Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Non-conference rivals will collide on Saturday under the lights, as the red-hot Pittsburgh Panthers host the disappointing Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Heading into this season, Notre Dame had national championship aspirations, but the team fell to Michigan in game two and USC in mid-October to crush those hopes. Then, last weekend, the Irish suffered their third loss of the campaign in a 23-21 setback at home against Navy. Head coach Charlie Weis continues to be heavily criticized for failing to elevate the UND program, and he figures to need a strong finish to have a chance to return next season.

As for Pittsburgh, it has recorded five consecutive victories since suffering its lone loss of the season, a seven-point setback to a modest NC State club. The Panthers moved to 8-1 overall and 5-0 in the Big East Conference last weekend with a 37-10 romp over Syracuse. The 8-1 start is the first for the program since 1982 when Dan Marino was behind center. The Panthers are also unbeaten after five Big East games for the first time since 2002, although that team went on to lose its last two conference bouts.

Notre Dame owns a commanding 44-19-1 advantage in the all-time series with Pittsburgh, but the Panthers recorded a thrilling 36-33 overtime victory over the Fighting Irish last season.

Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate with 24 seconds remaining in last weekend's clash with Navy, bringing the score to its final of 23-21. For the game, Clausen completed 37-of-51 passes for 452 yards and two touchdowns with only one interceptions. Michael Floyd, who returned from a broken collarbone, made 10 catches for 141 yards and a score, while Tate finished with nine grabs for 132 yards.

"I'm not sure why we couldn't get them in the red zone," said Tate of Notre Dame's inability to cash in on their drives against Navy. "That's definitely something we're going to be focused on working on next week and hopefully change that around."

Unfortunately, standout tight end Kyle Rudolph hurt his shoulder in the Navy game, while tailback Armando Allen suffered an ankle injury. Both players are listed as questionable for this weekend's tilt.

Navy is a run-oriented team which attempted only three passes against Notre Dame. The Midshipmen had two completions, including a 52-yard touchdown pass that proved to be a back-breaker for the Irish. Notre Dame allowed 348 rushing yards in the tilt at a clip of 6.1 yards per carry, an embarrassing showing by the defense. Not a single takeaway was registered, and the Fighting Irish defense spent well over 32 minutes on the field.

"I think the first thing you have to do is stop the fullback," said Weis after the game. "That's where the whole defense starts, with stopping the fullback. He had too many yards, some of them easy yards, and he had a couple of big runs."

Notre Dame is scoring 30.1 ppg this season while racking up 463.7 total ypg, and Clausen has posted Heisman-type numbers despite the team's three losses. Clausen has completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 2,770 yards and 20 touchdowns against only three interceptions. Tate has made 65 grabs for 1,059 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he figures to be in line for All-America honors. Floyd has played just three-and-a-half games this season, and the fact that he has six touchdowns speaks to his ability.

Opponents are scoring 22.9 ppg against Notre Dame, which is allowing 38.6 total ypg. The pass defense has been an area of weakness, yielding 237.4 ypg. The fact that the Irish are giving up 4.4 yards per rushing attempt suggests that the run defense has been shaky as well. Kyle McCarthy continues to lead Notre Dame in tackles with 72, and he has intercepted five passes.

Pittsburgh has scored at least 24 points in every game this season, and the team is averaging a robust 34.6 ppg to go along with 408.4 total ypg. The offense has generated 37 touchdowns this season, with 19 through the air and 18 on the ground. The fact that Pitt is averaging 5.1 yards per rushing attempt and 12.6 yards per pass completion is impressive.

Bill Stull has been tremendous under center, as he has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 1,879 yards and 17 touchdowns against four interceptions. There are some talented targets in the fold, and tight end Dorin Dickerson leads the way with 39 catches and 10 receiving touchdowns. Jonathan Baldwin has made the most of his 35 catches, racking up 698 yards with four scores. As for the ground attack, freshman Dion Lewis has already posted 1,139 yards and 12 touchdowns, tremendous numbers for any tailback, especially a rookie.

While the Pitt offense garners most of the headlines, and rightly so, the team's defense has certainly been solid. The Panthers are yielding 17.1 ppg and 310.9 total ypg, and they have been particularly tough against the run, limiting foes to 3.1 yards per attempt. A tremendous total of 38 sacks have been registered, and Greg Romeus leads the way with 7.5 quarterback take- downs.

The Panthers torched Syracuse last week for 481 total yards, including 247 yards on the ground. Lewis rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, and Baldwin had a 61-yard run in that game. Stull completed 16-of-23 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown, and Dickerson made seven catches for 118 yards and a score.

"You never know who is going to get the ball every week," said Dickerson after the win. "You never know, in our offense, who is going to make the play. That's the good thing about our offense. You don't know who to matchup on, you don't know who to double-cover."

Defensively, the Panthers limited the Orange to 285 yards and came up with three big interceptions. Their play against the run wasn't quite as good as the pass defense, but the overall effort was solid as usual.

"We had a great week at practice, knowing their schemes," said safety Jarred Holley. "We practiced real hard, and I think that was a big part today. I think we came ready to play."

11/11 11:12:40 ET