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")
Notre Dame Football must be aggressive and stay aggressive.
Notre Dame football needs to keep its boot on the neck of Pitt for four quarters. The facts are the facts about this game. Notre Dame has the better roster and is the better team. The Irish are home with a week off to prepare for this game. They want a ten-win season and a New Year’s Six Bowl bid. If all that is true, they must come out and play like it.
For that to happen, Notre Dame’s stars must come out and play like stars. Gerad Parker and the offense should not have much of an issue protecting Sam Hartman, and they need to allow him to throw the football down the field. Chris Tyree, the most explosive player on the team, needs to touch the ball in space ten times in this game.
Running back Audric Estime has not had a 100-yard rushing game since Central Michigan. He needs to cut loose. The game plan on offense needs to be all gas, no breaks.
Defensively, Al Golden needs to use the words of Coach Yoast from Remember the Titans: “You blitz all night! Don’t let them gain another yard.” JD Bertrand and company need to pressure quarterback Christian Veilleux early and often.
The offense isn’t explosive, and Notre Dame football should be able to cover Pitt’s receivers man-to-man.