Final score prediction for Notre Dame vs. Navy: Can the Irish put together a dominant performance against the rival Midshipmen?
Predicting the final score of the Notre Dame matchup against the Navy Midshipmen.
While many fans won’t get excited about it, the Notre Dame vs. Navy rivalry is one of the most historic matchups in all of college football. The two programs have played 95 times in their series history, which has included a ton of legendary players and great moments, especially the further you go back into the past. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish are set to welcome the Midshipmen to South Bend on Saturday night.
Notre Dame heads into this game with the No. 10 overall ranking in the first College Football Playoff rankings, and they are considered to be huge favorites for this game. The Irish offense is hoping for an upstart performance against a severely undersized Navy defense. The key will be to get quarterback CJ Carr playing confidently and allowing the run game to take over. Jeremiyah Love has seen his name mentioned more and more as a Heisman Trophy candidate in recent weeks. This type of game could serve as a great chance to pad his stats to be fully entrenched in that race.
The Fighting Irish defense is going to be tested in a big way by the Navy triple option offense. They are led by quarterback Blake Horvath, who is a tremendous runner but also a better passer than your typical triple option signal caller. Wide receiver-slot back Eli Heidenreich is also a dynamic weapon with the football in his hands, and the Notre Dame secondary will have to be ready.
Notre Dame vs. Navy series history
- Notre Dame has played Navy 95 times in the series history, Fighting Irish lead 81-13-1
- There are nine combined Heisman Trophy winners between the two programs
- Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman holds a 39-12 overall record with the program
- Navy HC Brian Newberry holds a 22-11 overall record with the program, previously served as defensive coordinator for the Midshipmen
- Fighting Irish enter the contest as a 25.5-point favorite over Navy
In this game, I expect the Notre Dame offense to create some big plays. The issue will be that the Navy offense keeps its opponent’s possessions limited. The Irish must do their best to take advantage of every opportunity, which I think they will for the most part. Expect a big day from Love, and a couple explosives created in the air from Carr.
One defense, Horvath and Heidenreich are going to create some plays. If you remember back to the game last year, Horvath created some hero plays at times. If you’re Notre Dame, limiting the dive back will be key. If the Midshipmen aren’t efficient as an early down running team, it drastically hurts their ceiling as an offensive attack.
Notre Dame 38, Navy 17
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