Notre Dame Football: 3 Bold predictions for the Irish against Pittsburgh

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Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden watches in the third quarter against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

Defense to record 3+ sacks

The Fighting Irish defense is coming off its best performance of the season, as the unit forced Caleb Williams and the USC offense into five turnovers. Moreover, the Irish put Williams under duress on virtually every play, and in turn, Marcus Freeman’s defenders produced six sacks on the night. That sack output was by far the highest of the campaign.

Coming into the Southern Cal game, Notre Dame football had only sacked the quarterback at most twice in a singular game (twice against Navy, Duke, and Louisville). Thus, tripling that output versus the Trojans was exceptionally unexpected.

With that said, led by Howard Cross lll, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, and Marist Liufau, I’m predicting that the Irish defense will produce at least 3 sacks against Pittsburgh this Saturday. At a minimum, it would be better than seven other performances this year, which would be quite an achievement.

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