DeShone Kizer threw five touchdown passes and ran for another score as Notre Dame overpowered Pittsburgh by 42-30 on Saturday. Freshman Josh Adams came off the bench to run for 147 yards in relief of an injured C.J. Prosise, and Will Fuller accounted for 152 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Irish defense played a solid first half as Notre Dame built a 21-3 lead, but suffered numerous lapses in a sloppy second half.

The Irish started fast by taking the opening kickoff and striking paydirt in only three plays. The drive was a perfect illustration of how a successful running game effectively sets up the play action pass. Runs of 19 and 9 yards by Prosise and a 47-yard strike from Kizer to Fuller covered 75 yards in just over one minute. After Pitt answered with a field goal later in the period, Kizer led Notre Dame on another scoring march capped by a 12-yard pass to Torii Hunter.

The defenses settled in during the second quarter, and an interception by Matthias Farley stopped the only Panther scoring threat. As halftime approached, Fuller broke loose again and hauled in a 46-yard bomb to give the visitors a 21-3 cushion.

Pitt got its attack going in the third quarter, while the Irish continued to roll. Neither team punted during the next 20 minutes of the contest as each offense recorded two touchdowns in that time frame. Midway through the final period, Kizer capped off the scoring for Notre Dame by walking in from two yards out for a 42-17 advantage with only 5:47 remaining.

The Irish finished on a sloppy note by allowing a 51-yard scoring play from Nate Peterman to Tyler Boyd, and backup quarterback Brandon Wimbush’s fumble on the ensuing series was returned by Pittburgh’s Ejuan Price for a 32-yard touchdown to account for the 42-30 final score. Fortunately for Notre Dame, the offense was perfect in the red zone by recording seven points on each of its four trips.

Notre Dame effectively shut down Boyd until the waning moments and played reasonably well against the run. Peterman hurt them on several occasions with long gains on scrambles, but he was only 12 of 31 in the passing game. Freshman defensive back Jordan Whitehead was outstanding for the Panthers. He had 11 tackles on defense and made a successful debut on offense with two touchdown runs in the third period. Punter Tyler Newsome returned to form for the Irish, averaging an impressive 52 yards on four attempts.

Let’s review the answers to the pregame questions for additional insights.

Can Notre Dame get back to running the ball with authority? Yes, and this paid dividends immediately as seen on the opening possession.

Will Pitt’s other receivers and tight ends contribute big plays against the Irish? Dontez Ford and J.P. Holtz made a few plays, but not nearly enough as they each had costly drops.

Which defense will be able to put heat on the quarterback? Both teams had a few sacks and pressures, but the Panthers got the better of it. Peterman’s scrambling ability negated some Irish pressure and Price’s fumble return took away a few style points from Notre Dame.

Will the Panther secondary be able to stay with Will Fuller? Shockingly, Pitt did nothing special to cover the Irish speedster, and he torched them.

Can Notre Dame find a way to convert its red zone opportunities into touchdowns? A big improvement here and the key to a comfortable victory versus another nail biter.

Will Pitt try to sneak Dan Marino and Tony Dorsett into its backfield? Thankfully not, although Mike Ditka seemed to be looking for somebody to punch out as the Irish piled up the points.

Can the Irish finally take control on the road and enjoy an uneventful second half? Yes and no. Notre Dame took control before intermission and was never in any danger of losing, but the finish was almost as ugly as the Georgia Tech game.

Which Assistant Coach will deserve to be coldcocked by his boss? Ditka might want to clock Panther Head Coach Pat Narduzzi for allowing Fuller to run past his secondary all day.

Notre Dame advances to 8-1 on the season and await the results of a few significant matchups today that are certain to alter the positioning of teams vying for a playoff berth. The Irish play their final home game of the season against Wake Forest in what will be a home farewell for players such as Sheldon Day, Nick Martin, Ronnie Stanley and quite possibly Jaylon Smith and Will Fuller. Regarding Prosise, his status is unconfirmed at this time but initial reports indicated his injury was not serious and he may return to action next week.