In a season best known for a pair of No. 5s, a duo of No. 2s nearly undid it. If speaking frankly, Bennett Jackson and Chris Brown should have undone it. Only a referee’s oversight allowed Notre Dame to continue its chase of a perfect season, rather than fall at the hands of a middling Pittsburgh.
Such are the breaks needed in college football.
In some respects, the 8-0 Irish should not have needed overtime to beat the Panthers, let alone three overtimes. They outgained the visitors 522 yards to 308, holding the ball for 10 more minutes and running 42 more plays.