Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 9, 2024 25 NOTRE DAME'S DEFENSE STANDS TALL VERSUS OPTION OFFENSE There were a couple moments at MetLife Stadium when Notre Dame's defensive players saw nothing but Navy quarterback Blake Horvath running away from them, his No. 11 jersey get- ting smaller and smaller as he left them in the dust. But only a couple. He took off for a 47-yard touchdown and he ran through the teeth of the Irish defense for a 60-yard gain as well. Eight of his 14 rushing attempts went for 3 or fewer yards, though, including his fi- nal three. Three more went for negative yardage, too. In sum, his final line of 14 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown doesn't really tell the full story. Notre Dame bottled up one of the most productive quarterbacks Navy has ever had. None other than graduate student linebacker Jack Kiser led the charge with 9 total tackles, tied with junior linebacker Jay- len Sneed for the team lead. Oh, and the Irish were in the right place at the right time to scoop up five of Navy's seven fumbles. "That's always the key to the game — the defense has to wreak havoc on the ball and create opportunities for our offense," Kiser said. A defensive-minded man himself, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Free- man certainly agrees with that state- ment. He was very encouraged by what the Irish accomplished on that side of the ball. Especially against a Navy of- fense that was among the most efficient in the country going into the game. It surely didn't look that way at MetLife Stadium. The Irish made sure of it. They were ready for everything facing a triple-option offense entails. "There's a lot more smoke and mir- rors," Freeman said. "There's a lot of stuff going on pre-snap that you have to play with clarity. You have to play with clear eyes. That was a big point of emphasis. "For the most part — not the entire game, there were plays we didn't play with great eyes and we got exposed — but for the most part, we play with clear eyes, and it's important to not let some of those motions and smoke and mirrors really affect where your eyes should be." It was clinical at all levels for Notre Dame, not just in the middle with Kiser and Sneed — and sophomore Drayk Bowen, who made 5 tackles. Up front, junior vyper Junior Tuihalamaka was all over his assignments playing a big role without graduate student Jordan Botelho in the mix to play against a Navy offense he's got experience facing. Tui- halamaka had a career-best 7 tackles. In the secondary, safeties Adon Shuler and Xavier Watts combined for 12 total tackles. Shuler also recovered a fumble and gave Notre Dame 28 yards of field position on his return. Freshman cornerback Leonard Moore recorded his first career interception. The challenge for the Irish this year in their annual rivalry with the Midship- men this year, too, was that Navy has more of a hybrid approach. The option elements are there, but Horvath also takes snaps from the gun and operated more conventionally at times. "It's similar to things you see week in and week out," Freeman said. "So, we had to have the ability to, with the same personnel, play triple-option defense, and then when they go to gun, be able to play some of the normal defense that we've had." Notre Dame's normal defense, a top- five unit in 2023 with a lot of the same characteristics in 2024, is pretty darn good. WITH FAST START, MARCUS FREEMAN EMPHASIZES PROCESS OVER RESULTS For the first time since its 66-7 win over Purdue Sept. 14, Notre Dame scored first. There was no rust for the offense to shake off; senior quarterback Riley Leonard and company converted two third downs and marched 75 yards in nine plays for an opening-drive touch- down. There was no awe-inspiring ad- justment for the defense to make; de- NAVY GAME NOTES BY TYLER HORKA AND JACK SOBLE The Irish defense allowed Nay quarterback Blake Horvath to break free for runs of 47 and 60 yards, but the Midshipmen's other 41 rushing attempts yielded only 115 yards (an average of 2.8 yards per carry). PHOTO BY BILL STREICHER