PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The stats bore it out, Notre Dame was the better football team Saturday holding the Panthers to 0-13 on third down, seven sacks, a plus one in turnovers and making most of the big plays in the game for a 37-15 victory.
Early on it was Pitt moving the ball, but one of a couple of drops were some of the mistakes that never really gave Pitt a chance.
“They're deflating,” Narduzzi said. “It's a game of momentum. You've got to make those big time plays in the game. Our skill guys, they've done a great job all year. I'm not going to complain. Big time players make big time plays in big time games, and that's what we have to do. If you don't make those big plays -- it's a momentum change.”
Notre Dame hit back-to-back chunk plays on a 56-yard run from Jeremiyah Love and a 49-yard interception return by Tae Johnson. Pitt later drove into the red zone, but another drop led to settling for a field goal as Notre Dame would lead 21-3 at half and take the first possession of the second half down the field for a 28-3 lead.
“I got to make more plays,” said Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel who finished 16-33 for 126 yards and the interception. “There were a lot of times where I got out of the pocket instead of checking the ball down or just staying in there and delivering a ball.”
“I think that starts with me. I think we played really well around me, I got to make some more plays. We got guys open, I got to deliver the ball and if it’s not there, scramble and get a first down.”
“Our kids played their tails off,” Narduzzi said. “I love that team in that locker room. They played hard. They didn't quit. That's what you love about this group. There were no hanging heads down there. Our guys were playing.”
Now it’s back to ACC play as the Panthers are 5-1 in the conference with a shot to play in the championship game. Next up is Saturday at Georgia Tech at a time to be announced and then the following week at home against Miami. Last year Pitt started the season 7-0, only to lose its last six.
“That's my job as a head coach to make sure we don't let it snowball into anything,” Narduzzi said. “We've got a great Georgia Tech team now. We've got another top 25 team coming up this week, and that's where our focus goes. “
“We've got to get ready to play down in Atlanta, and I'm excited. Our kids will be excited. This will not snowball into anything.”
“We aren’t hitting a wall,” said linebacker Rasheem Biles. “We got everything in front of us. We are going to bounce back, have a great week of practice and prepare for Georgia Tech.”
“It won’t, absolutely, everyone in the locker room knows everything is still ahead of us,” Heintschel said. “We are frustrated with this game, but we are going to learn from it. It’s a great learning point for this team, sometimes you need a little kick in the mouth to get back on track. We are going to bounce back. We are going to have a great week of practice and be ready for Georgia Tech.”
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