Notre Dame let Navy hang around, but not for so long, in the Fighting Irish’s 49-10 win over the Midshipmen.
CJ Carr threw for three touchdowns, and Jeremiyah Love ran for two, including a 48-yard touchdown.
Right before the game, Navy announced that starting quarterback Blake Horvath wouldn’t play and Braxton Woodson would start. Woodson had a big first half, and, at one time, it was a 7-7 game before the Fighting Irish would push the lead to 21-7.
Navy kicked a field goal late in the first half, cutting the Fighting Irish’s lead to 21-10.
The second half saw Notre Dame play like a team that knew it needed a big performance if it wanted to stay in the playoff chase.
Notre Dame scored on its first four drives of the half. Marcus Freeman pulled Carr after the starting quarterback led the Fighting Irish to the first touchdowns of the half. Kenny Minchey came in and led Notre Dame to the fourth.
The last drive of the half was a kneel-down.
Takeaways
Run Defense
Outside of three big runs from Woodson, with the 41-yarder being pretty embarrassing, the Fighting Irish harnessed the Mids’ running game. Navy finished with an average of 4.6 per rush, but it wasn’t impactful on the game, in part, because Notre Dame’s defense didn’t go through extended periods of poor tackling.
Clean Sheet
One of the ways Notre Dame could have lost this game was with turnovers, and that didn’t happen. The Fighting Irish kept a clean sheet despite the weather. Carr didn’t put the ball in harm’s way, and the running backs never had the ball loose, which was important for Jadarian Price.
Prepping for Pitt
There’s no doubt that the Panthers are Notre Dame’s toughest opponent remaining on the schedule. Pitt gets the luxury of having two weeks to prepare for the home date.
The Panthers will have new wrinkles on offense and defense. The difference between winning and losing could hinge on how quickly Chris Ash and Mike Denbrock make the adjustments.
