Recap: Notre Dame 23, Pittsburgh 17
Oct 9, 2010
Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist celebrated his 21st birthday by hitting on 24 of 39 passes for 242 yards as the Irish defeated Pittsburgh 23-17. Crist hit Michael Floyd on a two-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and ran nine yards for another score early in the second quarter. David Ruffer hit on 3 of 3 field goals for the Irish. He now has made 16 straight, a Notre Dame record.
On their first possession, the Panthers' Dan Hutchins kicked a 26-yard field goal to give Pitt a 3-0 lead. The Irish then scored as Crist threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Floyd, giving ND a 7-3 lead. Crist scored on a nine-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter to give the Irish a 14-3 lead. Ruffer's 32-yard field goal gave Notre Dame a 17-3 lead at halftime.
Ruffer started the scoring in the third quarter by hitting on a 50-yard field goal, his Notre Dame record-breaking 15th straight which gave the Irish a 20-3 lead. Panthers quarterback Tino Sunseri closed the gap to 20-10 when he bootlegged a four-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. Ruffer hit on a 32-yarder to make it 23-10 Irish, his 16th straight. Sunseri hit wide receiver Jon Baldwin on a 56-yard scoring strike to make the score 23-17 midway through the fourth quarter.
The Irish improved their record to 3-3 while Pitt dropped to 2-3.