Blue and Gold Illustrated

Oct. 19, 2015 Issue

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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The one play Martini made in the first half was a big one. With the game tied 7-7 in the second quarter, he beat a Navy blocker to the outside and forced senior quarterback Keenan Reynolds to rush a pitch to senior fullback Chris Swain, which threw off the timing of the play and caused a fumble. Junior linebacker Jaylon Smith recovered the fumble at the Navy 7-yard line, and senior running back C.J. Prosise scored a play later to put the Irish ahead. It took time for the Irish defenders to get a read on what Navy was trying to do. The more they saw, the better the Irish defense played, especially Martini. "As the game went on I became more and more comfortable and I defi- nitely adjusted to the speed," Martini said of his second-half performance. "It's not an easy offense to defend, but I feel like the defense did a pretty good job." Martini helped get the defense roll- ing early in the third quarter. Irish sophomore linebacker Nyles Morgan forced a fumble on the open- ing kickoff of the second half, which the offense converted into a touch- down to take a 10-point lead. The Irish had a chance to take control of the game, but that could only happen if the defense could come up with a stop or two, something Martini made sure would happen. After Navy picked up a first down on the ensuing series, Martini went to work, quickly beating a block and tackling Reynolds for just a one-yard gain. The next play Martini shot off the edge and drilled Swain at the line of scrimmage, forcing a third-and-nine. Senior defensive end Romeo Ok- wara sacked Reynolds on third down to force a field goal attempt that was missed. The Irish offense was able to convert its next possession into a touchdown, making it 38-21. C.J. PROSISE GETS BACK ON TRACK In the first four games of the sea- son, senior running back C.J. Prosise made playing the running back posi- tion look easy. The converted wide • In a display of the long and cherished history between the two programs, Notre Dame and Navy — both Under Armour schools — wore the same cleats, gloves and base layer in the game. The phrase "Respect, Honor and Tradition" was the motto placed on the equipment. • This is the fourth straight game against Navy that an Irish player has rushed for at least 100 yards. Theo Riddick ran for 107 in 2012, and Tar- ean Folston totaled 140 in 2013 and 149 in 2014. Senior running back C.J. Prosise had 129 yards in this year's game. • Notre Dame's 84-yard TD drive in the second quarter was its 11th scoring drive of at least 80 yards on the season. • Prosise has had at least 100 yards rushing or receiving in five straight games. He rushed for 155 yards against Virginia, 198 yards against Georgia Tech, 149 yards against UMass and 129 against Navy. Prosise hauled in four passes for 100 yards against Clemson. • Freshman quarterback Rob Regan was awarded the game ball for his work with the SWAG (Students With Attitude And Game) triple-option team. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

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