Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 17, 2026 35 GAME PREVIEW: NAVY BY JACK SOBLE NAVY RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE This is a vastly different Navy offense than Notre Dame fans are used to, and not for the better. The scheme is pretty similar. It's the modernized triple option, brought to Annapolis, Md., by third- year offensive coordinator Drew Cronic. You'll see some traditional flexbone action, as well as a variety of shotgun concepts. The difference is the personnel. The Midshipmen graduated quarterback Blake Horvath, fullback Alex Tecza, and slot backs Eli Heidenreich and Brandon Chatman. Heidenreich was actually drafted, and he made the Pittsburgh Steelers' active roster. Navy, being a service acad- emy, cannot replace them with transfers, so it had to rely on in-house talent. And unfortunately for the Midshipmen, their in-house talent is a step below the aforementioned losses. As a result, an option scheme that averaged 31.5 points per game (tied for 30th nationally) a year ago is averaging 25.3 points per game (93rd) through four games in 2026. And the nation's No. 2 rush efficiency offense in 2025 has dropped to No. 17 so far in 2026. Navy's two best remaining runners are both quarterbacks, so the Midshipmen run a two-quar- terback system. Junior Jackson Gutierrez takes about 60 percent of the snaps, while senior Brax- ton Woodson takes the rest. Gutierrez is quicker, while Woodson — who started for an injured Hor- vath against Notre Dame last season — is bigger and more explosive. He averages 7.9 yards per carry to Gutierrez's 4.5. The Midshipmen still have a tough, agile fullback in senior Vic Listorti, who averages 6.3 yards per carry. But here's the big issue: Navy has one slot back in junior Michael Barrow, who has 31 carries. Its other starting slot back, junior Charles Robin- son, has all of 4 carries. Essentially, this cuts Cronic's scheme in half and can make the Mids predictable. There are Capital Gazette headlines reading, "Navy football needs to find its offensive identity in a hurry," which is concerning for a program that is nothing without its offensive identity. Meanwhile, Notre Dame is as well-built to de- fend the option as it's ever been. Just look at what the Irish did to Rice, whose scheme is not dis- similar to Navy's: 34 carries for just 64 yards (1.9 yards per carry). The Midshipmen are better than the Owls, but Notre Dame's speed, physicality and experience against this system should win out. Advantage: Notre Dame NAVY PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE Both quarterbacks will throw, but Gutierrez will do it twice as often, averaging 8.6 yards per at- tempt to Woodson's 3.6. He has connected on 17 of 40 passes for 344 yards (8.6 yards per attempt) with 3 touchdowns and 0 picks, whereas Woodson completed 7 of 20 throws for 71 yards (3.6 yards per attempt) with 0 touchdowns and 1 interception. Gutierrez has taken 8 sacks to Woodson's 1, though, which partly explains the difference in rushing efficiency. You probably know by now how Navy's passing offense works. The Mids will run, run and run until the defensive backs start peeking in the back- field too much, and then they'll try to drop one over their heads. That's why their leading receiver, freshman wideout Truman Brasfield, had all of 2 catches for 107 yards through Week 5. Without Horvath, Navy's pass efficiency rating has dropped from 22nd nationally in 2025 to 130th through four games in 2026. The Midshipmen have also allowed exactly as many sacks (9) as they allowed throughout all of 2025. This is less an offensive line issue and more a Gutierrez issue. Horvath's pressure-to-sack ratio last season was 9.4 percent. Woodson's this sea- son is 12.5 percent. As for Gutierrez? He's at 40.0 percent, which is insanely high. As it happens, Notre Dame is rushing the passer as well as it has in the Marcus Freeman era. The Irish are led in this department by Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young, who are also their primary option- stopping defensive ends. Provided the secondary stays disciplined, this should be a fun game for those two in their rare pass-rushing opportunities. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. NAVY RUN DEFENSE Navy has excelled at defending the run this sea- son against the likes of Towson, Florida Atlantic, UAB and Air Force. Its schedule between this writ- ing and Notre Dame includes Tulsa, UTSA and North Texas. With respect to the Roadrunners (meep meep forever), the Irish will be Navy's toughest run de- fense test to date. Still, when you're allowing 2.45 yards per carry — On PaPer Senior quarterback Braxton Woodson has battled an ankle injury this season but remains an explosive rushing threat, averaging 7.9 yards per carry through Navy's first four games. PHOTO COURTESY NAVY ATHLETICS