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.