Notre Dame 15, Pitt 12: Well, That Sucked

With every game I watch, I find myself less and less sure of what exactly "high octane football" is. I don't think when Todd Graham came to Pittsburgh he envisioned 12 points and 268 yards of offense in any game, regardless of the opponent.

Back to the game. It was not as heartbreaking as last week's loss to Iowa, but the loss still hurt. Notre Dame is a big game for the players and the fans, especially when at home, and Pitt did come to play. This is a game where I think had the coaching change come a year earlier, Pitt would have won. They were in it the entire game, but if those few deep balls connect, maybe Pitt comes out on top. The defense was much better than a week ago. The lapses suffered in the 4th quarter against Iowa were not as present this week. I was glad to see them stay in it throughout the entire game and come up with the two turnovers. Ray Graham struggled for the second consecutive week, failing once again to crack the 100 yard mark. Notre Dame, however, has one of the top rush defenses in the country so it was expected, especially considering that Pitt lost one of the team's top linemen earlier in the week.

It was nice to see a "0" in one column: turnovers. Sunseri had his moments when he looked bad, but he didn't throw any picks. Sure, sacks are bad, but I'd much rather have him take the sack then throw an interception.

I think if we're looking at one play which decided the game, it was the two-point try for Pitt. If Pitt makes that, Notre Dame settles for the extra point on their score and perhaps the game goes into overtime where it's anybody's game. Unfortunately, we can't go back and change it and thus Pitt is 2-2 with the Big East opener coming next week on Thursday night against USF.