PITTSBURGH NOTES:
Series Began: 1909 Series Overall: ND leads 51-21-1 At Pittsburgh: ND leads 28-11-1 At Notre Dame: ND leads 23-10 At Neutral Sites: DNA Overtime Games: Series tied, 1-1 Last Meeting (at ND): Oct. 28, 2023 (Notre Dame 58, Pitt 7) Last Meeting at Pitt: Oct. 24, 2020 (Notre Dame 45, Pitt 3) Current Series Win Streak: Notre Dame has won 4 Longest Pitt Series Win Streak: 3 games (three times, last: 1983, ‘86-87) Longest Notre Dame Series Win Streak: 11 games (1964-74) Largest Pitt Victory Margin: 26 points (26-0, 1936) Largest Notre Dame Victory Margin: 58 points (58-0, 1944)
In a series rich in history and tradition, CFP No. 24 Pitt and CFP No. 10 Notre Dame meet for the 74th time—and for the first time in Pittsburgh since 2020. The game will mark the first Top-25 matchup hosted by the Panthers in the College Football Playoff era. • ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot is returning to Pittsburgh for the game, broadcasting live from the North Shore from 9 a.m. to noon. The visit marks GameDay’s fourth all-time stop in Pittsburgh and first since 2022. ACC Network’s ACC Huddle will also broadcast live from Pittsburgh that morning. • The contest will also feature Aaron Donald’s return to Acrisure Stadium, as the future first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer will have his No. 97 jersey retired at halftime. • Ten of the past 14 meetings between Pitt and Notre Dame have been decided by single digits. The Panthers last defeated the Irish in 2013, a 28-21 victory in Pittsburgh. • Both teams enter the contest riding significant win streaks—Pitt having won each of its past five games, while Notre Dame has won seven straight. • The Panthers are coming off a bye week following a 35-20 road victory at Stanford in Week 10. • In that game, Pitt’s defense held the Cardinal to minus-10 rushing yards— the lowest total allowed in Pat Narduzzi’s 11 years as head coach—and just the fourth time the Panthers have held an opponent to negative rushing yards under his tenure. • The Pitt defense also recorded five sacks and forced three interceptions, each for the second time this season. • Linebacker Kyle Louis anchored the unit with a team-high 11 tackles, one interception, and two pass breakups. He was the only ACC player last week to record at least 11 tackles, one interception, and two breakups in a single game. His second-quarter interception marked the sixth of his career and second of the 2025 season, continuing his all-conference-caliber play as the leader of Pitt’s linebacking corps. • True freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel continued his stellar debut campaign, completing 23 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns while adding 21 rushing yards in his fifth career start. Heintschel has now thrown at least three touchdown passes in three of the past five games and surpassed 300 passing yards in four of those five. He became the first true freshman since Jameis Winston (2013) to record at least three touchdown passes and 300 passing yards in three of his first six career games. Heintschel is tied for the second most such performances by a true freshman since 2000, joining Luke McCown and Philip Rivers. Impressively, he has led Pitt to a touchdown on the opening drive in each of his first five starts. For the season, Heintschel has totaled 1,547.
NOTRE DAME GAME NOTES
GAME DAY AT A GLANCE • Saturday evening will mark the 74th meeting between Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. The series stands with a 51-21-1 Notre Dame advantage all-time. • The Irish are 29-11-1 all-time on the road against the Panthers. • Notre Dame holds a 4-2 record against Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium. • It is the second meeting between Marcus Freeman and Pat Narduzzi as head coaches. The Irish are 1-0 against the Panthers under Freeman after a 58-7 win on October 28, 2023 at Notre Dame Stadium. • The two coaches have been on opposing sidelines when Freeman was an assistant at Purdue while Narduzzi was an assistant at Michigan State during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. • The two teams last faced off in Pittsburgh on October 24, 2020 as the Irish claimed a 45-3 victory at thennamed Heinz Field. • Notre Dame is 222-84-3 all-time against current ACC members with a 91-42-3 record in away games. • The Irish are 14-2 against ACC opponents under head coach Marcus Freeman (excludes 2022 contests against Cal and Stanford and 2023 game against Stanford as both teams were active members in the Pac12). • Notre Dame is 6-2 against ACC members in true road games under Freeman. • The Notre Dame-Pittsburgh series (74) is the fifth-most played series in program history for the Irish, trailing Navy (98), USC (96), Purdue (89) and Michigan State (79), and is the most-played series against current ACC members in program history. ACRISURE STADIUM • Acrisure Stadium has been the home of Pittsburgh football since 2001. • It is also the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers and has served as the home field of both teams since its opening in 2001. • It is the second NFL stadium the Irish have visited in the 2025 season. • The stadium was known as Heinz Field from its opening in 2001 until 2022. • Seating capacity is listed as 68,400 while the playing surface is Kentucky bluegrass. • The Irish are 5-2 all-time at Acrisure Stadium. • Notre Dame is 28-15 in current NFL stadiums since 1992, and the Irish are 7-3 in current NFL stadiums under head coach Marcus Freeman.
