0 Turnovers caused by Notre Dame in its last two games, North Carolina and Washington. The Irish may be due to cause some against Pitt – similar to how Notre Dame committed five at North Carolina after having no turnovers in the two previous contests against Purdue and Stanford.
2 Field goals in as many attempts by Brandon Walker, tying his career high set last season in a 20-6 victory at UCLA. More importantly, he’s drilled three straight after a 1-of-7 start.
4 Three-and-outs for Washington on its first five possessions in the first half. The Huskies managed only 38 yards total offense in the first 30 minutes.
5 Touchdown passes caught by Michael Floyd this season after his 51-yard tally on Notre Dame’s opening possession. The score set a new record among Irish freshman receivers.
8-0 Record under Charlie Weis versus Pac-10 opponents not named USC. He is 4-0 against Stanford and 2-0 versus Washington and UCLA.
10 Freshmen who have seen action this year for Notre Dame, with tight end Joseph Fauria making his debut in Seattle. Look for everyone else to be withheld from action this year to preserve a year of eligibility.
35 Yards gained by Harrison Smith on a second-half punt fake. Smith had a 23-yard run off a similar ruse earlier in the year in the 28-21 victory against Stanford. They represent the first- and third-longest rushing plays by the Irish this season.
124 Yards total offense compiled by Washington. That’s the smallest total against the Irish defense since Rutgers had a paltry 43 in a 62-0 loss at Notre Dame in 1996.
252 Yards rushing amassed by Notre Dame against the Huskies, the second-highest in Weis’ 44 games with the Irish. The most came in his first game (275), a 42-21 victory at Pitt. It marked the 10th time under Weis Notre Dame eclipsed the 200-yard mark on the ground, with the lone loss coming to Navy last year.
Three Observations
James Gang – Junior James Aldridge has found a niche the past few weeks as a short-yardage back, and his downhill running has been done with much authority. The Irish probably could have passed for 400 yards against the Huskies, but Charlie Weis and Co. were committed to running the ball at least 40 times to establish some rhythm and repetition in that area.
When the Lights Turn On – Many people often wonder how someone couldn’t beat out Brandon Walker at placekicker, but the reality always has been there has been no one close to doing so, and it’s not as easy as it looks or sounds. Walk-on David Ruffer excelled in practice, earning him a seat on the plane to Seattle, but it’s a little different when it’s for keeps.
Motion Against Defenses – Hmmm, Washington was at or near the bottom in most statistical categories, Pitt yielded 54 points to a Rutgers team averaging 16.7 points, Boston College surrendered 45 points at North Carolina, Notre Dame keeps displaying more promise…suddenly a 9-2 record heading into Los Angeles looks more probable. Still, beware of wounded Panthers and angry Eagles.
2 Field goals in as many attempts by 
|