Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/81334
On Paper Revisted By Lou Somogyi Navy Running Game Vs. Notre Dame Run Defense When a defense can shut down two of the three elements in the triple option, school’s out. The Irish took away both the fullback dive — the most crucial element to control the line of scrimmage — and the quarterback keeper. Starting fullback Noah Copeland carried only six times for 29 yards, a dramatic difference from when Alexander Teich had 26 carries from that spot for 210 yards in Navy’s victory versus Notre Dame two years ago. The massive Irish front with the nose guard duo of Louis Nix III and Kona Schwenke, plus ends Stephon Tuitt and Kapron Lewis-Moore pinching in, was a fortress Navy couldn’t challenge. It didn’t use the fullback during eight running plays in the first series, and the second carry by the fullback resulted in a fumbled exchange. Quarterback Trey Miller’s keepers on cutbacks likewise were shut down, resulting in 16 yards rushing (including three sacks) on 20 attempts. The pitch was the lone mean of production, with it averaging nearly eight yards on its nine attempts. But without establishing anything inside, especially with linebacker Manti Te’o looming, the ground attack never could keep Notre Dame off balance. Navy gained 39 window dressing yards on its last two rushing plays to finish with 149 yards on the ground, half of what it usually averages per game. Advantage: Notre Dame Navy Passing Game Vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense The Irish pass defense, specifically the corner position, is deemed the Achilles heel of this team, and Navy’s production despite the absence of its top two receivers didn’t do anything to allay it. When the Irish run defense forced the Midshipmen to play left-handed by having to go to the air, Navy acquitted itself well, averaging 9.6 yards per attempt (192 yards on 20 attempts) while completing 70 percent of its passes. The Midshipmen opened the second half with three straight passes that gained 75 yards, the last a 25-yard score, but they were out of their element when they had to rely on the aerial attack so much in a catch-up role. This resulted in three sacks, the mishandled pass attempt that led to Tuitt’s 77-yard fumble return, and also the first career interception by Te’o. Advantage: Notre Dame Notre Dame Running Game Vs. Navy Run Defense Navy’s top four defensive ends weigh between 242 and 255 pounds, and its outside linebackers were 212 and 218. It was tailor-made for Notre Dame to establish control with the ground attack, and it did with 107 yards on 11 carries in the first quarter. Senior Theo Riddick (19 carries, 107 yards, two touchdowns), after playing in the slot the past two seasons, looked far more comfortable at his more natural running back spot, and sophomore George Atkinson III’s 56-yard touchdown in the second series showcased his game-breaking skills (nine carries, 99 yards, two touchdowns). The 293 yard rushing were the most by an Irish team in nine years — and Notre Dame didn’t even have to use quarterback Everett Golson on the read option. Advantage: Notre Dame Notre Dame Passing Game Vs. Navy Pass Defense With the running game established early, it was the ideal situation for the sophomore Golson in his first career action. Of his 18 pass attempts (12 completions, 144 yards, one interception and one touchdown), only two traveled beyond 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. Screens, dump-offs and safety valves led to an unspectacular but efficient effort. The play that could prove to be the bread-and-butter several times per game this year is the quarterback bootleg off play action with the tight end dragging across the field. Troy Niklas gained 29 on a pass from Golson and Ben Koyack, who dropped one earlier on the same play, snared one for 23 yards from Andrew Hendrix. Advantage: Even Special Teams Two botched extra points (one on a dropped hold) might cost the Irish much more in a closer contest, and Navy also dropped Atkinson at his 13 on the kickoff after cutting the deficit to 27-10. On the plus side, freshman Davonté Neal’s 11-yard punt return on his first attempt eclipsed the three yards the Irish produced through the 12-game regular season last year. Otherwise, it was a fairly uneventful area for both teams. Advantage: Even Third-Down Conversions Notre Dame converted all seven third-down attempts with Golson at the throttle. This included an 11-yard screen to Riddick on third-and-seven on the first series that ended with a touchdown, a scoring toss to tight end Tyler Eifert on a fade on third-and-goal, two third-and-two conversions prior to the tally in the third quarter that made it 34-10, and Riddick later scoring from the 3 on third-and-goal. The Irish were 7 of 10 (.700) while Navy was 4 of 9 (.444). Advantage: Notre Dame Turnovers In last year’s Notre Dame opener there were five turnovers — all by the Irish, with one directly resulting in a score in a 23-20 loss to South Florida. There were five turnovers again in this year’s opener, but this time Navy had four of them, with one resulting in a 77-yard fumble return for a score by Tuitt to help extend the lead to 27-0. Advantage: Notre Dame Analysis Other than Golson’s first-half interception toss in the red zone, the opening series by Navy in the third quarter that resulted in three straight completed passes for 75 yards, and two PAT snafus, everything pretty much went Notre Dame’s way. It exploited a significant advantage on both sides of the line of scrimmage and asserted control for the second year in a row in the first quarter, thereby taking Navy out of its element.