Christian Veilleux had to know [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] would be one of his biggest challenges when he led Pittsburgh’s offense against Notre Dame. He most certainly did not have two first-half interceptions by Watts in mind. Yet that’s exactly what happened, and they both set up all 14 points scored by the Irish’s offense in the half. The Irish led, 17-0, at the break.
Watts’ first pick set up the touchdown by [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag]:
Xavier Watts was all over it. pic.twitter.com/YerKVE4wKS
— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) October 28, 2023
This one set up a chip-shot field goal for [autotag]Spencer Shrader[/autotag] right before halftime:
ANOTHER ONE#GoIrish☘️ | @xavierwatts6 pic.twitter.com/9t29dhUFrv
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 28, 2023
You have to give Watts mad props for emerging as perhaps the one Irish defender you absolutely do not want to mess around with. If you don’t have a half-decent offense, which is the case for the Panthers, players like Watts will make you pay. Watts has done just that, and he’s going to be a major reason the ride back to the Steel City will be a long one.
Here is what social media is saying about Watts: