Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/904117
24 NOV. 27, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT Navy went ahead 10-3 on its final drive of the first half and opened the second half with a 72-yard touchdown drive to move in front again, 17-10. On the next Midshipmen posses- sion with the score tied at 17, Navy was on the cusp of taking the lead a third time when it drove from its 27- yard line to a first down at the Irish 26-yard line. The ensuing three plays, however, saw Notre Dame's defense stop a fullback dive for one yard, a quar- terback keeper for three yards and a slot sweep for two yards. On fourth- and-four, kicker Owen White's 37- yard field goal went wide left with 20 seconds left in the third quarter. That sequence had a two-fold benefit. First, the Irish did not trail again. Second, they responded after the stop with an 80-yard touchdown drive to take the lead for good. STAT OF THE GAME It is possible that Notre Dame's 17:18 possession time in a 60-minute football game was the fewest ever by a Fighting Irish team (Navy had the ball 42:42). The lowest total previously came in the 24-14 defeat on Sept. 14, 1991 at Michigan when the Irish owned the ball 19:20 compared to the Wol- verines' 40:40. The seven Irish series against Navy — it had only six in last sea- son's 28-27 loss, the fewest in any Football Bowl Subdivision game in eight years — resulted in three touchdowns, a field goal and, sur- prisingly, three punts. Per NCAA stats, the most recent team to win with fewer posses- sion time than Notre Dame was Texas' 42-28 victory versus Rice on Sept. 12, 2015. Texas had the ball 15:58 to Rice's 44:02. THE IRISH FINALLY WIN THE CLOSE ONE Somewhat overshadowed was Notre Dame won its first close game of the 9-2 campaign. Seven of the eight previous wins this year were by at least 20 points, and the one that wasn't — 48-37 versus Wake Forest Nov. 4 — saw the Irish lead- ing 41-16 with 17 minutes left. However, the 20-19 defeat to Geor- gia Sept. 9 dropped Notre Dame to 1-9 in its last 10 games that were de- cided by eight or fewer points (one possession), dating back to the 38-36 loss at Stanford in the 2015 season fi- nale. The lone victory since then was 30-27 on Oct. 29, 2016 versus Miami amidst the rubble of a 4-8 season. While Navy might not have been the team projected to be "the close one" this season, it hopefully helps the pendulum swing Notre Dame's way again in close encounters. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY LOU SOMOGYI OFFENSE: WR KEVIN STEPHERSON Notre Dame needed someone to flourish on offense, and the sophomore wide receiver did just that. The Irish lost their two leading pass catchers in the first half, and Stepherson was thrust into the go-to-guy role. He finished with five receptions, a career-high 103 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Stepherson hauled in a 23-yard reception and drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone to set up Notre Dame's first touchdown at the end of the opening half. Then he answered Navy's third-quarter touchdown with one of his own, from 30 yards out. On Notre Dame's game-winning fourth quarter drive, he went for 18 yards on a screen to convert a third-and-10. Three plays later, he scored his second touchdown from nine yards out on third-and-eight. DEFENSE: CB TROY PRIDE JR. Senior linebacker Greer Martini led the defense with 15 tackles and sophomore cornerback turned safety Julian Love finished with 14 tackles, but it was the sophomore cornerback who was Notre Dame's most impactful player in the win over Navy. Pride finished with a career-high six tackles, made his first career tackle for loss and intercepted the first pass of his career. His fourth-quarter interception ended a Navy scoring threat, but his tackling throughout the game was a vital part of Notre Dame's success on defense. His physicality on the outside made it hard for Navy to get its perimeter-option game going, which is a major reason why it averaged only 3.8 yards per rush. SPECIAL TEAMS: PK JUSTIN YOON The game was played in windy and wet conditions, but the junior placekicker was perfect against Navy. Yoon made all three of his point after attempts, and his 29-yard field goal in the first quarter put the Irish on the board. TOP PLAYERS OF THE GAME BY BRYAN DRISKELL Sophomore cornerback Troy Pride Jr. recorded his first career inter- ception with this fourth-quarter grab against the Midshipmen. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA