Notre Dame crushed Pittsburgh 58-7 on Saturday night in South Bend.

Audric Estime led the Fighting Irish with 3 touchdowns on the ground. He also rushed for game-high 114 yards and caught a pair of passes as well. Sam Hartman threw for 288 yards on just 25 attempts in the victory.

Notre Dame’s defense held Pitt to just 163 yards through three quarters. The Panthers were able to move the ball a little bit better in the fourth quarter once the outcome was no longer in doubt.

Here are three takeaways from Notre Dame’s win:

Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers

Despite the 59 total points, it was Notre Dame’s defense who stood out. For the second consecutive game, Notre Dame’s defense forced 5 turnovers. The Irish also had 5 takeaways in its win over USC back in Week 7.

It was once again Xavier Watts who made a big impact in the turnover department. He had two interceptions this week and was also credited with a tackle for loss. Jaden Mickey and Christian Gray were the other two defenders who had interceptions in this contest.

This week, Notre Dame turned those 5 turnovers into 23 points on offense.

Efficient offense

Notre Dame’s offense had a great week against a solid Pitt defense. The Irish averaged 8.2 yards per play on Saturday. This is the first time Notre Dame has gone over 8 yards per play since the Central Michigan game back in September.

Hartman did throw 2 interceptions in this contest, but that was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect offensive performance. Steve Angeli also did well during his reps, completing 6-of-7 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Notre Dame had possession of the ball for 35:31.

Looking ahead

Notre Dame has a clear path to its first 10-win season under Marcus Freeman and a potential New Year’s Six bowl berth.

The Fighting Irish will face a downtrodden Clemson team next week in Death Valley. The Tigers lost again on Saturday, moving to 4-4 on the season. Since facing Notre Dame with an undefeated record last season, the Tigers are 7-7 in their last 14 games.

Notre Dame’s other opponents to close out the regular season are Notre Dame and Stanford.