WATCH: Pitt's Maurice Ffrench Returns 2nd Half Kickoff 99 Yards For TD vs. Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Ian Book threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Miles Boykin with 5:43 remaining and No. 5 Notre Dame remained unbeaten, coming from behind and then holding off Pittsburgh 19-14 on Saturday.

Pitt led 14-12 thanks to a long first-quarter touchdown drive and a 99-yard kickoff return by Maurice Ffrench to start the second half.

Pat Narduzzi's Panthers were looking to upset an Associated Press top-five team for the third straight season after knocking off No. 3 Clemson in Death Valley during the 2016 season and No. 2 Miami last November in Pittsburgh.

But the Irish, who were held to 80 yards rushing, prevailed behind Book, who finished with 264 yards passing despite being intercepted twice.

Pitt senior running tandem of Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison rushed for 62 and 50 yards, respectively, with Ollison scoring the Panthers' first touchdown on a 9-yard run that capped a 17-play drive on their first possession of the game.

Kenny Pickett was 19 for 28 for 126 yards, and was sacked by Khalid Kareem - Notre Dame's only sack of the game - for a loss of 14 yards on Pitt's final possession to set up a fourth-and-long the Panthers could not convert.

Pitt also ran a strange faked punt on its second-to-last drive around midfield that failed.

TAKEAWAYS

Pittsburgh: The Panthers gained just 12 yards on their last three drives of the first half. Their first, however, was a thing of beauty: 17 plays, 88 yards, six first downs, consuming 9:43 of the clock and ending with Ollison taking a direct snap, faking an end-around handoff and running into the end zone on second-and-goal from the Irish 9.

UP NEXT

Pittsburgh: Off next week and plays host to Duke Oct. 27.