgh Panthers

It's a good thing hosting No. 9 Notre Dame didn't mean anything to No. 22 Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi on Saturday, because his team was outclassed from jumpstreet in a game the Fighting Irish entirely dominated for 60 minutes.

Notre Dame picked up its eighth straight victory and moved to 8-2 on the year as its now just two wins away from locking down a return trip to the College Football Playoff.

Heisman Trophy contender Jeremiyah Love did more on his own than Pittsburgh did with its entire offense Saturday, and Notre Dame continued its domination of the Panthers, winning its fifth-straight in the series.

Here's the instant takeaways from a dominating trip to the Steel City for the Fighting Irish.

Jeremiyah Love's Heisman Trophy Campaign is Fully On

Another week, another highlight run from Jeremiyah Love as his march to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony continues. On Saturday, Love outdid the entire Pittsburgh offense before he was pulled

Love might not be the favorite to win the quarterback-heavy award, but with more touchdowns than any player in America, and more highlight plays than anyone as well, Love's Saturday only furthers his case to be in New York next month.

10 Second Swing

Pittsburgh can claim that Saturday was just another game and didn't matter in regards to the ACC all it wants, but you don't retire the legendary Aaron Donald's number against Miami or NC State, do you?

Pittsburgh came out fired up and made life tough on Notre Dame very early on.

That is, until Jeremiyah Love broke off his Heisman Trophy type run and Tae Johnson returned an interception for a touchdown within 10 seconds of each other in the first quarter. Whatever wind was in Pittsburgh's sails before those two plays never returned after.

Malachi Fields' Huge Day

Malachi Fields had his biggest day in a Notre Dame uniform to date, hauling in seven catches for 99 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That included perhaps the catch of the year in college football, as Fields was the target on a shot play after Pittsburgh had jumped offsides in the first quarter.

Notre Dame's receivers are more improved than any position on the field for the Fighting Irish from last year, and Fields is a massive reason why, as he neared 600 yards for the season with Saturday's impressive showing.

Chris Ash Deserves an Apology

It wasn't all that long ago that a certain corner of Notre Dame fans wanted to see defensive coordinator Chris Ash fired. Notre Dame was 0-2 to start the year and didn't look like it could stop a nosebleed, but, as it turns out, this defense is a special group.

Notre Dame's defense dominated the day at Pittsburgh, allowing a grand total of 219 yards and 15 points - six of which came on a pick-six thrown by CJ Carr and another six scored on the last play of the game when Notre Dame held a 37-9 lead.

Joshua Burnham's Huge Day

Notre Dame's defense played lights out most the afternoon but nobody had a more impactful day than Joshua Burnham. On the week of the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the Traverse City, Michigan native (home to Great Lakes Maritime Academy) was a force. Burnham made his impact early and often, racking up a pair of sacks and being a constant force in the Pittsburgh backfield.

Burnham, who has a year of eligibility remaining after this season, is only part of the reason Notre Dame's improved defense could be even more special a year from now.

Full Steam Ahead Towards College Football Playoff for Notre Dame

Notre Dame has two losses next to its name and is ranked ninth in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, but you can't convince me there are anywhere near eight teams better than this one right now.

I'm not arguing with Notre Dame's ranking. Losses early in the year at Miami and against Texas A&M should matter and do as the Irish aren't currently projected to host a Playoff game. However, whoever ends up drawing Notre Dame in the First Round is going to muttering under its breath about the raw deal it got from the College Football Playoff committee.

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

Managing Editor for Notre Dame On SI. Started covering Chicago sports teams for WSCR the Score, and over the years worked with CBS Radio, Audacy, NBC Sports, and FOX Sports as a contributor before running the Notre Dame wire site for USA TODAY.

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