Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 OCT. 29, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI IT'S ABOUT TIME The Notre Dame-Navy series saw the Fighting Irish record an NCAA- record 43 consecutive victories from 1964-2006. Since 2007, however, the Midship- men have registered four victories against the Fighting Irish, most re- cently in 2016 (28-27). They also have taken Notre Dame to the wall several other times before losing by scores such as 27-21 (2008), 38-34 (2013), 49-39 (2014) and 24-17 (2017). If the outcome in these games was predicated solely on recruiting "star rankings," Notre Dame would be a likely five- to six-touchdown favorite every year. The 2014 and 2015 Navy recruiting classes were not ranked in the Rivals' top 100, while 2016 was No. 88, 2017 was tied for No. 76 and this past winter it was No. 88. However, this game is not neces- sarily about talent; it is about time — and preparation — for Navy's con- founding triple-option attack. One year after coming off the 28-27 loss to Navy in 2016, the 8-2 Fighting Irish trailed 17-10 against the Mid- shipmen last November midway through the third quarter before rally- ing for a 24-17 victory on 30- and nine- yard touchdown passes from Bran- don Wimbush to Kevin Stepherson. Notre Dame clinched the victory when it forced a Navy incomplete pass on fourth-and-five from the Irish 25-yard line with 1:25 remaining. Navy possessed the ball 42:42 to Notre Dame's 17:18 — which is be- lieved to be a school record for few- est minutes the Irish ever had the ball in a game. They did amass 327 total yards (164 rushing and 163 passing) on those seven series. In 2016 amid Navy's 28-27 victory: • Notre Dame had only six pos- sessions in the contest (on average a team will have at least 12, or three per quarter). According to research by the NCAA, that was the fewest by a Football Bowl Subdivision team since Nov. 25, 2008, when Northern Illinois also had only six versus — who else? — Navy. • The Irish had merely one pos- session apiece in the third quarter (a touchdown drive that lasted 5:17) and in the fourth quarter (a field goal march that took 4:29). • After Notre Dame converted that field goal to cut the deficit to 28-27 with 7:28 remaining, Navy ran out the clock on the game's final series following the Irish kickoff. On the previous Midshipmen possession, it had used exactly 9:00 on its touch- down drive to take a 28-24 lead. There is an enormous disparity in NFL talent level between the two teams, but the Navy scheme keeps it competitive and a tough out for just about everyone. The two absolutes about Navy football this century have been that it will rank among the nation's top five — if not No. 1 — in rushing of- fense, and there will be an emphasis on playing "keep away" while milk- ing the clock with each possession. Despite a highly disappointing 2-3 start that included a 35-7 loss to Air Force Oct. 6, those two constants have remained. First, through those five games, Navy's 310.4 rushing yards per game were No. 2 nationally, while averag- ing 5.12 yards per rush. Second, the Midshipmen were tied for seventh in the country in time of possession with 34:43 compared to the opposition's 25:17. Recent history demonstrates that each series on offense by Notre Dame needs to be maximized in a game where opportunities might be minimized. CRACKS IN THE ARMOR? Last year's six defeats (7-6 overall) marked only the second time since 2003 the Midshipmen had more than five losses (5-7 in 2011 was the other). First under head coach Paul John- son (2002-07) and then with succes- sor Ken Niumatalolo (2008-present), Navy has become one of the nation's most overachieving programs, high- lighted by the 11-2 finish in 2015 and No. 18 placement in the final Associ- ated Press poll, its highest since No. 2 in 1963 with Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach at quarterback. GAME PREVIEW: NAVY Top STorylineS Last year, Navy's potent triple-option attack possessed the ball for 42:42 while racking up 287 rushing yards against Notre Dame — but the Irish still managed to escape with a 24-17 victory. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA