There’s nothing to say about this game that hasn’t already been said. Notre Dame traveled to Pittsburgh and gave the Panthers their own behinds on a gold platter. With backups on both sides playing in the fourth quarter, everyone was resigned to the outcome. That outcome was that the Irish (5-0, 4-0) were going to walk out of a Heinz Field with a 45-3 walloping of the Panthers (3-4, 2-4).
In spite of the pending victory, the Irish experienced both a little good and a little bad. Isaiah Pryor recorded his first sack since transferring from Ohio State. Braden Lenzy had to be helped off the field after injuring his hamstring, adding to the ever-growing list of injury concerns for the Irish receivers. So you really had to be paying attention to pinpoint those things.
We’ve waited all season for the Irish offense to break out of its offensive doldrums, and that’s exactly what happened in the fifth game of the season. With Clemson looming in two weeks, this performance was just what the doctor ordered. Before that big game, Notre Dame gets one more tuneup against Georgia Tech. With that need to maintain momentum, there’s no time to ease up on that gas pedal.