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Day/Time: Nov. 7/TBD
2014 Record: 6-7
Projected Returning Starters – Offense: 7
Projected Returning Starters – Defense: 5
Head Coach: Pat Narduzzi (one year)
2014 Points Scored: 31.8 (No. 43)
2014 Points Allowed: 26.3 (No. 58)
2014 Review
Its efforts never seemed to be enough. Time and time again, Pittsburgh came up just short of a victory, losing five of seven games by five points or fewer. The offense picked up speed late, scoring 30 or more points in the final five games. Running back James Conner rumbled for 1,765 yards (5.9 yards per carry) and a league-record 26 touchdowns while wideout Tyler Boyd posted his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. But a lackluster defense allowed 46 points per game in the final four losses and the Panthers limped through the middle of the season, losing six in a seven-game stretch.
Expected Strengths
There isn’t a better offensive tandem in the ACC than Conner and Boyd. The duo registered 3,188 total yards and 34 of the Pittsburgh’s 52 touchdowns. In all likelihood, the best wide receiver/running back combo Notre Dame will see all year is going to be in Pittsburgh on Nov. 7. At 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, Conner is a force to be reckoned with. He topped 100 yards in seven games as a sophomore—and went over 200 yards on three occasions—on his way to scoring a league-record 26 rushing touchdowns.
Boyd’s burned the Irish secondary before, catching eight passes for 85 yards in a 28-21 win his freshman season. The junior chalked up 85 receptions for 1,174 yards and seven touchdowns as a freshman. His sophomore totals—78 receptions for 1,261 yards and eight scores—weren’t shabby either. Panthers quarterback Chase Voytick was on a roll in the final six games of 2014, completing 65 percent of his passes and tossing seven touchdowns with just one interception. If the junior is able to carry his end-of-season momentum into 2015, the Panthers offense should continue to click.
Possible Weaknesses
There aren’t many better names for an outside linebacker than Bam Bradley, and first-year coach Pat Narduzzi is hoping the junior can contribute to an abysmal Panthers pass rush that recorded 19 sacks in 2014. Bradley, who totaled 36 tackles and two sacks as a sophomore, is part of a unit that doesn’t possess the same firepower as its offense.
Middle linebacker Matt Galambos is the team’s leading returning tackler—he finished third on the team last year with 72—and defensive tackle Darryl Render holds up a position upfront next to fellow senior K.K. Mosley-Smith. Defensive end Rori Blair led the Panthers with five tackles as a true freshman, and longtime absentee, Ejuan Price, is slotted into the other end position. Price, a fifth-year senior, hasn’t played since Oct. 19, 2013, after sustaining a back injury. Since playing in 13 games and posting four sacks as a true freshman, Price has recorded one sack in only six appearances over the past three seasons.
The Panthers are starting a pair of underclassmen on the right side of the offensive line. The first-time starters are part of the position group on offense with the most question marks entering fall camp.
Key Players
James Conner; RB: Notre Dame’s defensive front has its work cut out for it with Conner in the backfield. The junior’s bulldozer rushing style will be tough to stop, let alone slow down. Winning the battle upfront is the first key in this matchup, but it doesn’t guarantee Conner won’t still find a way to pound the Irish between the tackles.
Tyler Boyd; WR: Is Boyd the most talented receivers on Notre Dame’s schedule? Probably, and he’s also one of the most impressive players the Irish will face. An early favorite for one of the most intriguing matchups on the Irish schedule is cornerback KeiVarae Russell vs. Boyd. The junior has damaged the Irish secondary before – can he repeat the feat in November?
Chase Voytik; QB: Pittsburgh needs the Voytik of November to show up in 2015. During a six-game stretch early in the season, Voytik tossed seven touchdowns and six interceptions. The junior’s impressive late-season showing didn’t completely turn Pittsburgh’s fortunes, but there is plenty of room to improve the nation’s 102nd-ranked passing offense. And with Boyd split out wide and Conner in the backfield, that’s a scary proposition for opposing defenses.
Matt Galambos; MLB: More responsibility lies on the shoulders of Galambos, who is Pittsburgh’s leading returning tackler and the sole returning starter at linebacker. Galambos is at the heart of the defense and much of the success of Narduzzi’s defensive-minded approach rests on the junior.
Notre Dame Matchup
The Irish shouldn’t expect a comfortable visit to Pittsburgh in November, because recent meetings between the two programs have been anything but relaxing. Pittsburgh won for the first time, 28-21, in four tries against Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame team when the teams last met in 2013. But the Irish had luck on their side in 2012, overcoming a 20-6 fourth-quarter deficit before Pittsburgh missed a field goal in the second overtime to extend Notre Dame a lifeline. The Irish won in 2011 and 2010 by nine total points.
The matchup doesn’t look any easier even if recent history is disregarded. The Irish defense will have their hands full with some of the country’s best offensive talent in Conner and Boyd. The Panthers’ defense doesn’t have the playmakers that its offense does, but the early November meeting means the team will have played through two months in Narduzzi’s defensive schemes.
Narduzzi will be searching for a signature win in his first season with the Panthers, and there’s no better occasion to rally the fan base then with a win against Notre Dame. The Irish offense needs to put plenty of points on the board. If Jaylon Smith and the defense can slow down a strong attack, the Irish should come out on top.
Early Prediction
Notre Dame is the superior team on paper, but putting away Pittsburgh hasn’t been easy for Kelly. Notre Dame can’t look past this trap game.
