Notre Dame found a downfield passing game for two scores, notched a special teams touchdown and completely shut down Pittsburgh’s offense. In other words, absolutely everything went right for the No. 3 Irish (5-0, 4-0 ACC) in their 28-3 breeze by Pittsburgh (3-4, 2-4) on Saturday.
This was supposed to be a genuine challenge for Notre Dame, both on paper and in reality, a first this season. It was not.
A week after the Irish passing game may as well have not existed, fifth-year quarterback Ian Book connected with graduate transfer receiver Ben Skowronek for two deep touchdowns, both times beating the Panthers’ usual one-on-one coverage with athletic catchees followed by untouched dashes toward the goal line.