Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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28 NOV. 14, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED IRISH DEFENSE CAN'T GET OFF THE FIELD Notre Dame knew what it was in for against Navy. It would be a grind- it-out game, and the opportunities for the offense would be limited. If a defense wants to beat Navy, it has to be able to get off the field on third and fourth down. Air Force held Navy to just 5 of 15 (33.3 percent) on third down and 3 of 5 (60.0 percent) on fourth down during its 28-14 win over the Midshipmen Oct. 1. South Florida stopped the first three Navy third-down opportunities — including a pair of third-and-ones — and also halted Navy on fourth-and- one, which helped the Bulls jump out to a 28-0 lead. Notre Dame could not get off the field against the Midshipmen, espe- cially when it mattered most. Navy turned a third-and-nine into a 37-yard touchdown run and a third-and-seven into a 27-yard dash to set up a score. On the final drive of the game, Navy converted two third downs and a pair of fourth downs to run out the clock. Its final fourth-down conversion iced the game and kept the Irish of- fense from getting a final shot at win- ning the game. "If we get the ball back with 1:14, I'm feeling pretty confident we're going to find a way to score," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said, re- ferring to the final fourth-and-six the Midshipmen converted. "They made a couple of big plays that they needed to hold on to the football. That was the difference." Notre Dame had plenty of defen- sive opportunities in the second half, but it failed to make the big plays or make the stops when it was needed the most. The difficulty against Navy is the defense can't just be effective on third down. Once Navy gets near midfield, it is often in four-down mode. "Just getting those stops is tough when they're getting the fourth down and they're going for it," senior line- backer James Onwualu explained. "You get a third-down stop, now you have to get another stop. "It's tough for a defense, but we needed to make a couple more plays." Senior quarterback Will Worth was effective, punishing the Irish defense for 175 yards on 28 rushes. The Navy slot backs combined for 112 yards and two scores on 17 rushes. Even the Navy passing attack proved successful. Worth threw for just 48 yards on 5-of-8 passing, but on the final drive Navy drew a pass interference penalty on Notre Dame sophomore cornerback Nick Cole- man to turn a third-and-nine into a first down. Facing a fourth-and-six with just 1:19 left in the game, Worth found senior wideout Jamir Tillman over the middle for a 15-yard gain to seal the victory. "It's always a game where it comes down to the last quarter. You've got to make a play late," Kelly said. "They made the plays necessary late. We forced them to throw the football to win the game." Navy's game plan gave the Irish defense major problems, especially with its focus on attacking Notre Dame's young secondary, which opened with three true freshmen. "It was a quarterback-driven run game," said the Irish coach, who is now 5-2 against Navy. "The counter option, cracking the safety, and really forcing the corners to run support. "They wanted to put the pressure on the young guys on the perimeter." SPECIAL TEAMS PENALTY PROVES COSTLY, AND CONTROVERSIAL One of the biggest moments in the game came during the third quarter after the Irish defense appeared to come up with a game-changing stop, but a controversial ruling helped give Navy the ball back. Leading 24-21, the Irish defense had just stopped Navy on third-and- eight, forcing a punt on fourth-and- six. Notre Dame was poised to take possession with a lead, and with the Midshipmen having a hard time stopping the Irish offense. Following the punt, the booth re- viewed the play and determined that Notre Dame had 12 players on the field, with freshman safety Devin Studstill being the player unable to get off the field. The officials on the field determined Studstill had gotten off the field, by rule. "We all saw the same thing, that he took a step and stepped onto the sideline," head coach Brian Kelly ex- plained. "As long as you're within a step of the sideline, which he was, he was clearly getting off the field … ob- viously a very key play in the game." Navy decided to go for it on fourth-and-one and converted for a first down. It ran eight more plays and finished the drive off with a one- yard touchdown run from quarter- back Will Worth to give the Midship- men a 28-24 lead. Notre Dame would not lead again. The officials decided to not throw a flag, forcing the review booth to make the call. At issue is whether or not the play was even reviewable. NAVY GAME NOTES BY BRYAN DRISKELL Navy made a concerted effort to attack Notre Dame's youth-laden perimeter, which included freshman cornerback Julian Love, and converted 66.7 percent of their third- and fourth-down opportunities. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA