Blue and Gold Illustrated

GAME PREVIEW: NAVY contest and held a 36-35 edge heading into the fourth quarter before the Irish prevailed in the 50-43 shootout. It defies human nature to be emo- tionally up every week. Even one of the great motivators at Notre Dame in the last half-century, Lou Holtz (1986-96), acknowledged that a foot- ball team can reach an emotional peak only about three times per season — and for each of them there will be a reciprocal letdown. What is crucial is there is enough talent to compensate for it against that opponent. Navy falling right between the showdown at No. 12 Clemson and the game versus a USC team that shel- lacked the Irish 49-14 last year is the ideal recipe for the competitive Mid- shipmen to pull off an ambush. Then again, Navy takes on Air Force the week prior in its own grudge match, and the last time an unbeaten Midshipmen team did that was in 2004 when it was throttled by the Irish, 27-9. KEEN ON REYNOLDS As a freshman plebe at the Naval Academy in 2012, quarterback Keenan Reynolds saw only mop-up action in the closing minutes of the season- opening 50-10 loss to Notre Dame in Ireland. He took the throttle later that season and has had one of the most sensa- tional careers in NCAA history. Entering the game against Air Force Oct. 3, Reynolds' 73 career touch- downs were second all time only to Wisconsin's Montee Ball, who had 77. Reynolds also had rushed for 3,491 yards, second on the all-time Midship- men list to 1981-85 running back Na- poleon McCallum, who totaled 4,179 rushing yards before later embarking on an NFL career. As long as Reynolds is operating the controls of the Naval Academy attack, his team will have an opportunity to be competitive. During Notre Dame's 43-game winning streak against Navy from 1964-2006, the Midshipmen reached 30 points only once, a 52-31 defeat in 1990. With Reynolds the past two seasons, it surpassed 30 for the first time in back-to-back years against the Irish during 38-34 and 49-39 defeats. In the 88-game history of the series between the two schools, those two Navy point totals are among two of the four highest registered by the Mids against the Irish. The others were the 35-14 victory led by Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach in 1963, and the 35-17 Navy victory in 2010 — head coach Brian Kelly's first season at Notre Dame. TAKING THE OFFENSIVE Speaking of being overshadowed … the Notre Dame offense has a tendency to get overlooked in the Fighting Irish- Midshipmen games. The focus is on the uniqueness of the triple-option at- tack and how it gives Navy a punch- er's chance against Notre Dame while leveling the playing field a little bit. The reality is that in the last four meetings head coach Brian Kelly's Irish have tallied 56, 50, 38 and 49 points against the Mids, or an average

• Cover