Notre Dame football offensive keys to victory against an opportunistic Navy Midshipmen defense
Notre Dame football is set to take on an impressive Navy team on Saturday. The Midshipmen are led by a high-octane offense that is throwing the football at a higher clip than in years past. As always, the run game is their bread and butter, and it is a daunting task. On the other side […]
Notre Dame football is set to take on an impressive Navy team on Saturday. The Midshipmen are led by a high-octane offense that is throwing the football at a higher clip than in years past. As always, the run game is their bread and butter, and it is a daunting task.
On the other side of the football, the Irish offense has the clear advantage against the Navy defense. There are several keys to victory that could signal a huge game for that offensive unit. Here’s where the difference could be created.
Best version of Riley Leonard
Notre Dame is so talented that they don’t necessarily need the passing offense to be stellar against Navy and they can still win. This game, however, could be a precursor for things to come or a major letdown. Leonard has been playing better football over the last several weeks, but a step forward still needs to come. The Navy secondary has a couple solid players, but they are very susceptible to giving up big plays. Notre Dame, and Leonard, need to capitalize.
Interior offensive line board back
Despite everyone yelling about Anthonie Knapp against Georgia Tech, it was the interior offensive line that was the actual issue. Center Pat Coogan is battling, but he wasn’t very good in this game. Both Sam Pendleton and Rocco Spindler were quite bad in this contest. They will need a nice bounce back against a small, but relentless interior defensive line for the Midshipmen led by Landon Robinson. If they can’t create movement on this front, then things are trending in a bad direction.
Don’t do anything stupid
The Navy defense is not a very good unit. Barring any stupid mistakes, Notre Dame should be able to both run and pass the football on Saturday. Their defensive unit is built off of forcing turnovers, including 10 interceptions and four fumbles recoveries. That’s the only way that Navy can really keep this Irish offense under wraps. If Notre Dame isn’t their worst enemy on Saturday, it should be a good day. If they don’t, then it’s going to be a long contest.