IRISH BY THE NUMBERS:
1 Jeremiyah Love became the first player in program history with two 90-yard rushing touchdowns in a career (98 vs Indiana, 2024; 94 at Boston College, 2025). 1 With his performance at Miami, freshman quarterback CJ Carr became the first Irish QB to have at least one passing TD and one rushing TD in his first start since Brandon Wimbush in 2017. 1 CJ Carr is first among all FBS quarterbacks in yards per pass attempt (10.11) and is second among all freshman quarterbacks in FBS in passing touchdowns (19). He also ranks third passing efficiency (176.8) and passing yards per completion (14.97), 17th in passing touchdowns (19), 22nd in passing yards per game (252.8) and 29th in passing touchdowns among all FBS quarterbacks. 3 Jadarian Price became the third running back in program history to register multiple rushing TDs and a kick return TD in the same game, joining John Petibon (vs. Detroit Mercy, 1951) and Willie Maher (vs. Kalamazoo, 1923) in the win over Purdue. 3 Donovan Hinish was named as a captain for the 2025 season to join his brother Kurt (2021) as a captain. The Hinish brothers are the third pairing of brothers to earn the captain title in the history of Notre Dame football, joining Bob Golic (1978) and Mike Golic (1984) and Zack Martin (2012 & 2013) and Nick Martin (2014 & 2015). 4 Jeremiyah Love recorded four touchdowns at Arkansas – two rushing and two receiving – to post the most touchdowns by an FBS player of the weekend. He is the first player in Notre Dame history to score four in a single half since 1996. 4 Jadarian Price was responsible for four touchdowns against Purdue – three rushing and one on a kick return – which had marked the most touchdowns for an Irish player since Audric Estimé rushed for four TDs at Stanford in 2023. 4 The 2025 Notre Dame offense has four players who have amassed over 1,500 career all-purpose yards – Jeremiyah Love (3,108 yards), Jadarian Price (2,431), Malachi Fields (2,340) and Will Pauling (1,740). 13 Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price each scored a rushing touchdown in the victory over Navy, marking the 13th time the pair have both scored a touchdown in the same game. 26 With his start against Navy at running back, Jeremiyah Love registered his 26th-consecutive start, which puts him second all-time in program history at the running back position. 36 Senior wide receiver Malachi Fields has had at least one reception in 36 consecutive games, dating back to his time at Virginia. It is tied for the fourth-longest streak in FBS. 37 With a pair of touchdowns against Navy, Jeremiyah Love has 37 career touchdowns and is fifth all-time in program history for career touchdowns. 56 The 56 points scored by the Irish at Arkansas were the most against a first-time opponent on the road since a 55-2 win at Rice in 1915. 100 Junior running back Jadarian Price has two touchdown kickoff returns for 100 yards – one against Purdue and one against USC – to become the first player in program history with multiple kickoff returns of 100 yards. 228 Jeremiyah Love’s 228 rushing yards against USC were the most rushing yards in a home game by an Irish player in Notre Dame Stadium history (512 games). 2000 Jeremiyah Love became the second-fastest Notre Dame running back in the modern era and fourth-fastest in program history to reach 2,000 career rushing yards, needing just 329 carries.
