Notre Dame Defense Looks to Slow Down Productive Pitt Pass Attack: Previewing the Panthers Offense
- Brenden Duffy
- Nov 11, 2025
- 8 min read
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
At noon on Saturday, all eyes will be on the top-25 matchup held at Acrisure Stadium between Notre Dame and Pitt. The Irish travel to Pittsburgh looking to extend their win streak over the Panthers to five while keeping their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Pitt, in the thick of a heated ACC battle, certainly would like to keep their recent momentum going with an upset win before dates with Georgia Tech and Miami.
Pitt Results (7-2):
61-9 vs Duquesne (W)
45-17 vs Central Michigan (W)
24-31 at West Virginia (OT L)
27-34 vs Louisville (L)
48-7 vs Boston College (W)
34-31 at Florida State (W)
30-13 at Syracuse (W)
53-34 vs NC State (W)
35-20 at Stanford (W)
Seven days after not being asked to do much against Navy’s heavy-run attack, the Irish’s middling pass defense will be tasked with a challenge this week against Pitt’s pass-heavy offense. Following back-to-back early-season losses, the Panthers benched second-year starting QB Eli Holstein in favor of freshman Mason Heintschel. Since the move, both the offense and wins have picked up with Pitt entering this weekend 5-0 with Heintschel leading the way.
Offensive Stats (National Rank):
39.7 points per game (6th)
426.8 total yards per game (36th)
302.6 pass yards per game (11th)
24 pass touchdowns (tied-7th)
12 interceptions (tied-129th)
124.22 rush yards per game (104th)
3.65 yards per carry (tied-112th)
70% 4th down conversion rate (tied-15th)
2.89 sacks per game allowed (120th)
Following a disappointing 3-9 2023 season, long-time Pitt Head Coach Pat Narduzzi let go of Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr., brother of Curt. Narduzzi brought in Western Carolina OC and QB Coach Kade Bell prior to 2024 to work at Pitt in the same roles. In 2023, Bell was the mind behind a Western Carolina offense that led the FCS in total offense and finished top-10 in scoring. Last season, Bell’s first at Pitt, he made the Panthers a top-50 offense as they finished 7-6. As seen by the stats above, the 32-year-old has Pitt’s offense, specifically the pass, playing at a high level at this point of the year.
Personnel:
Quarterback:
Mason Heintschel - Bell and the Panthers made the switch to the true freshman following a 2-2 start to the season. Heintschel has performed well as a passer and showcases promising potential. The 6-2, 215-pound QB has completed 64.1% of his pass attempts for 1,547 yards and 12 touchdowns with five interceptions in six games played (five starts). Heintschel has thrown for over 300 yards with at least two touchdowns in four of his five starts. He threw for a season-high 423 yards against NC State on 28/48 attempts with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Against Boston College, the freshman threw a season-high four touchdowns on 30/41 attempts for 323 yards with no picks. One unfavorable trend has been the number of sacks Heintschel has taken on the road. Across three road starts, the QB has taken 14 sacks, and his overall performance has suffered as a result. Heintschel took a season-high seven sacks at Syracuse when he threw for just 140 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. At FSU, he took five sacks and threw two picks in the game. Two weeks ago at Stanford, the freshman took two sacks in a four-turnover performance, including two interceptions and two lost fumbles. Another lowlight of Heintschel’s start to his career is that his deep ball has cost him four interceptions, something that the Notre Dame secondary has made opposing QBs pay for. The freshman signal-caller likes to work between the numbers and can really hurt defenses if given a clean pocket. However, his completion rate drops to 38.6% and he has thrown three interceptions when under pressure this year.
On the ground, Heintschel is not much of a threat in my opinion. He has rushed for 143 yards and one touchdown on 49 attempts. The freshman QB has five fumbles on the year, and has lost two of them. Heintschel rushed for a season-high 64 yards on 16 carries at FSU, but he did fumble twice in the game. He has shown some ability to make defenders miss with eight missed tackles forced this season.
Running Backs:
Ja’Kyrian Turner - While starting RB Desmond Reid has dealt with a nagging injury, Pitt has given this freshman an increased workload. Turner is the Panthers’ leading rusher with 88 carries for 399 yards and six touchdowns in eight games played this season. The 5-9, 180-pound RB has had five games with at least 10 carries for 40 yards. He rushed for a season-high 127 yards and two touchdowns on 22 attempts in the win at Stanford. Turner is a good, elusive runner with no fumbles and 12 missed tackles forced, who can beat defenses inside and outside.
Turner is not much of a receiving threat in my opinion. He has 13 receptions for 119 yards through the air this season. The freshman has at least one catch in six games, including a season-high of four at FSU when he tallied 34 yards. Turner recorded a season-high 36 yards at Stanford across three receptions. The RB has proven to be a capable short-yardage option but has two drops on 17 targets. Turner’s 9.2 yards per reception and 8.8 yards after catch per reception highlight what he can do with an open field.
