GAME PREVIEW: NAVY
on PaPer
BY BRYAN DRISKELL
NAVY RUNNING GAME VS.
NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE
Navy senior Keenan Reynolds is one of the best
option quarterbacks to ever play the game. He has
accounted for 3,491 rushing yards and 73 rushing
touchdowns in his career, and he is only four rush‑
ing scores off the NCAA's all‑time record for any
position.
Reynolds and the Navy rushing attack are playing
at an extremely high level, averaging 363.0 yards per
game through the first three contests. The strong
start by senior fullback Chris Swain has boosted the
Navy ground game, taking some of the pressure off
Reynolds. Swain rushed for 307 yards and two scores
in the first three contests, and has 1,574 yards in
his career.
Notre Dame has struggled with Navy's ground
game in recent seasons, allowing the Midshipmen
to average 333.5 yards per game over the last two
years. The Irish seem to have found some answers to
the triple option, though, containing Georgia Tech's
vaunted attack (215 rushing yards, 250 below its
average entering the game) in its 30‑22 victory over
the Yellow Jackets Sept. 19.
ADVANTAGE: Even
NAVY PASSING GAME VS.
NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE
If the Navy offense is playing the game it wants,
there will be very little passing of the football. When
Navy does go to the air, junior wide receiver Jamir
Tillman serves as the primary target. Tillman led
Navy in catches (20), receiving yards (386) and re‑
Senior fullback Chris Swain, who rushed for 106 yards against the Irish the last two seasons, paced Navy's
triple‑option attack with 307 yards on the ground through three games.
PHOTO COURTESY NAVY
