Notre Dame Football: 3 Keys to Victory against Pitt
By Dante Pryor
![The Notre Dame Fighting Irish take to the field before the game of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl of an NCAA college football game Friday, Dec. 30, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish held off the South Carolina Gamecocks 45-38. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]Jki 123022 Ncaaf Nd Usc Cp 65](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F33252279903309396b1ce258c8147f8c7898cd5f91e9920adb23cd9aa7a4319b.jpg "The Notre Dame Fighting Irish take to the field before the game of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl of an NCAA college football game Friday, Dec. 30, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish held off the South Carolina Gamecocks 45-38. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]Jki 123022 Ncaaf Nd Usc Cp 65")
#14 Notre Dame football hosts the Pittsburgh Panthers this weekend at Notre Dame Stadium. Here are three keys to victory for the Irish
After an off week, the Irish prepare to take the field against the Pittsburgh Panthers. #14 Notre Dame football (6-2) returns to Notre Dame Stadium after a 48-20 throttling of the USC Trojans. The Panthers visit South Bend a week after falling to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 21-17 in Winston-Salem.
The Irish are looking for a New Year’s Six invitation, while the Panthers want to play spoiler and salvage their season. Pitt can still make a bowl but needs to win four of its final five games.
The off week could not have come sooner for the 14th-ranked Irish. They are coming off a brutal stretch of games against ranked teams on prime time. The combined record of those teams is 23-5. Notre Dame was solid in that stretch, going 2-2. However, 10-2 and a New Year’s Six Bowl would leave fewer questions than 9-3.
This Saturday is a string of games where Notre Dame will likely be a heavy favorite. The Irish are favored by three touchdowns this weekend and need to take care of business. Here are three keys for Notre Dame to win Saturday against the Pitt Panthers.