MORE FROM THE GAME - News and notes from Pitt's loss at Notre Dame | PODCAST: The drive home from Notre Dame | FREE ARTICLE: A new kind of frustration for Pitt after loss to Notre Dame | Pitt loses to No. 5 Notre Dame | Narduzzi on the loss: "Just disappointing" | Postgame video: Pat Narduzzi | Postgame video: Kenny Pickett | Postgame video: Rashad Weaver | Postgame video: Maurice Ffrench | Postgame video: Jason Pinnock

For the second time this season, Maurice Ffrench is one of the ACC’s top players.

Ffrench, a junior receiver from New Jersey, was named ACC Specialist of the Week on Monday after he opened the second half of Pitt’s loss at Notre Dame with a 99-yard kick return for a touchdown. That was Ffrench’s second kick return touchdown of the season; he was also named ACC Specialist of the Week after taking the game-opening kickoff 91 yards for a score in the season opener against Albany.

The return against Albany set a good tone for the first game of the season, but Ffrench’s return at Notre Dame on Saturday was a crucial one. Pitt led the Irish 7-6 at halftime and needed a spark of some kind.

The Panthers got it from Ffrench.

“It’s a big game and that was exactly what our team needed: somebody to make a play so we could get out in front,” Ffrench said after the game. “That was going through my mind all day, that I had to do something to get points or help get points on the board.”

That was Ffrench’s second kick return of the game - he also took one 23 yards in the second quarter - but he hadn’t returned any kicks since the North Carolina game in Week Four. Mychale Salahuddin handled those duties the next week at Central Florida, and while Ffrench was back on kick return two weeks ago against Syracuse, he didn’t return any kicks; he either let the ball go into the end zone or called for a fair catch.

“Our rule is, on kick return, if we move to the right, it’s fair catch, and if we move back, it’s fair catch,” Ffrench said. “[The kickoff at Notre Dame] came right to me so I knew it was a returnable ball.”

Ffrench’s touchdown gave Pitt a lead that would last until the final six minutes, when Notre Dame went ahead 19-14 and held onto that lead to prevent the Panthers’ upset bid. Still, the kick return gave Pitt the boost it needed, even if the Panthers’ offense couldn’t quite produce on its own.

Perhaps getting Ffrench more involved in the offense could help. He has a total of 24 offensive touches through seven games this season - 3.4 per game - but he is averaging 10.5 yards per offensive touch. On his career, he has 1,065 all-purpose yards (491 receiving, 225 rushing, 349 returns) and averages 13 yards every time he touches the ball.

In 2018, Ffrench has 589 all-purpose yards on 34 touches - an average of 17.3 yards per touch.

Plus, Ffrench has scored seven career touchdowns and most of those were explosive plays, with scores of 99, 91, 77 and 58 on his resume, working out for an average of 51.6 yards per touchdown play.