Navy Game Much Closer Than It Needed To Be

This is why. This is why. This is why Notre Dame doesn't get the respect nationally. This is why so many doubt Notre Dame. On a day when other one loss teams (Georgia, Ole Miss, East Carolina, Utah, Arizona) all went down, the Irish where in a position to make a statement against Navy. They got the win, but this was no statement at all.

The way the game started, it looked like Notre Dame would just dominate. They got off to a 28-7 lead and the one touchdown the Midshipmen scored shouldn't have counted because of a penalty. Then the team just got sloppy and allowed Navy to score 10 quick points to end the half. Navy then took half the third quarter to score a touchdown to pull within 4. After a stop, Navy scored again and took the lead to end the third quarter before Notre Dame would take care of business in the 4th.

Looking at the two teams and Notre Dame just has more talent and should just dominate a team like Navy. I mean no disrespect to those who protect us at home by that. But the reality is that it was Notre Dame who kept it close and not Navy.

Let's start with the kicking game. Notre Dame had two chances to put this one away but Kyle Brindza missed two field goals late in the game. Being fair, both were from beyond 40 and into the wind. However, a really good kicker makes those tough kicks.

Now on to the offense. For the most part the offense was solid in this one. Everett Golson threw for over 300 and had 6 total touchdowns. Tarean Folston went over 100 yards for the third straight game. But the offense still made critical mistakes that they cannot make against the tougher opponents. They were moving right down the field at the end of the first half and could have easily added another touchdown to go up by 3 touchdowns at halftime. But Golson threw an interception that gave the ball back to Navy so they could get a field goal to end the half. Then the offense had two chances late in the game close it out. But they could not get a first down. That is what led to those long field goal misses. Yes the play calling was a little conservative at that point, but Notre Dame's line should be able to handle Navy's line.

Now for the defense. I was a defensive coordinator at the high school level. One team we played ran a single wing similar to Navy. We did not design our defense to stop this kind of offenses. For one game a year we would have to change everything. Plus we had to deal with the cut blocking. I know how difficult it is to prepare for an offense like this with all those factors. But that cannot be an excuse. A great defense finds a way to stop them anyway. The fact is that the Irish defense gave up 39 points. And let's just be honest with our selves, do you really think teams like Alabama, LSU, Oregon, etc. would give up more than 14 points to Navy? In fact, Ohio State only surrendered 17. Two years in that magic season, that great Notre Dame defense gave up just 13 against Navy. The point is that a great defense finds a way to stop them any way.

Notre Dame has been great against the run all year, but against Navy they gave up over 300 yards. The worst was allowing Navy to keep the ball for half the third quarter.

Sometimes I wonder if it is in Notre Dame's best interests to keep this rivalry. I know it is a lifetime contract and all the World War II history behind it. But it is really a game where Notre Dame has nothing to win. They are supposed to dominate and anything less than that leads to questions and criticism. But at the end of the day, Navy does not have anywhere near the players Notre Dame has.

Moving forward, Arizona State is next. That was a great game last year in Dallas. This year both teams have just a single loss so for that reason, this is really a playoff game.