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – OFFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS • Malachi Fields was named a 2025 Phil Steele Preseason All-America Fourth Team selection and has 154 career receptions for 2,346 yards and 14 touchdowns after joining the Irish from Virginia. Fields is on the 2025 Biletnikoff Award Watch List and averages 15.2 yards per catch over his career. • Jaden Greathouse became the first Irish player since Javon McKinley in 2020 to have consecutive games with 100+ receiving yards as he posted back-to-back 100+ yard efforts in the 2025 Orange Bowl and CFP Championship games. He has 930 career receiving yards with nine touchdowns. • Will Pauling joined the Irish after competing at both Cincinnati and Wisconsin. He has 1,733 career receiving yards via 150 receptions with 14 TDs. A team captain for the Irish in 2025, he averages 11.6 yards per catch for his career and had his first 100-yard receiving game in an Irish uniform in the win over NC State. • Jordan Faison has 92 career receptions for 1,223 yards and averages 13.3 yards per catch over his career. He posted his second 100+ yard receiving game of his career against Purdue and was named the Burlsworth Trophy Walk-On of the Week on September 23. • The Notre Dame offensive line was named to the Joe Moore Midseason Honor Roll for their work in 2025. The group is led by the experience of Billy Schrauth, Aamil Wagner and Anthonie Knapp, who were all key to the Irish run in the 2024 season. Guerby Lambert has played in 15 games on the offensive line and on special teams, and Sullivan Absher has competed in 26 games of his career to date. Joe Otting made his first start at center against USC after Ashton Craig sustained a season-ending injury, and Absher earned his first career start at Boston College in place of injured Schrauth. • Craig, Wagner and Schrauth have all drawn attention from national award committees ahead of the 2025 campaign. Craig was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List while Wagner and Schrauth were both named to the Outland Trophy Watch List. Schrauth garnered Outland Trophy National Player of the Week honors for his performance against USC. • Eli Raridon has competed in 37 games for the Irish and has three receiving touchdowns and averages 13.7 yards per catch for his career. Among FBS tight ends, he ranks third for yards per game (58.0) and yards per reception (16.9) and is 12th in total receiving yards (406). • CJ Carr has 2,275 passing yards with 19 touchdowns through nine games this season. He is 152 of 225 and averages 252.8 passing yards per game in 2025. He ranks first in yards per pass attempt (10.11) and third in the nation in both passing yards per completion (14.97) and passing efficiency (176.8) among all FBS quarterbacks. He is second among all freshman quarterbacks in FBS in passing touchdowns (19) and is fifth in passing yards (2,275). Carr was named as a midseason addition to the Manning Award Watch List and is a Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Semifinalist. • Jeremiyah Love entered the season as a preseason All-America First Team selection by Walter Camp, Sporting News, the Associated Press, The Athletic, ESPN, CBS Sports, Athlon Sports and Phil Steele. He set a Notre Dame record for most consecutive games with a touchdown to start a season with 13 last fall. Love became the first player in program history with two 90-yard rushing TDs in a career. He registered a career-high 228 rushing yards against USC – the most rushing yards in a single game by an Irish player in Notre Dame Stadium history – and had four touchdowns in the first half at Arkansas. • Jadarian Price came into the season as a 2025 Doak Walker Award Preseason candidate and was named as a Paul Hornung Award Finalist in November. He has over 1,500 rushing yards in his career with 19 rushing, two receiving touchdowns and three kickoff return touchdowns. • Price and Love are both experienced on the kick return unit. Price rattled off a 99-yard return at home against USC in 2023 and added 100-yard returns against Purdue and USC in 2025. Love has a career-long return of 21 yards, which he posted in the 2023 at Duke. • Faison and Pauling are the top two options for the Irish on punt returns. Faison had a career-long 43-yard kick return in the CFP First Round win at home over Indiana. • James Rendell averages 42.6 yards per punt in two seasons. He has placed 34 punts inside the 20-yard line and has ten punts of 50+ yards with the Irish. • Noah Burnette was on the 2024 Lou Groza Award Preseason Watch List while at North Carolina. He has connected on 54 field goals and 158 PATs over his career. • Erik Schmidt has converted 19 PATs and has taken 48 kickoffs in 2025 for the Irish. He was ranked as the No. 1 kicker in the nation by 247Sports Composite and was the No. 1 ranked punter in the country by Kohl’s Kicking.
