Notre Dame @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 9, 2010 ) Pittsburgh 17, Notre Dame 23

THE STORY: Pittsburgh hopes to rebound from a stunning collapse when it plays host to Notre Dame. The Panthers had a 17-point lead with less than 10 minutes remaining last week at Iowa before falling apart in a 31-27 defeat. The Fighting Irish, meanwhile, posted an impressive 31-13 home victory over then-No. 15 Michigan State, holding the Spartans to 29 yards rushing on 22 carries.

TV: ABC. LINE: Notre Dame -7.

ABOUT NOTRE DAME (1-2): The Fighting Irish, who lead the nation with 13 turnovers, gave the ball away three more times last weekend but still came away with their first win of the year. WR Michael Floyd has carried the load offensively, ranking fourth among FBS players in both receptions (10.33 per game) and receiving yards (132.33). RB Cierre Wood, who has 299 yards rushing through three games, scored a pair of touchdowns against Michigan State.

ABOUT PITTSBURGH (2-1): The Panthers now rank 119th among 120 FBS teams in pass defense after their meltdown in Iowa City, allowing a whopping 336.33 yards per contest. Offensively, Pittsburgh has been riding RB Ray Graham, who has six touchdowns and ranks fourth nationally in rushing with 139.7 yards per game. Good starts have been a key for the Panthers, who have not allowed a first-quarter point all season.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Pittsburgh's first-year head coach, Todd Graham, earned a thrilling 28-27 win at Notre Dame last year when he was the head coach at Tulsa.

2. This will be the 67th meeting in a series that dates back to 1909. Pittsburgh has won three of the last five meetings, including victories at Notre Dame Stadium in 2004 and 2008.

3. Floyd has 24 catches for 266 yards and three touchdowns in three career games against Pittsburgh, with his low totals (7 rec., 59 yds.) coming in last year's contest.

PREDICTION: Notre Dame 34, Pittsburgh 22. The Panthers will have a chip on their shoulder after blowing the big lead at Iowa, but it will take more than motivation for the nation's second-leakiest pass defense to contain the big and dynamic Floyd.