Fighting Irish running back Audric Estime turned in another impressive performance on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. Estime rushed for 114 yards and three touchdowns as the 14th-ranked Fighting Irish routed Pittsburgh 58-7. Showcasing their superiority in all aspects of the game, Notre Dame improved its record to 7-2 on the season in the blowout victory.
Audric Estime a Powerhouse
Notre Dame struck quickly and often against the Panthers. Estime led the charge. Estime’s combination of speed, agility, and strength has made him a force to be reckoned with in the backfield. His ability to find gaps in the defense and power through tackles makes him a standout player for the Irish offense. On the season, Estime has gained 901 yards (6.2 yards per carry) on 146 carries with 12 touchdowns. He ranks eighth in the country in total yards and is tied for second in rushing touchdowns (12) with Marcus Carroll of Georgia State.
At his post-game press conference, Estime credited the offensive line for much of his success.
“The offensive line is led by the strong,” Esitme said. “We’re led by those big boys. They’re the hardest workers on the team, I feel like. Every week, Monday through Friday, they’re bringing the juice. That’s all a championship team needs, to be led by the strong. Those boys do a great job and they get better every week.”
Questions Remain on Offense
Notre Dame’s offense had an overall erratic performance. While the offense scored five of the eight Irish touchdowns, Sam Hartman threw interceptions on Notre Dame’s first two possessions. Fortunately for the Irish, Pittsburgh did not take advantage of either miscue. He shook off his early interceptions to throw for 288 yards, going 18-of-25 for the game. Hartman successfully connected on a few deep passes, including a 47-yard completion to Chirs Tyree, a 60-yard catch-and-run by Rico Flores, and a 42-yard deep pass to Tobias Merriweather. Backup Steve Angeli replaced Hartman in the fourth quarter. Angeli went 6-of-7 for 92 yards and a touchdown. All told a dozen different players had at least one catch for Notre Dame on the day.
Even with Hartman at quarterback, the Irish offense did not demonstrate a big leap forward after the bye week. The unit is making plays and putting points on the board, but it still seems as if the Irish offense is not living up to its capabilities. The offensive line is creating gaping holes for Estime and protecting Hartman, but the wide receiver corps has been hampered by injuries. Tight end Mitchell Evans left the game in the second half with an apparent left knee injury. The severity of the injury was uncertain following the game.
Irish Defense Falls Just Short of a Shutout
This season, the Fighting Irish have relied heavily on their defense. Notre Dame has generated 10 turnovers in its last two games alone. On Saturday, Pittsburgh started its sixth offensive line combination in eight games. It showed. The Irish defense kept Panthers quarterback Christian Veilleux on his heels from start to finish. Veilleux, who replaced former Notre Dame quarterback Phil Jurkovec (after he started 1-4 on the year), was sacked twice and was picked off four times. Xavier Watts intercepted Veilleux twice. Jaden Mickey (43-yard Pick six) and Christian Gray also intercepted passes from Veilleux, each recording their first career picks.
Strong play from the secondary was key with the absence of Benjamin Morrison who missed the game with a quad strain. Pittsburg’s lone score of the contest came in the fourth quarter after the Irish had already established a 51-0 lead. Nate Yarnell replaced Veilleux late in the game and threw a 25-yard touchdown to avoid the shutout. Veilleux finished 14 of 29 for 127 yards. Pittsburgh’s offense managed just 235 yards of offense and committed five turnovers.
Tough Loss for Narduzzi
Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi experienced the most one-sided defeat of his coaching career in the game. He led Pittsburgh to an ACC title in 2021 and an Associated Press Top 25 finish a year ago. With the Panthers now at 2-6 on the season, Pittsburgh is in danger of recording its worst season at the school under Narduzzi’s direction. Pittsburgh had six players chosen in the 2023 NFL Draft, and Narduzzi addressed that fact after the game.
“As a football coach, you lose a lot of good players from a year ago and you think as a coach, you’re going to replace them, and obviously we haven’t. Again, it starts with me. I didn’t do a good enough job coaching today. Put it on me, and we’ve got to make plays.”
Xavier Watts an X-Factor Again
Xavier Watts, who began his career at Notre Dame as a wide receiver, remains a key player, consistently performing at a high level and contributing significantly to Notre Dame’s defense. The Irish capitalized on five Pittsburg turnovers, scoring 23 points. With a pair of picks on Saturday, Watts now has six interceptions this season, the most in the FBS. He also grabbed two picks in the 48-20 win against USC two weeks ago. After Watts’ first interception against the Panthers, Estime had three carries for 51 yards during the subsequent drive. Estime sealed the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run.
Clemson on Deck
Notre Dame’s defense has been stout all season. The unit basically ended the Heisman repeat chances for USC quarterback Caleb Wiliams. Notre Dame’s defense also shut down Duke quarterback Riley Leonard this year and contained NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong.
Notre Dame’s defense will face sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik of Clemon on Saturday. Clemson has dropped two straight games now and Dabo Swinney’s team has sputtered on offense. In Saturday’s loss at NC State, Klubnik was 33 of 50 for 263 yards. He threw two interceptions with no touchdowns in the 24-17 defeat.
Against Pittsburg, it was evident from the outset that Notre Dame was clearly the better team. The lopsided victory for the Irish makes it back-to-back impressive wins ahead of their next matchup against Clemson. The Irish’s recent performances, combined with the dominance of Audric Estime and the ground game, have showcased the team’s resilience and determination. If Notre Dame can win out, including on the road at Clemson, a berth in a New Year’s Six Bowl is a likely outcome.
“It’s a bunch of coaches and players that aren’t satisfied that constantly are striving to improve,” said Irish head coach Marcus Freeman after Saturday’s win over Pittsburgh. “That’s the sprint. That’s the sense of urgency we have to improve. And we’re getting closer and closer every week to reaching that full potential.”
