Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/200019
Game Preview: Navy its season, Navy ranked 122nd out of 123 Football Bowl Subdivision teams with 103.7 yards through the air per game. Reynolds, however, is a better passer than the Midshipmen typically employ. In 2012, he became the first Navy signal-caller to throw three touchdowns in a game since 1997, while becoming the program's first quarterback since 1979 to win his first four career starts. In 2013, his passing statistics have tapered off a bit, but head coach Ken Niumatalolo occasionally puts him in the shotgun if the team is in a passing situation. Through the first six games, Reynolds completed 55.4 percent of his passes while tossing three touchdown passes and one interception. Notre Dame's pass defense has had a rough 2013, but the strongest aerial attacks on the schedule are behind the Irish. Advantage: Notre Dame Notre Dame Running Game Vs. Navy Run Defense Notre Dame's inability to consistently run the football is arguably the team's most disappointing storyline in 2013. The Irish have a wealth of talent at running back, but no player has emerged week in and week out to pick up the necessary yards (especially on third down) or wear down an opposing defense. Through seven games, Notre Dame ranked 97th in the land with 135.86 rushing yards per game, well behind its 2012 average of 189.38 per contest. On top of that, no Irish player had eclipsed the 400yard mark through the USC game. Barring a monster final month, no running back will eclipse 1,000 yards this season. There is good news, however, for Irish fans. As much as Notre Dame has struggled on the ground, the Navy rushing defense has, too. Its national ranking of 95th through six games is a major reason why the Midshipmen have stumbled in recent weeks. The formula to beat Navy is to run the ball well and to stop the run. Notre Dame has done that with ease the past two years in blowout victories and will need to do so again in 2013 to win comfortably. In 2011, the Irish produced seven rushing touchdowns. In 2012, they scored on the ground five times and finished with 293 rushing yards. Advantage: Notre Dame Notre Dame Passing Game Vs. Navy Pass Defense Senior quarterback Tommy Rees gave fans a scare when USC linebacker Lamar Dawson knocked him out of the eventual 14-10 win over the Trojans Oct. 19. In his absence, the offense stalled with senior backup quarterback Andrew Hendrix struggling, and the Irish depended on a dominant defensive performance. With Rees leading the offense, Notre Dame should have no issue racking up points against the Midshipmen. A pair of weapons have emerged in the passing game after some wondered preseason how the offense would fare in the absence of decorated tight end Tyler Eifert. His replacement, junior Troy Niklas, caught five touchdown passes in the first seven games, just one short of the school record (Ken MacAfee, 1977). Senior wide receiver TJ Jones leads the team in receiving and consistently produces gamechanging catches from Rees. Navy's pass defense has been better than usual (40th through six games), but a lot of that has to do with opponents opting to gash the Midshipmen defense on the ground. Three of four starting defensive backs returned in 2013, and they have shown an aptitude for forcing turnovers, with seven interceptions in the first half of the season. Advantage: Notre Dame Special Teams Navy sophomore kicker Nick Sloan has not been called upon often, but he has struggled in limited duty (4 of 7 overall on field goals and 1 of 3 from 30-39 yards). Junior punter Pablo Beltran led the 18th-ranked unit with an average of 44.3 yards per