THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S AND HOLY CROSS ESTABLISHED 1966
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2025 | VOL. LX, NO. 32
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Irish shred Panthers in GameDay showdown By Chris Dailey Sports Writer
On a perfect day for football in the Steel City, Notre Dame notched an impressive 37-15 ranked win over No. 22 Pitt. The Irish’s dominant play silenced the Panthers’ vibrant head coach Pat Narduzzi. The win also adds another impressive mark to Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff resume. The game started off cagey. Pitt’s initial possession ended with a monstrous sack from junior defensive end Joshua Burnham. The 6-foot-4 mammoth of a human being powered through the Panthers’ lackluster offensive line before clobbering Pitt’s talented freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel to the ground. Sophomore safety Adon Shuler added an equally impressive hit that sent shockwaves around Pittsburgh just a few plays prior. To the dismay of the large contingent of Blue and Gold faithful nestled in the upper decks at Acrisure Stadium,
MARIELLA TADDONIO | The Observer
Junior running back Jeremiyah Love (4) carries the football during Notre Dame’s 37-15 defeat of Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 15, 2025. Love finished the game with 147 rushing yards, 56 coming on a score.
Notre Dame’s offensive unit was able to carry the momentum of the defense into its opening drive. The Irish worked the ball into field-goal range. However, freshman Erik Schmidt’s attempt hooked wide right. One Panthers three-and-out
later, Notre Dame’s superstar junior running back Jeremiyah Love exploded on the Irish’s first play of the drive for a 56-yard touchdown. After racing through a hole opened by Notre Dame’s star-studded offensive line, Love cleverly twirled around
Students and faculty react to November elections By David Murphy
an oncoming defender before racing to the house. The play deservingly generated a ton of buzz on social media, with many labeling Love as a Heisman candidate. The run is made even more impressive considering Pitt marched into the top-25 clash
boasting the third-ranked rushing defense in the country, giving up just shy of 81 yards per game on the ground. After the game, Freeman spoke of Love’s explosive playmaking ability against the stingy Panthers’ rush defense, saying, “Man, it was like a fight. Grit, every yard. Then also, Jeremiyah is going to break one. That’s what he does. He’s going to break a tackle and make a play.” With the touchdown, the Irish took a 7-0 lead. Just 10 seconds later, that lead was doubled on the first play of Pitt’s drive as Heintschel was picked off by freshman safety Tae Johnson. The young safety took it to the end zone directly in front of the previously-rowdy Pitt student section. From that moment on, the atmosphere within the stadium was different. The rambunctious cheering turned into a hopeful, reserved one before eventually falling f lat as the game moved along. see “Football” on page 10
ND hosts first AI summit
Local and state elections were held throughout the United States, including gubernatorial elections for Virginia and New Jersey on Nov. 3 and the mayoral election in New York City on Nov. 4. These elections resulted in major Democratic victories and represent a shift away from decisive Republican victories in the 2024 voting cycle. In Virginia, former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger defeated her Republican opponent and current lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, by a 15.2% margin. In New Jersey, Democrat representative Mikie Sherrill emerged victorious over former Republican representative Jack Ciattarelli by a
margin of nearly 14%. Democrats have also swept the lieutenant governor and attorney general offices in that state, with attorney general nominee Jay Jones ousting incumbent Jason Miyares despite controversial texts that spoke of violence against Republicans that were leaked during the campaign. At the mayoral level, the highly publicized election for mayor of New York City resulted in a victory for selfproclaimed democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor and the youngest mayor in a century. He defeated Independent candidate and former New York governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, carrying over half of the vote.
Notre Dame students expressed mixed feelings about the results. College Democrats released an official statement regarding the results, writing that Americans chose “freedom over fear” and “affordability over authoritarianism” this November. “The 2025 elections were not only historic for Democrats but for progress itself,” Notre Dame College Democrats wrote in an official statement. “Members of Notre Dame’s College Democrats were involved in each of these races and are leading the fight for equality, human dignity, and justice. Americans are ready for a more affordable future and less divisive politics; Democrats will continue to deliver.”
NEWS | PAGE 2
OPINION | PAGE 5
SCENE | PAGE 7
SPORTS | PAGE 10
SPORTS | PAGE 11
The Lab for Economic Development evaluates poverty alleviation programs.
Columnist Grayson Beckham discusses Trump’s declining influence in the GOP.
“Son of Spergy” is just as good as his previous albums, but completely different.
Notre Dame’s first road game came down to the final shot at Ohio State.
Charlie Codd’s brace helped the Irish advance in the NCAA Tournament.
News Writer
LEO creates research
Donald the Duck?
see “Elections” on page 4
Daniel Caesar
By Zander Daigle and Claire Lee News Writers
The Office of the Provost, Notre Dame Learning and the Lab for AI in Teaching and Learning (L AITL) hosted a faculty and student summit on artificial intelligence at the IDEA Center on Friday afternoon. According to the Technology and Digital Studies Program, the purpose of the summit was to “build mutual trust between faculty and students around the evolving role of AI in education ... clarify assumptions about the purpose and appropriate use of AI in teaching, learning, and assessment ... understand what’s working and what’s not from both faculty and student perspectives, and explore the ‘why’ behind
ND basketball
those perception ... [and] ref lect on the meaning of a Notre Dame degree in an AIdriven world.” G. Alex Ambrose, the director of L AITL, said, “Eightyeight people attended. So, I think there’s something to say about faculty and students wanting to be together.” The summit is the first event of its kind at Notre Dame. However, town hall meetings with faculty members and undergraduate research panels with students and faculty were facilitated in the past, according to Ambrose. “Events like today, bringing students and conversations across colleges are important,” Ambrose said. Introductory remarks from the summit program coordinator, Megan Rogers ’22 and see “Summit” on page 3
ND women’s soccer