Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1044500
24 NOV. 5, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT While it might appear silly, even insulting, to select the opening se- ries versus Navy as the Turning Point, it is apropos here. On the game's first play, Fighting Irish senior wideout Miles Boykin fumbled and Navy recovered the loose football at the Notre Dame 36-yard line. It had the makings of "one of those nights," and the thought of quickly falling behind 7-0 to the ball-control centered Midshipmen was disconcerting. Instead, the Irish defense dug in and stopped short-yardage special- ist Zach Abey short of a first down on fourth-and-two from the Notre Dame 28. Eight plays later, the Irish were up 6-0 en route to a 27-0 halftime lead. A golden opportunity for Navy was lost in that sequence at the outset. STAT OF THE GAME Limiting Navy to 2 of 12 on third- down conversions was crucial. Normally, 10 possessions in a foot- ball game would be deemed below average, but in this case it was a godsend to Notre Dame. Two years ago in a 28-27 loss, to Navy, the Fighting Irish had only six possessions, which is believed to be a record low by the program. This year it had six series on offense in the first half alone, and scored touchdowns on four of them to grab the 27-0 halftime lead. Last year the Irish had seven se- ries on offense, but possessed the ball only 17:18 (to Navy's 42:42), which also is believed to be a school record low, during a 24-17 victory. On its 10 possessions this year, Notre Dame scored six touchdowns and one field goal, punted once and had two turnovers. WIN OR GO HOME All the hoopla and "what if" de- bates begin in earnest this week when the first College Football Play- off poll will be released on Tuesday evening. That is really inconsequen- tial to Notre Dame because it is in control of its destiny with a 4-0 fin- ish in the regular season. The 8-0 Fighting Irish now are like one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament for basketball: If Notre Dame wins six more games — which is what is required in the tourney — then it is the champions. If the Irish lose anywhere along the way, be it during the regular season or even in the College Football Play- off, then they are eliminated from winning the title. It would take something dramatic for an 11-1 Notre Dame outfit to make the four-team playoff field. The tourney begins now. There is nothing else to analyze beyond that. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY LOU SOMOGYI OFFENSE: RB DEXTER WILLIAMS The senior running back rushed for 142 yards on a career- high 23 carries. He showed good patience early, and his three first-half rushing touchdowns (12, nine and two yards) helped Notre Dame jump out to a huge lead. Although his run game production was outstanding, Williams gets the nod because of his all-around performance. The Orlando, Fla., native caught three passes for 27 yards and blocked well all game long. On one particular snap, Williams picked up a blitzer to spring junior quarterback Ian Book free. He then got up, hustled outside and blocked another Navy defender down the field to allow Book to run for a first down. DEFENSE: DE JULIAN OKWARA A number of Notre Dame defenders stood out in this game, including junior safety Alohi Gilman (seven tackles), defensive tackle Jerry Tillery (four tackles and one stop for loss) and line- backer Te'von Coney (14 tackles). However, the junior defensive end's pressure in the pass game played a huge role in shutting down Navy's downfield throwing early in the contest. He finished with five stops, a sack and two quarterback hurries. He also did a good job using his speed to force Navy to stretch several pitch plays, which allowed his teammates to rally to the ball. SPECIAL TEAMS: PK JONATHAN DOERER Stepping in for injured starter Justin Yoon, the sophomore kicker missed his first extra point attempt. He settled down after that, though, nailing his next five kicks and drilling a 30- yard field goal in the third quarter. Navy also failed to gain a single yard on kick returns thanks to Doerer's boots. TOP PLAYERS OF THE GAME BY BRYAN DRISKELL Junior defensive end Julian Okwara finished with five tackles, one sack and two quarterback hurries against the Midshipmen. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA