Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/899989
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 20, 2017 39 Leading Navy's defense in the 28‑27 victory was then freshman safety Alohi Gilman, who recorded a game‑ high 12 tackles (five solo). It takes an extra special student‑athlete to play as a plebe at the Naval Academy, yet Gilman starred on defense for the 9‑5 Midshipmen while finishing second in tackles (76), passes defended (five) and fumbles recovered (two), and third in tackles for lost yardage (5.0). However, after his stellar freshman campaign, Gilman opted to transfer to Notre Dame. The NCAA did not approve his waiver to play this sea‑ son for the Irish, but his impact and leadership — a quality well‑honed at Navy — already has been felt at Notre Dame. "I couldn't even begin to tell you what he does," praised Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly when asked about Gilman earlier this month. "We have 6 a.m. lift every Friday with our developmental guys. He has a meet‑ ing with them every Thursday to make sure everyone is there at 5:45. He's a great leader. "He is an impactful player on our scout team. He challenges all of our guys on a day‑to‑day basis. His pres‑ ence is known in our program. Ev‑ erybody respects him and knows he's going to impact this program next year. He's already doing that in the roles that he can right now." Last year, Navy had graduated four‑ year starting quarterback and stand‑ out Keenan Reynolds, was second to Ohio State in fewest starters returning (eight) and saw starters or key con‑ tributors miss a combined 102 games — yet the Midshipmen still defeated Notre Dame and won nine games. Navy overall doesn't recruit top‑90 talent, but no school in America bet‑ ter tailors a system to its personnel to achieve maximum results. Gilman is yet another example. SANDWICH SURPRISE With the game sandwiched in be‑ tween challenging road contests at Miami and Stanford, the Midship‑ men might be in an ideal position to possibly catch the Irish at the right time on Senior Day, even as a double‑ digit underdog on the road. Under head coach Ken Niumat‑ alolo, Navy won a minimum of eight games in eight of his first nine sea‑ sons, highlighted by a 10‑4 record in 2009 and an 11‑2 mark in 2015 for a No. 18 finish in the Associated Press poll — the highest since 1963. While they aren't an Alabama, Clemson or Ohio State from a wins perspective, Navy is a "program" in its own right in that the whole system has proven over time to be greater than the sum of its parts. The Midshipmen continue to re‑ main competitive at the Football Bowl Subdivision level and have be‑ come a "tough out" on Notre Dame's schedule. ✦ GAME PREVIEW: NAVY Former Navy safety Alohi Gilman transferred to Notre Dame over the summer and has already made his presence felt in South Bend, even though he had to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules. PHOTO COURTESY NAVY Predictions Corey Bodden: Notre Dame 38, Navy 20 Navy's defense has allowed more than 400 yards per game, and that doesn't bode well against the Irish. Stopping the triple option is no easy task, but the Irish offense will be too much to handle. Brian Driskell: Notre Dame 41, Navy 17 Navy can run the ball as well as ever, but its defense will have a hard time stopping Notre Dame's potent ground attack, which will create even more big-play opportunities in the pass game. David McKinney: Notre Dame 49, Navy 17 This Notre Dame team has come way too far to let Navy derail them again. Could Navy make some plays with their tricky option offense and put some points on the board? Sure, but not enough to win. Lou Somogyi: Notre Dame 42, Navy 21 Even if the Irish are held to six full possessions on offense again this year like in 2016, they are capable of scoring touchdowns on all of them this time, which should be enough.