A couple of schools that prefer to run the football, Head Coach Brian Kelly and the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-21) are prepared to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers at Notre Dame Stadium. This vital afternoon matchup will get going at 2:30 p.m. ET and NBC is scheduled to broadcast the action.
Betting Preview: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Pittsburgh Panthers
Notre Dame has been tabbed as heavily favored in this one and is currently giving up 21 points to Pittsburgh. Oddsmakers haven’t determined what the game’s over/under (O/U) will be yet. If one side can create a bunch of points early, it would probably produce a decent betting opportunity in-game.
The initial odds have recently shifted. This game’s line opened at -21.
The Panthers are down 0.7 units so far in 2018 and 2-4 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 3-2.
The surprising Fighting Irish are up 5.3 units this season. The team is 4-2 ATS and has an even O/U record of 3-3.
The Panthers have gone 3-3 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Fighting Irish are 6-0 SU.
The Panthers just got a 44-37 victory over Syracuse last week. Kenny Pickett completed only 11-of-20 passes for 137 yards, along with one score and a pick. Qadree Ollison (192 rushing yards on 24 attempts, one TD) and Darrin Hall (107 yards on 17 carries, two TDs) provided the ground attack while Ollison (two receptions, 15 yards) and Shocky Jacques-Louis (two catches, 16 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
The Notre Dame Irish just earned a 45-23 win over Virginia Tech. The defensive unit allowed the Hokies to pass for 309 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 132 yards. Damon Hazelton was a bright spot in the defeat for Virginia Tech, accounting for 131 yards on 12 catches. For Notre Dame, Ian Book completed 25-of-35 passes for 271 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Dexter Williams (178 yards on 17 rush attempts, three TDs) handled the running attack as Miles Boykin (eight receptions, 117 yards, two TDs) and Alize Mack (six catches, 39 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Pittsburgh has run the ball on 62.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Notre Dame has a rush percentage of 59.0 percent. The Panthers have rushed for 203.8 yards/game and have 12 scores on the ground this year. The Irish are averaging 195.7 rushing yards per game and have 16 total rush TDs.
It seems like the Irish ought to hold an edge in the trenches. Their offensive line has yielded only 10 sacks while the D-line has logged 15 sacks. The Panthers offensive line has given up 13 sacks and their defense has created only 11 sacks.
The Panthers offense has averaged 149.2 yards in the air overall and has six passing TDs so far. The Irish have produced 246.0 pass yards per game and have 10 total pass scores.
Defensively, Pittsburgh has let opponents run for an average of 196.8 yards and pass for 224.0 yards per game. The Notre Dame D has allowed 229.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 127.8 yards per game on the ground. The Irish are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.13 to opposing QBs, while the Panthers have allowed a 6.70 ANY/A.
Offensively, Pickett has put up 717 passing yards this season, and has connected on 61 percent of his 116 attempts with five scores through the air and four interceptions. Pickett has a 4.33 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.06 over the last two games.
The Panthers will probably try to control tempo by pounding the defense with their running backs. Maurice Ffrench (126 yards, one TD) has been a recent factor in the receiving game, but the RB tandem of Qadree Ollison (547 rush yards, five rush TDs) and Darrin Hall (270 rush yards, four rush TDs) have brought significant production to the Pittsburgh offensive scheme.
On the other sideline, Ian Book has managed to complete 53-of-72 passes for 609 yards, five TDs and one INT. Book’s ANY/A sits at 8.65 for the year and 8.51 across his past two outings.
The Irish also prefer to leverage their backfield. In addition to Dexter Williams (zero receiving yards), Miles Boykin (zero rush yards, 284 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) and Chris Finke (zero rush yards, 213 receiving yards, one TD) have seen plenty of looks lately.
Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Prediction
SU Winner: Notre Dame, ATS Winner: Pittsburgh
Betting Trends
- Notre Dame has lost one fumble this season while Pittsburgh has let six get away.
- The Notre Dame D has tallied 15 sacks on the year while Pittsburgh has 11.
- Pittsburgh has rushed for 5.18965517241379 yards per attempt over its past three outings and 4.7 over its last two.
- Notre Dame has averaged 5.4 yards per carry over its last three contests and 5.0 over its last two.
- In its last three matchups, Notre Dame is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
- Pittsburgh was getting 3 points in its last game and the Over/Under was 57.5. The over cashed and Pittsburgh covered in the 44-37 victory over Syracuse.
- In its last three games, Pittsburgh is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- Notre Dame was getting 7 points in its previous game and the Over/Under was set at 53.5. The over cashed and Notre Dame covered in the team’s 45-23 triumph over Virginia Tech.
