Here are three things to look forward to tomorrow morning...
1. Get Prosise going again. C.J. Prosise had a tough time last week versus Temple, and he faces another good defense tomorrow. Nevertheless, I fully expect Brian Kelly to make an effort to get Prosise going early and often. By doing this, one of two things will happen. Either Prosise will run it down Pitt's throat, or we will find out if Pitt will load the box to take him away like Clemson and Temple did. If that becomes the case, Kelly has shown he'll let DeShone Kizer take over. No defense has been able to stop both the run game and the passing game, so I don't expect that to happen tomorrow.
2. Be efficient in the red zone. Ever since Brian Kelly came to Notre Dame, the Irish have struggled in the red zone. I think a large part of that was the immobility of Tommy Rees, and turnovers were an issue with Everett Golson. This season, I feel the red zone efficiency hasn't been brutal, but it could have cost the Irish last week. Touchdowns are obviously more important than field goals, but avoiding careless turnovers and getting points is main key. I'm hoping for a flawless performance (TD or FG) in the red zone tomorrow. If that happens, then Notre Dame shouldn't have much trouble leaving with a victory.
3. Complete performance from Russell. Cornerback KeiVarae Russell has had an up-and-down season, but he has produced two of Notre Dame's biggest interceptions of the year. Still, Russell can and should be playing a more consistent level of defense. Pitt doesn't feature an explosive passing game, so now would be the time to play like a shutdown corner.
Pitt's defense will keep them in the game, but the Irish offense will be too hard to completely stop.
Prediction: Notre Dame 30, Pittsburgh 20
-Eric Tichelbaut
Twitter @etichel07
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