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✦ TOP STORYLINES: NOTRE DAME VS. NAVY BY LOU SOMOGYI PREP WORK You know that list of chores you might have for a weekend, and how you want to get the one you hate the most done first so it doesn't linger over your head? That's the approach Notre Dame has about playing Navy to open the 2012 season. Since the 1930s, the annual Notre Dame-Navy contest has almost always taken place in November, usually the first weekend of that month. Sometimes it was the last Saturday of October, and in 2000 it was played relatively early (Oct. 14) in Orlando, Fla. This year marks the first time in the 86- game history between the two foes that 1) the matchup will take place in the month of September and 2) it is the opener for both programs. Many, if not all, Notre Dame defensive players would rather take their triple-op- tion medicine earlier and not have to think about it thereafter. "I don't think anybody likes play- ing Navy," said fifth-year senior safety Jamoris Slaughter, who performed su- perbly at the "Star" position in blowout wins against Navy (56-14) and Air Force (59-33) last season. "If you can knock it out the first game and just go the rest of the season without playing an option team, that would be great." Coaches generally will give the politi- cally correct "we'll play them whenever" answer, but Irish boss Brian Kelly ac- knowledged he'd rather deal with Navy sooner than later. "Yes. We'd rather have it this way than have them in the middle of the season," Kelly said of the Midshipmen. "It still doesn't make the task any easier in the sense of how you have to execute on game day. You could have three weeks, five The Irish will have their hands full trying to slow down senior slot back Gee Gee Greene, who has rushed for 1,246 career yards and seven touchdowns on just 177 carries (7.0 yards per attempt), and the Midshipmen's potent triple-open attack. ✦ PAGE 6 weeks — if you don't play assignment football, if you're not disciplined, you're going to get beat. Navy will beat you. "But clearly, we'd rather have them where we have a little bit of attention to Navy leading up to them other than three or four days that, most of the time, is what you're left to prepare with." Nobody appreciates the challenge of Navy's offense more than Irish defensive coordinator Bob Diaco. In his first season with the Irish (2010), he became the target of critics when the Midshipmen romped for 367 yards rushing — 210 by fullback Alexander Teich — during a 35-17 Navy victory in which the dazed and confused Notre Dame defense had no answers. Several weeks later, the Irish shut down Army's triple option in a 27-3 victory, a positive sign that maybe now Diaco and the Irish staff understand how to quell the triple-option tide. However, even after the 56-14 trouncing of Navy last season in which Teich was held to 62 yards rushing and the Midship- men were limited to a meager 229 yards total offense, Diaco warned that defenses don't just have a sudden epiphany or silver bullet on how to stop the unusual offense. All triple options are not the same, and wrinkles are often thrown in — especially with Navy also having the entire spring and summer to prepare for the Irish. Two years ago, Navy went into an PHOTO COURTESY NAVY unbalanced line that flummoxed Notre Dame. Last year, Air Force surprisingly went to a no-huddle operation, which is counter to their modus operandi of shortening the game by running the clock. But the Falcons did it to so that Notre Dame wouldn't get an opportunity to read the alignments and quickly check into adjustments. It might look elementary or the same from the outside looking in, but it's not.