How and what to watch for No. 3 Notre Dame vs. Pitt

The 3-3 Pittsburgh Panthers have struggled over their last three games. It’s only going to get harder as they welcome the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish to Heinz Field Saturday afternoon.

Pitts passing defense has been rough to say the least. Through six games they’ve given up 1279 yards and 13 touchdowns, most of which have come over the last three weeks. The good news for them is that the Irish haven’t dazzled anybody though the air yet this season. The Irish run the ball nearly twice as often as they pass it, gaining 6 yards per rush on the year with 13 scores on the ground. Pitt’s rush defense is probably the best unit on the whole team, giving up less than two yards per carry. It’ll be interesting to see if Notre Dame and QB Ian Book can adapt to a game plan that relies on the pass more often than not.

Pitts offensive strength is in the passing game. The Panthers get close to 300 yards per game thanks to the arm of QB Kenny Pickett. Wide outs DJ Turner and Jordan Addison combine for nearly 800 of the team’s 1699 passing yards this year. They haven’t relied on the ground game that much until they get close to the end zone, as the team has 11 scores on the ground, but average just three yards per carry. The Irish defense has been great both on the ground and through the air, allowing a total of just 1200 yards and five touchdowns through four games. The most they’ve seen a team to score all season was 26, and that was just coming off an unexpected COVID-related off week.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch No. 3 Notre Dame vs. Pitt Saturday, October 24th at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, and you can stream it via the ESPN app or with a cable or streaming login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Notre Dame (-9.5) vs Pittsburgh
Point Total: 42.5
Money line: ND (-435), Pitt (+285)

• ND is 6-3 ATS in their last nine games
• The total has gone under in 13 of ND’s last 20
• Pitt is 0-4-1 ATS in their last five
• The total has gone under in five of Pitt’s last seven against ND

The Best Bet

Both teams are coming off their worst performances of the season, and neither team has beaten a good team yet. The Irish offense has been underwhelming through the air and Pitt’s rushing defense has been fantastic. Could shape up to be a low scoring affair...

Pick: Under 42.5

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