Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 6, 2021 41 GAME PREVIEW: NAVY BY TYLER HORKA It hasn't just been one of those types of seasons for Navy under head coach Ken Niumatalolo. It's probably been the very worst the Midshipmen have had in Niu- matalolo's 14 years in Annapolis, Md. Navy started the season 1-6. It needs to win two of its last five games to avoid tying for the fewest number of wins ever amassed in a season under Niumatalolo. The Midshipmen went 3-7 a year ago during the shortened season and 3-10 in 2018. Those campaigns were sandwiched around one of Niumatalolo's best in charge of the program: a 11-2 performance in 2019 that ended with a Liberty Bowl victory over Kansas State. It's been a long, hard road for Navy since then. Especially this season. Navy was slapped in the face with a dose of reality in a 49-7 season-opening loss to Marshall. Navy's triple-option offense couldn't find any consistency in that game, and that's been a trend that has persisted all season. Four different Midshipmen attempted passes in the loss to Marshall, and none of them threw for 30 yards or more. They combined to complete 5 of 16 passes for 61 yards and two interceptions. Obviously, the Navy offense isn't predicated on passing. Navy ran the ball effectively enough for what it tries to do to win games. The Midshipmen ran 76 times for 337 yards and a touchdown — and the team still lost by 42 points. Running up and down the field doesn't matter one bit if touchdowns aren't scored. And that's been an issue in every game after the season opener, too. In fact, Navy's yards per game national rank (No. 127, 278.6) actually dipped below its scoring offense rank (No. 122, 17.9 points per game) through the eighth week of the season. A 68-yard output in a 23-3 loss to Air Force certainly didn't help. Navy's best offensive game of the season was by far in its 34-30 victory over UCF Oct. 2. The Midshipmen gained 406 yards on 5.08 yards per play. They've averaged less than five yards per play in every other game through Week 8, with three games coming in at less than four yards per play. For reference, a Notre Dame offense that most can agree struggled quite a bit in the first half of the season only averaged less than four yards per play once through its first seven games. The Fighting Irish averaged more than five yards per play five times. So, Irish fans. When you think it can't get much worse than averaging 3.51 yards per play against Wisconsin (in what ultimately became a 41-13 victory) and 4.61 yards per play against a Cincin- nati team that later rose to No. 2 in the country in the Associated Press Poll, just remember — you could root for Navy. That sort of fandom hasn't been easy of late. "We're just trying to play better," Niu- matalolo said. "That's where our focus has been. Coach better, play better and find a way to get a W." CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR W's have been hard to come by for Navy, but the record is deeper than the 1-6 mark through seven games would suggest. The Midshipmen lost to a respectable six-win Houston team by eight points. They lost to an SMU team that started the season 7-0 and rose to No. 19 in the Associated Press poll by seven points. They lost to the same Cincinnati team that beat Notre Dame by 11 in South Bend by only seven points. A lack of wins hasn't come about for a lack of trying. The effort is there. Niu- matalolo hasn't lost the locker room or anything like that. Navy is simply stuck in a rebuilding type of year and has come out on the wrong side of three competi- tive games against reputable foes. "Our guys are down from losing but encouraged recognizing we literally could play with everybody on our sched- ule," Niumatalolo. Facts & Figures NAVY AT NOTRE DAME Game Info Date: Nov. 6, 2021 Site: Notre Dame Stadium Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET Television: NBC Radio: This game can be heard on Notre Dame IMG affiliates. Series Facts: This is the 94th meeting between Navy and Notre Dame. Notre Dame holds an all-time series lead of 93-13-1. The Fighting Irish won the last meeting 52-20 on Nov. 16, 2019 in South Bend. Head coaches: Navy — Ken Niumatalolo (103-73, 14th season); Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (109-40, 12th season). Noting Navy: Two of the Midshipmen's starters are freshmen and seven are sophomores … Seventeen players have earned the first starts of their career in 2021 … Navy has the most all-time wins (726) among the service academies … Navy has a 7-27 record under Niumatalolo when it is outrushed by the opponent … Six of Navy's coaches have been with the program for at least 10 years, which is tied with Northwestern for the most nationally … Navy has not beaten a ranked team since 2019 … The Midship- men have lost nine of their last 10 games against ranked teams dating back to 2017 … Navy was ranked No. 7 nationally in fewest penalty yards per game (35.29) through Week 8 … Navy was outscored 52- 10 in the third quarter and 103-47 in the second half in its first seven games … Wide receiver Mychal Cooper's six career touchdown receptions have come from six different quarterbacks … Navy started the season 1 of 5 in the red zone against Marshall, but strung together a stretch of 15 red zone scores in 16 tries thereafter. DOWN, NOT OUT The Midshipmen are in the midst of one of the worst seasons ever under 14th-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo, but it hasn't been for a lack of effort