Notre Dame football continues to be an extremely bipolar team, and that makes it frustrating to follow from week to week.

Deep into the second quarter against the Navy Midshipmen, head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish trailed 13-7. Luckily, quarterback CJ Carr and running back Nolan James Jr. led a touchdown drive right before halftime, capped by a 52-yard run from James.

That sparked a strong second half, and Notre Dame finally started to look like the team many expected going into the 2026 college football season. However, this group came off a bye week that followed a 28-24 upset loss to BYU in Provo, and the fan base doesn’t have much confidence in the Irish right now. Even with the strong second half, this victory didn’t win back many fans, especially with Miami on the horizon.

Still, several Notre Dame players had strong performances in the 35-13 victory over Navy on Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Others had days to forget. Here are the winners and losers from an underwhelming Notre Dame win.

Winners

Luke Talich

For what seems like the 100th straight game, senior safety Luke Talich turned in another tremendous performance for the Fighting Irish. He led the team with 10 total tackles. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound safety has done a great job filling in for the injured Brauntae Johnson.

Many are wondering how Notre Dame will use Talich once Johnson returns. Will he cut into Adon Shuler’s playing time? Will the staff use some three-safety alignments? I’m not totally sure. What is certain is that Talich needs to stay on the field after the impact we saw on Saturday.

Nolan James Jr.

The first half was a maddening offensive performance, largely because of a lack of attention to the rushing attack. When the Irish did give James opportunities, he flourished. He ran nine times for 107 yards and two touchdowns, a lofty 11.9 yards per carry. That included the 52-yard touchdown and a 23-yard scamper for another score.

James continues to be the No. 1 back for this team. Pair him with Jones-Walton and his explosiveness, and Notre Dame appears to have a strong 1-2 punch at running back.

Jerome Bettis Jr.

It was fun to see Bettis make his impact in the second half. After some flashes in garbage time earlier this season, he led the team with six receptions for 76 yards and caught the first touchdown of his Notre Dame career. At 6-2 and over 200 pounds, Bettis is staking a claim for playing time at the boundary spot. Micah Gilbert had a good start to the game but wasn’t used much after that, and Bettis saw more and more opportunities. It’s good to see these sophomore wideouts begin to come alive.

Second half CJ Carr

It was a slow start for the junior quarterback, but Carr finished 19-of-29 passing for 210 yards and two touchdown passes, good for 7.2 yards per attempt. The first half was maddeningly inconsistent. That included a poor throw to Jordan Faison on a deep dig that would have been a huge gain.

In the second half, Carr showcased why so many people are high on him. When the 6-foot-2, 215-pound passer is in rhythm, he’s one of the best in the country. These slow starts need to stop, though.

Second half adjustments

Notre Dame didn’t get off to a fast start, and the blame has to go to Freeman. More on him later. Luckily, the second half was much better for the Fighting Irish. They came out of the locker room with a much better plan on both offense and defense and eventually built a huge lead.

Halloween

Who’s the biggest winner today? I think it’s me.

After most underwhelming performances, I would be sitting here sulking, digesting every bit of the game, and trying to reach some logical conclusions with a little bit of angst. Instead, after writing this and finishing my livestream, I get to take my kids trick-or-treating. That’s a great ending to this day.

Losers

Defensive coordinator Chris Ash

This was one of the worst defensive game plans I have ever seen against a Navy triple option offense. Notre Dame wasn’t gap sound and wasn’t consistent. Too often, multiple players were on a single responsibility, and there was an overall lack of communication. For the second straight game, Ash’s defense raises major questions, and the Notre Dame fan base isn’t happy.

Marcus Freeman

Ash wasn’t great, and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s unit got off to a slow start. Still, everything that happens between the lines falls on Freeman as the head coach. When the team plays well, he gets the credit. When it doesn’t, he gets the blame. This game deserves plenty of criticism for another slow start, which has happened far too often during his tenure.

Slow starts again

Trailing 13-7 against Navy late in the second quarter is unacceptable. The offense came out passing without much balance, which led to a three-and-out on its second drive. The defensive game plan was poor. On top of that, Notre Dame kicked the opening kickoff out of bounds and put its defense in a bad spot. Overall, it was a poorly coached first half.

Offensive identity

I understand why Denbrock’s offense came out wanting to throw. Navy has one of the worst pass defenses in college football. However, Notre Dame is physically much bigger, more explosive, and more talented than Navy. The Irish should be able to do whatever they want.

Letting rankings and schematics dictate the plan against Navy is the flaw of this team. You are more talented, so act like it. Run the football, and throw it when you feel like it. Notre Dame should have been able to do anything it wanted against the Navy defense early.

The linebackers

Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa didn’t play after the team announced before the game that he is dealing with a thumb and wrist injury. That put all eyes on Drayk Bowen, Jaiden Ausberry, and Jaylen Sneed.

Bowen got hurt during the contest and left early. In the first half, this group played poorly. The linebackers read slowly, weren’t aggressive, and didn’t get downhill. Whether it’s a coaching flaw or their own shortcomings, it was a bad look for the room.

Aneyas Williams

For the first time this season, running back Aneyas Williams didn’t receive a single carry during the first three quarters of action. He has been phased out over the last few weeks behind Jones-Walton and James, but seeing him relegated to kick returner and garbage time ball carrier was jarring. It appears Williams is no longer a focal point of this offense.

Confidence going into Miami

With head coach Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes coming to South Bend next Saturday, it’s hard for any Notre Dame fan to feel great about the team’s chances. Perhaps the Irish have a strong week of practice and surprise some folks. Still, it will be hard for anybody to pick Notre Dame with real confidence. This was a step in the process of winning back the fan base, but even with a good second half, it was an outing that left a lot to be desired.