Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 7, 2026 25 JEROME BETTIS JR.'S NOTRE DAME BREAKOUT WAS ANYTHING BUT SUDDEN Less than two full seasons into what some recruiting analysts figured would be a slow transition from wide receiver afterthought to safety — a deep reserve safety — Notre Dame sophomore Je- rome Bettis Jr. blew up that notion. And apparently well before the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Notre Dame All-American Jerome Bet- tis Sr. carved up Navy's defense for ca- reer highs in receptions (6) and receiv- ing yards (78), along with his first career touchdown on a 31-yard reception, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. "He had a really good week of prac- tice," Irish head coach Marcus Freeman offered after No. 5 Notre Dame finished off Navy 35-13 in the coach's 50th ca- reer victory and seventh following a bye week in eight tries. "He's had good weeks of practice." And a good spring last March and April before missing the final week and a half of it with a foot injury. And a good training camp. And yet his opportunities had been limited to mostly low-leverage snaps in lopsided wins. This time, Bettis' high- leverage snaps helped turn a white- knuckler into a whoopin'. Coming into the game with 5 career receptions, the 6-foot-2, 207-pound Atlanta product logged 23 snaps against Navy, the second-most among the 11 Irish wide receivers who saw action for the Irish (7-1) against Navy. Only senior Jordan Faison (39), Notre Dame's lead- ing receiver this season, played more. Bettis was Notre Dame's leading re- ceiver in the game against the Mids (2-6). He entered after starting boundary re- ceiver Micah Gilbert hobbled to the side- line with an apparent injury. But Freeman stopped short of directly connecting Gil- bert's injury to Bettis' coming-out party. "They never told me he was out of the game, but I saw him meeting with Rob Hunt, our trainer and kind of looking at his ankle," Freeman said. "But we were going to try to be intentional about try- ing to get Jerome in the game and some of those other wide receivers." Only five of the 11 who got in the game made at least 1 catch. But it wasn't just about getting more reps against Navy and its nation's worst pass efficiency defense. It was about developing more sustainable, reliable depth for Notre Dame's November schedule, starting with the showdown against Miami Nov. 7. North Carolina became the latest team to successfully test the Hurri- canes' statistical soft spot — their pass defense. Meanwhile, Irish quarterback CJ Carr was at his best against Navy when Bet- tis was in the game, completing 12 of 15 throws for 130 yards in the second half. Five of those completions went to Bettis, including the 31-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Carr connected on 19 of 29 passes for 210 yards with 2 touch- downs for the game before giving way to freshman Noah Grubbs late. "It was amazing," Carr said of Bettis. "He's continued to grow and is a guy that's super consistent for us, plays that boundary spot and so he is willing to go in and block and does that well. "And then he's super consistent in the pass game and can make contested catches for you. So, super excited to see him get into the end zone today. He did a great job for us." With an encore ahead? — Eric Hansen INJURIES, FAMILIAR WARNING SIGNS HAUNT NOTRE DAME DEFENSE Head athletic trainer Rob Hunt fed head coach Marcus Freeman a quick piece of information during the second quarter of Notre Dame's win over Navy. Freeman nodded, and Hunt walked away. With junior defensive tackle Fran- cis Brewu standing nearby without his helmet after limping off the field, the conversation appeared to concern his availability. And it wouldn't be the last time. NAVY GAME NOTES BY JACK SOBLE Bettis turned steady progress in practice into a breakout performance against Navy, posting career highs with 6 catches for 78 yards and his first career touchdown. PHOTO BY NICK GRACE