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SOUTH BEND, Indiana (Ticker) -- At least for one week, the doom and gloom has been lifted from the Notre Dame campus. Carlyle Holiday rushed for 122 yards and Julius Jones scored two touchdowns as the struggling Fighting Irish recorded their first win of the season, 24-7 over Pittsburgh. Notre Dame (1-3) had started 0-3 for the first time in the history of one of college football's most storied programs. The Fighting Irish came into Saturday's contest ranked 113th in Division I-A in total offense and last in scoring, averaging just 7.7 points per game. Saturday's victory did not come easily as Pittsburgh (1-3) played Notre Dame to a 7-7 tie at halftime. But Nicholas Setta snapped the tie with a 40-yard field goal with 6:05 remaining in the third quarter. Holiday, making his second straight start, ripped off a 67-yard TD run to give the Irish a 17-7 lead just over five minutes later. Notre Dame clinched the win on Jones' one-yard TD run with 5:13 left in the fourth quarter. Jones carried 25 times for 69 yards. Holiday carried 19 times and provided a spark for the Irish, who gained a season-high 310 yards. He completed 10-of-13 for just 70 yards. Jones' five-yard TD capped a 10-play, 52-yard drive that gave Notre Dame a 7-0 lead with 3:51 left in the first quarter. Pittsburgh, which was held to 232 total yards, tied the contest on David Priestley's 32-yard TD pass to Antonio Bryant five seconds into the second period. Priestley completed 10-of-19 for 163 yards, but was intercepted twice. Notre Dame held Pittsburgh to just 50 yards on the ground. Notre Dame increased its lead in the all-time series to 41-17-1. It was the first meeting between the long-time rivals since the Panthers posted a 37-27 victory on November 13, 1999 in the final game at Pitt Stadium.
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