Three keys and prediction: Notre Dame-Pittsburgh

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1. Re-start C.J. Prosise. The redshirt junior and converted slot receiver had his worst game as a running back last week, managing just 25 yards on 14 carries against Temple’s disciplined, physical defense. It was his first game with fewer than 100 total yards since last year’s USC game, and was deemed a “learning experience” inside the Guglielmino Athletics Complex. The lesson for Prosise this week was focused on gaining a few yards when the big plays aren’t there — six of his 14 runs against Temple were for zero or negative yards. The good news for Prosise, though, is Pitt’s defense has been gouged for six rushing plays of 50 or more yards (the third-highest total among FBS teams), so big plays could be back on the table this week. Notre Dame’s offense operates at its best when Prosise is a home run threat, so getting him back to his pre-Halloween success should lead to a solid afternoon for the Irish offense.

2. More boom than bust on defense. Pitt’s offense doesn’t generate many big plays, but operates with decent efficiency. This presents an interesting challenge for an Irish defense that’s forced plenty of three-and-outs but frequently gets gouged for explosive plays. Pitt’s isolated points per play (Bill Connelly’s explosiveness statistic) ranks 107th, and the Panthers only have 91 plays of 10 or more yards, tied for the 10th-fewest at the FBS level with Boston College’s atrocious offense. Notre Dame’s stout third-down defense should have no problem keeping Pitt’s offense off the field if it can force some third-and-long situations.

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3. Wake up. Notre Dame hasn’t kicked off a regular season game at noon since its 2011 trip to Pittsburgh and is generally used to 3:30 p.m. ET and primetime kickoffs. That routine will be thrown off a bit on Saturday with a noon start against a Pitt team that’s played the Irish tough recent memory. “We'll have to make some appropriate changes in our schedule,” coach Brian Kelly said. “But we certainly believe that there won't be any excuses for the kind of play that we'll need against a very good Pitt team.”

Prediction: Notre Dame 30, Pitt 23

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