Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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24 SEPT. 2, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT The turning point during Notre Dame's 42-3 win over Navy wasn't hard to pinpoint at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. In fact, the coin flip might qualify, given that Notre Dame received the opening kickoff and put together a workman- like 13-play, 81-yard drive that gave the Irish a 7-0 lead less than seven minutes into the game. Junior tailback Audric Estimé highlighted the possession with 6 carries for 29 yards on the drive, including a 1-yard touchdown run to cap it. Graduate student quarterback Sam Hartman also did his part on this scoring drive, efficiently completing 3 of 4 passes for 48 yards on his first- ever possession as Notre Dame's signal-caller. Following the opening scoring drive, the Fight- ing Irish defense responded on Navy's subse- quent possession by stopping the Midshipmen on a fourth-and-3 play at the Notre Dame 36. The Fighting Irish never looked back, building a 28-0 halftime lead. STATS OF THE GAME There were plenty of impressive offensive stats to choose from but the work of the Irish defense needs to be celebrated. Navy completed only 3 passes for 43 yards and managed just 126 rushing yards on 48 carries for a dismal average of 2.6 yards per attempt. In 2022, Navy finished fourth in the country with a 241.2 rushing average. The Midshipmen also went only 4 of 14 (28.6 percent) on third-down conversions, and aver- aged just 3.1 yards per offensive play, compared to 7.8 yards for Notre Dame. In this matchup last season — that the Irish held on for a 35-32 win over Navy — the Midshipmen piled up 255 rush- ing yards and 5.5 yards per offensive play. Until Navy kicked a field goal late in the fourth quarter to spoil Notre Dame's shutout, the Irish limited the Midshipmen to four punts, one turnover on downs and one unsuccessful field goal attempt on their first six offensive possessions of the game. PARKER'S PROMISE The debuts of Hartman and first-year Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker were two of the top storylines entering the season opener. Both came up big, especially Parker. Through balance, depth and unpredictability, the first- year play caller kept Navy off-balance and over- matched from start to finish. In the run game, Estimé led a group of four tailbacks that recorded at least 4 carries. The junior starter finished with 16 totes for 95 yards and 1 touchdown. In the passing game, Hartman targeted nine different receivers and connected with eight of them — including true freshmen Jaden Greathouse — in an effort to share the wealth and spread the field. Parker maneuvered back and forth between run reliance and strategic passing play calls that Navy was never able to solve. All of it made the debut for the new Irish offensive coordinator and play caller equal parts successful and promising. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY TODD D. BURLAGE QUARTERBACK SAM HARTMAN The much-hyped and highly anticipated debut of the Irish graduate student quarterback couldn't have unfolded any better in the 42-3 blowout win over Navy. Hartman finished 19-of-23 passing for 251 yards with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. Hartman, a transfer from Wake Forest, was especially ef- ficient in the first half when Notre Dame took control of the game. He connected on 14 of 17 passes for 196 yards (14.0 yards per completion) with 2 touchdowns in the first two quar- ters. He confidently led touchdown drives on each of Notre Dame's first five possessions of the game. The team captain also shared the wealth, connecting with eight different receiv- ers while recording an impressive 231.7 passer rating. THE FIGHTING IRISH DEFENSE A disciplined and complete approach to defense that kept Navy off balance from start to finish earned a collective game ball for this unit. Graduate student linebacker Jack Kiser led the team with 8 tackles in a contest in which 16 different Irish defenders recorded multiple stops. Notre Dame held Navy to only 3-of-7 passing for 43 yards and 126 rushing yards on 48 carries (2.6 per rush). Navy's rushing output was 115 yards fewer than its average from last season. The Irish finished with only 2 sacks and 5 tackles for loss in the game, but its disciplined defense did all it needed to dominate this game. WIDE RECEIVER JADEN GREATHOUSE The true freshman made a memorable debut in his first col- lege game, collecting 3 catches for a team-best 68 yards with 2 touchdowns. His average of 22.7 yards per catch easily led all wide receivers in the game. Wasting no time to make an immediate impact, Greathouse recorded a 35-yard touchdown catch early in the second quar- ter on his first-ever collegiate reception that gave Notre Dame a 21-0 lead, an advantage that was never threatened. He later added a 20-yard scoring catch in the third quarter that gave Notre Dame a 35-0 lead. GAME BALLS BY TODD D. BURLAGE Freshman wide receiver Jaden Greathouse reeled in 3 receptions for 68 yards and 2 touchdowns in his first game with the Fighting Irish. PHOTO BY JOHN CROTHERS