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – DEFENSE • Battle-tested and ready to dig deep in the trenches, the Irish defensive line boasts nine players with experience up front. Seniors Jordan Botelho, Junior Tuihalamaka, Jason Onye, Jared Dawson and Gabriel Rubio along with juniors Joshua Burnham and Donovan Hinish have all competed in at least 20 games over their careers. Sophomores Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young, meanwhile, both made an immediate impact in the 2024 season. • Jordan Botelho tied for seventh all-time in career games played in an Irish uniform with 59 appearances. He has 12.5 career sacks and 16.5 TFL. • Junior Tuihalamaka boasts two fumble recoveries – the second of which set up a late second-quarter touchdown for the Irish in a 23-10 Sugar Bowl win over No. 2 Georgia. The 2024 season saw Tuihalamaka set new single-season highs for tackles (33), TFLs (5.5) and sacks (three). • Jason Onye has competed in 28 games for the Irish and has 41 career tackles with three blocked kicks and a pair of sacks. • Jared Dawson joins the Irish from Louisville, where he played in 38 games with 51 tackles and 13.5 TFL. He has 65 career tackles through 46 games played with 16 TFLs, nine sacks, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles. • Boubacar Traore led all FBS freshman players in sacks prior to a season-ending injury in 2024. He notched a career-high two sacks for a loss of 21 yards against NC State and has 30 tackles with eight TFL and 6.5 sacks in 2025. Through 18 career games played, he has 42 tackles with 10.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception, which he returned for a touchdown. He was named the Defensive Comeback Player of the Month for September. • Donovan Hinish was named as a captain for the 2025 season. He boasts 55 career tackles with six sacks and a pass breakup. • Bryce Young totaled 23 tackles (14 solo) with 3.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks and two QB hurries in his first season with the Irish while also contributing to special teams. He ranked second in the nation (tied) in blocked kicks with three on the year (two blocked field goals and a blocked punt) in 2024 and has 37 career tackles through 24 games played. • Jaylen Sneed posted a career-best 51 tackles a season ago with 6.0 TFL and 2.5 sacks. He has 96 career tackles with 6.5 sacks, 12.5 TFL and four forced fumbles. • Drayk Bowen is on the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List and the Butkus Award Watch List ahead of the 2025 season. He posted 14 solo tackles at Boston College, the most solo tackles in a game by any FBS player in the nation this season. He has 147 career tackles with 7.5 TFL, three sacks and four forced fumbles. • Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa has 81 tackles through 23 career games with the Irish. He had career-highs for tackles (9), TFLs (2.5) and sacks (1.5) at Boston College. He tallied an interception against NC State and recovered a fumble against USC. • DeVonta Smith joined the Irish after four seasons at Alabama. Smith registered 30 tackles a season ago with a forced fumble and five pass breakups. • Leonard Moore was named to the 2025 Preseason All-America First Team lists by Walter Camp, Sporting News, the Associated Press, The Athletic, ESPN, CBS Sports, Athlon Sports and Phil Steele and is on the watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award. Moore has 70 tackles, 14 pass breakups and five interceptions through 23 games of his career. He was named as both the Walter Camp FBS Defensive Player of the Week and Thorpe Award Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7. • Jalen Stroman joined the Irish after four seasons at Virginia Tech. Stroman has 136 career tackles with six pass breakups and 3.0 TFL. He set a single-game high with 14 tackles in the 2023 season against Purdue. • Tae Johnson registered his first start for the Irish in the win over Purdue and recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown against Texas A&M. He has 46 tackles and three interceptions – including two at BC – through 12 games played in his career. He was named as a Midseason All-Freshman Team by The Athletic . • Adon Shuler started every game at safety in 2024 and posted three interceptions with 94 yards in returns. He has 112 career tackles with nine pass breakups. He was the only member of the 2024 Irish defense to record an interception, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble during the season. • Christian Gray started 15 games in 2024, totaling 35 tackles, three interceptions (including a pick-six returned 99 yards), nine pass breakups, 2.5 TFL and a forced fumble. Through 34 career games played, he has 62 tackles with 19 pass breakups and six interceptions.
