Notre Dame will be on the road against Pittsburgh this afternoon, and its a pretty big game with both teams in the top-25 along with ESPN’s College GameDay being in attendance.
It’s one of many games across the country that have big-time College Football Playoff implications, and the winner of this game will have a significant advantage of the other. The Irish don’t have the conference cushion that Pitt does, which they’re actually banking on this weekend.
Notre Dame controls its own destiny, and here are three keys for the Irish to keep its win streak alive and continue its push to the CFP.
Confuse the freshman QB Mason Heintschel
“This guy is the real deal.” – Nick Saban 🗣️
The guy in question? None other than Mason Heintschel.
📺 @PatMcAfeeShow x @Pitt_FBpic.twitter.com/D4s5LBWJz1
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) November 14, 2025
Both teams are starting freshman, but Carr at least was running with the scout team last year. Heintschel emerged following Pitt’s two losses, and they’ve looked like a different team. No game in those six where the Panthers haven’t scored at least 30-points, and winners in each one. The level of competition isn’t nearly what he’ll face on Saturday with the Irish, and expect defensive coordinator Chris Ash to throw some confusing looks at home. Get him second guessing himself, and Notre Dame has a great chance for a top-25 road victory.
CJ Carr tests Pitts secondary early and often
Every week, we see CJ Carr make a play happen before the ball is snapped.
Carr recognizes that the SCB and the WLB are coming, so he checks Love into this Texas route.
Lo and behold, no one is there to cover the best player on the field. pic.twitter.com/1WlYYhfukF
— Jack Soble (@jacksoble56) November 12, 2025
You’d think that a team entering the game in the top-25 in total defense wouldn’t have a glaring weakness, but that’s the case with Pitt. While they’ve been one of the best teams nationally in stopping the run, the secondary has been giving up almost triple the yards. The Panthers are among the worst in the country in passing defense, and CJ Carr has been on fire recently. If he continues his elite play, this could get ugly.
Notre Dame wins the middle-8
LOVE WILL FIND A WAY.
Jeremiyah Love turns a could-be tackle into a 48 YD RUSH TD. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/tvrsheWGEt
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 9, 2025
Head coach Marcus Freeman puts a ton of emphasis on the end of the first half and start of the second, as you can really take over a game in those eight-minutes. Against Navy, it was almost perfect, as the Irish scored a touchdown with under two-minutes left in the second quarter, and while they did allow a field goal, they scored again with another just after the first four-minutes of the third quarter. That stretch broke the game open, and if Notre Dame can replicate that success from last week, this one could be over early in the second half.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame at Pitt: Three keys to an Irish top-25 road victory