Desmond Reid - Pitt’s star RB has missed three games this season, including the Panthers’ latest game at Stanford, while dealing with an injury. Reid was a game-time decision against the Cardinal, so I would expect to see him suit up this Saturday, assuming Coach Narduzzi wants to win this game. In six games played, the senior RB has 55 carries for 266 yards and two touchdowns with no fumbles. Reid has at least six carries for 30 yards in each game he has played this year. The 5-8, 175-pound RB rushed for a season-high 66 yards and a touchdown against Duquesne on eight attempts. Reid is another good runner with 11 missed tackles forced. He prefers to get outside the edges on his touches.
What makes Reid special is his receiving ability out of the backfield. The senior has tallied 254 yards and two touchdowns on 17 receptions this season. He has at least one catch in four games and exploded at FSU when he recorded 155 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches in the road win. Reid has no drops across 20 targets this season while averaging 14.9 yards per reception and 10.4 yards after catch per reception. While mostly utilized as a short-yardage option, the speedy back is capable of taking the top off defenses.
Others to watch: Juelz Goff
Receivers:
Kenny Johnson - The Panthers’ leading receiver also serves as a dangerous return specialist. Johnson’s 16.4 all-purpose yards per play are 11th among all FBS players, while his 102 all-purpose yards per game rank 50th. As a receiver, the junior has 573 yards and four touchdowns on 37 receptions. The starting wideout’s 63.7 receiving yards per game are tied-79th among FBS pass-catchers. He has at least one catch in each game and recorded a season-high 115 yards and one touchdown on nine catches against Boston College. Johnson did lose a fumble against Louisville this year. The 6-1, 205-pound target averages an impressive 15.5 yards per reception and 6.6 yards after catch per reception. He has shown his elusiveness with 10 missed tackles forced, the most among Pitt receivers. However, Johnson also leads Pitt’s WRs with three drops across 57 targets. The junior is a solid deep threat with four catches for 100 yards and a touchdown on six targets of 20 or more yards. Like most of the Panthers’ receivers, most of Johnson’s production comes between the numbers.
Raphael “Poppi” Williams Jr. - Starting in the slot is this solid redshirt senior. Williams has 525 yards and a team-high six touchdowns on 36 receptions this season, including at least one catch in each game. The 5-10, 165-pound receiver recorded a season-high 119 yards in the overtime loss at West Virginia on six receptions, including a touchdown. Williams hauled in a season-high two touchdowns against Central Michigan across five catches for 81 yards. The slot-man averages a productive 14.6 yards per reception and has no drops on 56 targets this year. Williams is capable of beating defenses in the short or long game and does most of his work between the numbers.
Cataurus “Blue” Hicks - Starting opposite of Johnson is this redshirt sophomore Louisville transfer. Hicks has totaled 353 yards and four touchdowns on 19 receptions this season, including at least one catch in seven games. His 18.58 yards per reception ranks 20th among all FBS pass-catchers. The 5-10, 175-pound wideout recorded a season-high 120 yards against NC State on just four receptions, including a touchdown. Hicks had a season-high two touchdowns against Duquesne across four receptions for 55 yards. The sophomore is a decent receiver, averaging 7.2 yards after catch per reception. He does have two drops across 33 targets this year. Hicks is another capable deep threat with 224 yards and three touchdowns on five catches across 12 targets of 20 or more yards. Again, Hicks also finds most of his production between the numbers.
Others to watch: Deuce Spann, Bryce Yates
Tight Ends:
Justin Holmes - Pitt’s starting TE is this senior transfer from Marshall. This season, Holmes has 16 receptions for 152 yards and two touchdowns. He has at least one catch in seven games, including a season-high of four at Stanford when he recorded 34 yards. The 6-3, 245-pounder tallied a season-high 40 yards and a touchdown against Boston College on three catches, but he did fumble in the blowout win. Holmes is a decent receiving threat who is averaging 9.5 yards per reception and has no drops on 23 targets this year. The senior serves as a good short to medium yardage option but is not a deep threat.
Others to watch: Jake Overman, Malachi Thomas
Offensive Linemen:
LT Jeff Persi (has been out since week 7 with injury) OR Kendall Stanley (left Stanford game early with injury) OR Jiavani Cooley, LG Ryan Carretta, C Lyndon Cooper, RG BJ Williams, RT Ryan Baer - As you can see, Pitt is dealing with some injury issues at LT heading into this weekend. Persi and Stanley are both transfers who have performed as solid pass-blockers but have struggled with the run. Cooley, a redshirt freshman, has struggled in limited snaps this season, with two pressures, including a QB hit, allowed across 33 pass-block snaps. LG Carretta earned a starting role this season and has performed well as a pass-blocker and decently as a run-blocker. C Cooper, RG Williams, and RT Baer are all returning starters. Cooper and Williams are both good all-around blockers. Baer is the best run-blocker on this unit, but his pass block has been questionable with a team-high 22 pressures and five sacks allowed across 361 attempts. After not playing last week against Navy, look for Notre Dame edge rusher Boubacar Traore to have an impactful game.
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