NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame passing game clicked throughout the first half and as a result the Fighting Irish lead Pittsburgh 17-3 at the half.

Notre Dame’s defense has bent a bit, but the Fighting Irish are keeping the Panthers out of the end zone.

• ND quarterback Dayne Crist gets hot as he completes 11 passes in a row. It was his feet, however, that gave the Fighting Irish a 14-3 lead over Pittsburgh.
• On its last three scoring drives, including the last one at Boston College a week ago, Notre Dame has had its longest three drives of the year in terms of time of possession. The last three drives have been 4:44, 4:50 and 6:25. So much for a quick-strike offense.
• Irish kicker David Ruffer sets new record as he kicks his 14^th straight field goal to begin his career. He also ties the mark of teammate Nick Tausch, who kicked 14 straight last season.
• Pittsburgh may want to get some new shoes before starting the second half, or at least some different cleats. Three times receivers have slipped, one of which was intercepted and led to an Irish score.
• Pittsburgh and Notre Dame have ran nearly the identical number of plays, but the Panthers hold a 188-178 edge in total offense. The Irish running passing game has accounted for 135 of those yards as Crist is 13-of-17.
• Neither running game has done much as the two teams have combined for 75 yards rushing.