Day/Time: Nov. 7/TBD
2014 Record: 6-7
Projected Returning Starters – Offense: 7
Projected Returning Starters – Defense: 5
Head Coach: Pat Narduzzi (one year)
2014 Points Scored: 31.8 (No. 43)
2014 Points Allowed: 26.3 (No. 58)
2014 Review
Its efforts never seemed to be enough. Time and time again, Pittsburgh came up just short of a victory, losing five of seven games by five points or fewer. The offense picked up speed late, scoring 30 or more points in the final five games. Running back James Conner rumbled for 1,765 yards (5.9 yards per carry) and a league-record 26 touchdowns while wideout Tyler Boyd posted his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. But a lackluster defense allowed 46 points per game in the final four losses and the Panthers limped through the middle of the season, losing six in a seven-game stretch.
Expected Strengths
There isn’t a better offensive tandem in the ACC than Conner and Boyd. The duo registered 3,188 total yards and 34 of the Pittsburgh’s 52 touchdowns. In all likelihood, the best wide receiver/running back combo Notre Dame will see all year is going to be in Pittsburgh on Nov. 7. At 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, Conner is a force to be reckoned with. He topped 100 yards in seven games as a sophomore—and went over 200 yards on three occasions—on his way to scoring a league-record 26 rushing touchdowns.
Boyd’s burned the Irish secondary before, catching eight passes for 85 yards in a 28-21 win his freshman season. The junior chalked up 85 receptions for 1,174 yards and seven touchdowns as a freshman. His sophomore totals—78 receptions for 1,261 yards and eight scores—weren’t shabby either. Panthers quarterback Chase Voytick was on a roll in the final six games of 2014, completing 65 percent of his passes and tossing seven touchdowns with just one interception. If the junior is able to carry his end-of-season momentum into 2015, the Panthers offense should continue to click.
Possible Weaknesses
There aren’t many better names for an outside linebacker than Bam Bradley, and first-year coach Pat Narduzzi is hoping the junior can contribute to an abysmal Panthers pass rush that recorded 19 sacks in 2014. Bradley, who totaled 36 tackles and two sacks as a sophomore, is part of a unit that doesn’t possess the same firepower as its offense.
Middle linebacker Matt Galambos is the team’s leading returning tackler—he finished third on the team last year with 72—and defensive tackle Darryl Render holds up a position upfront next to fellow senior K.K. Mosley-Smith. Defensive end Rori Blair led the Panthers with five tackles as a true freshman, and longtime absentee, Ejuan Price, is slotted into the other end position. Price, a fifth-year senior, hasn’t played since Oct. 19, 2013, after sustaining a back injury. Since playing in 13 games and posting four sacks as a true freshman, Price has recorded one sack in only six appearances over the past three seasons.
The Panthers are starting a pair of underclassmen on the right side of the offensive line. The first-time starters are part of the position group on offense with the most question marks entering fall camp.
Key Players
James Conner; RB: Notre Dame’s defensive front has its work cut out for it with Conner in the backfield. The junior’s bulldozer rushing style will be tough to stop, let alone slow down. Winning the battle upfront is the first key in this matchup, but it doesn’t guarantee Conner won’t still find a way to pound the Irish between the tackles.
Tyler Boyd; WR: Is Boyd the most talented receivers on Notre Dame’s schedule? Probably, and he’s also one of the most impressive players the Irish will face. An early favorite for one of the most intriguing matchups on the Irish schedule is cornerback KeiVarae Russell vs. Boyd. The junior has damaged the Irish secondary before – can he repeat the feat in November?
Chase Voytik; QB: Pittsburgh needs the Voytik of November to show up in 2015. During a six-game stretch early in the season, Voytik tossed seven touchdowns and six interceptions. The junior’s impressive late-season showing didn’t completely turn Pittsburgh’s fortunes, but there is plenty of room to improve the nation’s 102nd-ranked passing offense. And with Boyd split out wide and Conner in the backfield, that’s a scary proposition for opposing defenses.
Matt Galambos; MLB: More responsibility lies on the shoulders of Galambos, who is Pittsburgh’s leading returning tackler and the sole returning starter at linebacker. Galambos is at the heart of the defense and much of the success of Narduzzi’s defensive-minded approach rests on the junior.
Notre Dame Matchup
The Irish shouldn’t expect a comfortable visit to Pittsburgh in November, because recent meetings between the two programs have been anything but relaxing. Pittsburgh won for the first time, 28-21, in four tries against Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame team when the teams last met in 2013. But the Irish had luck on their side in 2012, overcoming a 20-6 fourth-quarter deficit before Pittsburgh missed a field goal in the second overtime to extend Notre Dame a lifeline. The Irish won in 2011 and 2010 by nine total points.
The matchup doesn’t look any easier even if recent history is disregarded. The Irish defense will have their hands full with some of the country’s best offensive talent in Conner and Boyd. The Panthers’ defense doesn’t have the playmakers that its offense does, but the early November meeting means the team will have played through two months in Narduzzi’s defensive schemes.
Narduzzi will be searching for a signature win in his first season with the Panthers, and there’s no better occasion to rally the fan base then with a win against Notre Dame. The Irish offense needs to put plenty of points on the board. If Jaylon Smith and the defense can slow down a strong attack, the Irish should come out on top.
Early Prediction
Notre Dame is the superior team on paper, but putting away Pittsburgh hasn’t been easy for Kelly. Notre Dame can’t look past this trap game.
