(Pittsburgh) — Notre Dame went to the Steel City and showed the kind of workmanlike effort one would expect in this town.

Jeremiyah Love ran for 147 yards and a whirling dervish touchdown, Malachi Fields added two touchdowns catches of his own and the Irish defense put the clamps on one of the nation’s top scoring offenses in a 37-15 win Saturday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium.

“We have to play with the physicality we demand,” said Irish head coach Marcus Freeman. “It’s not just for a certain game. It’s always. Pitt makes you earn everything, but our offense was gritty and tough and our offensive line did a great job today.”

The win is Notre Dame’s eighth in a row and puts the Irish in prime position for the College Football Playoffs entering their final two games of the season.

After Erik Schmidt missed a 46-yard field goal attempt on Notre Dame’s first possession, Love made short work of the second possession. The All-American took a handoff up the middle, did a full 360-spin to his left to avoid a tackle and then sprinted 56 yards for the score.

On the next play from scrimmage, Irish safety Tae Johnson stepped in front of a Mason Heintschel pass and raced 49 yards for his first career touchdown and Notre Dame owned a 14-0 lead just seven minutes into the game.

“It felt great…I want more,” smiled Johnson afterwards. “Film study is everything. That has to be our edge.”

Pittsburgh picked off CJ Carr on the first play of the second quarter, with Kavir Bains returning the interception all the way to the Irish 12. Notre Dame’s defense stiffened, forcing a Sam Carpenter 24-yard field goal that cut the gap to 14-3.

The Irish failed on a fourth-and-goal at the 1 on its next possession, but Carr was not deterred. The freshman quarterback saw a Pitt player jump offsides on the next possession and lofted a fade route to the left sideline for Malachi Fields, who made the touchdown grab to account for the 21-3 halftime lead.

Fields caught another touchdown on a six-pard pass early in the third as Notre Dame asserted control.

Pitt seemed to be getting back into the game late in the quarter when Rasheem Biles surprised Carr with a pick-six. On the two-point conversion, though, Heintschel was pilfered in the end zone by Adon Shuler, who weaved his way 100 yards for a pick-two, giving the Irish a 30-9 lead.

“If the offense struggled, the defense stepped up,” noted Freeman. “That’s complementary football.”

The two teams traded fourth quarter touchdowns, with Pitt making its score on the final play of the game.

Notre Dame now returns home for Senior Day next Saturday, facing Syracuse. Kickoff is set for just after 3:30 p.m.