Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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22 NOV. 23, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT Navy's first two possessions resulted in lost fumbles — and helped provide an instant 21-0 Fighting Irish advantage. This took Navy way out of its element, as it had been behind only 39 minutes of the first 480 of game action during its 7-1 start this season. After Notre Dame opened the game with a 75-yard touchdown drive, Navy answered by marching to a first down to the Irish 24-yard line — but then senior defensive end Khalid Kareem stripped the football from quarterback Malcolm Perry on the speed option that was recovered by fifth-year senior linebacker Asmar Bilal. Two plays later, it was 14-0 on a 47-yard scoring strike to senior wideout Chase Claypool. On Navy's next series, Kareem forced another fumble by Perry that senior drop end Jamir Jones recovered at the Navy 39-yard line. The short three-yard touchdown flip to Claypool four plays later made it 21-0, a hole too deep for a triple- option team. STAT OF THE GAME It's almost impossible to lose a game when you finish with a 4-0 advantage in turnovers, which is what the Fighting Irish had against the Midshipmen. Navy lost fumbles on three of their first five series that helped produce 21 Notre Dame points en route building a 38-0 lead in the first half. A fourth ruled fumble (more like an interception) in the second half was returned for a 27-yard touch- down by sophomore rover Paul Moala. In its six home games this season, this was the fourth one where the Fighting Irish did not have a turnover, most importantly in the 30-27 victory versus USC Oct. 12 when just one could have cost them the game. In all, the opposition has had 16 turnovers at Notre Dame Stadium this year while the Irish have committed only four — three of them occurring in the dramatic 21-20 victory versus Virginia Tech Nov. 2. This has made the Irish one of the national leaders in turnover margin. MR. NOVEMBER, AGAIN? Aided by the 11th-hour and galvanizing 87-yard, 18-play touchdown drive to defeat Virginia Tech 21-20 in the closing seconds Nov. 2, Notre Dame now has won seven consecutive games in Novem- ber, 4-0 last season and 3-0 so far this year. This is especially pertinent because during the five-year stretch from 2013-17, head coach Brian Kelly and his staff were frequently criticized for the team sputtering to the finish line in the final month, producing a 9-12 record in November during those five seasons. A point of emphasis from January 2018 through today stressed a con- ditioning and practice workload that would help enable Notre Dame to play at peak physical and mental form late in the year, and the rewards have been reaped. Kelly was known as Mr. November at Cincinnati when his Bearcats won their final 10 November and December games from 2007-09 — and then began his Notre Dame career 10-1 in that month. He may have found the right formula again. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY LOU SOMOGYI OFFENSE: WR CHASE CLAYPOOL Who else could it be? The senior wide receiver has been dominant as of late, but he played at an even higher level against Navy. He finished the game with seven catches for 117 yards and four of Notre Dame's seven touchdowns — tying the school's single-game record for scoring catches. Claypool was targeted nine times during the contest, even on a few plays where others were open. But he was so dominant that senior quarterback Ian Book knew if he threw the ball up to Claypool, there was a good chance the 6-4½, 229-pounder would make a play, and he did so with devastating results to Navy. DEFENSE: DE KHALID KAREEM When it comes to total tackles, the senior defensive end didn't finish among the top eight Irish defenders. Instead, he was the catalyst for two of the most important plays of the game. Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry had the Mids chugging along on their first offensive possession and they were nearing the red zone. That's when Kareem came to the rescue and stripped the football from Perry in the backfield and Notre Dame recovered the fumble. He then ended the next Navy drive prematurely, stripping Perry once again. Kareem finished the game with three solo tackles, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one pass broken up. SPECIAL TEAMS: C COLIN GRUNHARD In most weeks, it's easy to go with a specialist for the category, espe- cially when kicker Jonathan Doerer makes his lone field goal attempt and seven extra points. This week, however, we are bestowing this honor to center Colin Grunhard, who fair caught a 47-yard kickoff late in the third quarter. It's rare for an offensive lineman, let alone one who is roughly six- feet tall and 290 pounds, play on the third level of a team's kick return, but that's been Grunhard's role over the past few weeks. Fighting Irish fans saw why. When the short kickoff came his way, he immediately signaled for a fair catch, backpedaled more than five yards, almost bumped into a teammate and still caught the ball with ease of a veteran punt returner at the Irish 18-yard line. That earned much celebration from teammates. TOP PLAYERS OF THE GAME BY ANDREW MENTOCK Senior wide receiver Chase Claypool proved to be too tough a matchup for the Midshipmen, hauling in scoring receptions of seven, 47, three and 20 yards. PHOTO BY ANDRIS VISOCKIS