Grading the Irish after runaway win for Notre Dame football in Top 25 clash at Pittsburgh

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PITTSBURGH — Two touchdowns in a span of 17 seconds just seven minutes in let the air out of a sellout crowd at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, as Notre Dame football rolled to a 37-15 win over Pittsburgh.

The ninth-ranked Irish improved to 8-2 with their eighth straight win. The 22nd-ranked Panthers (7-3) were unable to spin a mountain of pregame hype, including site visits by ESPN “GameDay” and the ACC Network, into any semblance of an inspired effort.

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Here's how we grade the Irish's performance in the win.

Offense: B

Jeremiyah Love crossed the 1,000-yard mark in style, spinning his way to a 56-yard scoring run up the gut for the game’s first points. CJ Carr took some blitz-generated hits and was intercepted twice, including his first pick-six, but he also hit Malachi Fields for a pair of scores on either side of halftime. Eli Raridon got on a first-half roll (five catches and a pass-interference flag on a 14-play drive), but the 8 ½ -minute march ended up with a fourth-down overthrow from the 1.

Defense: A

Safety Tae Johnson flashed his playmaking ability with the first pick-six of his young career.  His 48-yard return staked the Irish to a 14-0 lead. Fellow safety Adon Shuler (who later added a 100-yard pick-two) leveled wideout Blue Hicks with a resounding hit that caused a third-and-8 drop on the game’s first series. Pitt had opened with a touchdown drive in freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel’s first five starts (all wins), but the Irish defense recorded a sack on its first three series.  The Panthers converted just one of their first 13 third/fourth downs.

Special teams: B+

Freshman kicker Erik Schmidt missed wide right from 46 yards on the first possession, leaving him 0-for-3 on field goals. Jordan Faison was more aggressive on punt returns, including a 21-yard scamper that was 2 shy of his season long.  James Rendell was solid again, pinning the Panthers at their 8 on his only first-half punt. Only Jadarian Price’s undershirt kept him from breaking another kickoff return.

Coaching: A-

Aside from the red zone failure in the second quarter and another dose of zone defense right before halftime, there wasn’t much to question. The Irish started fast and kept the hammer down, just as the situation required, especially post-Navy and with Pitt off last weekend.

Overall: A-

Shockers can happen, especially this year. But from all indications, this was Notre Dame’s last serious hurdle before securing a return pass to the College Football Playoff. Syracuse on Senior Day and a trip to Stanford lie ahead for the Irish as Pitt tries to pick up the pieces for a shot at the ACC title game.

Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Grading Notre Dame football performance in win over Pitt

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