The Notre Dame-Navy rivalry acts as a binding thread in the rich tapestry of college football history. The longest uninterrupted intersectional series in college football, Notre Dame and Navy possess a rare mutual respect not possessed by participants of The Game, Iron Bowl or Red River Rivalry.
“It’s such a huge honor to be able to play alongside guys [on Navy] I call heroes,” senior quarterback Riley Leonard said in a press conference following the game. “They’re a lot braver than me. Honoring them by playing a football game means a lot to me.”
Before a crowd of 76,112 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Saturday, the Irish looked to win their seventh straight against the Midshipmen on the road. Though the Meadowlands Sports Complex hosted seven previous Notre Dame-Navy contests, the energy and expectations surrounding this match felt different. The undefeated, No. 24 Midshipmen walked into MetLife ranked in the AP Poll for just the sixth time this millennium and the first time since 2019. Playing with house money, second-year Navy head coach Brian Newberry and his squad emerged as a nationally beloved, plucky underdog vying for a miracle College Football Playoff berth as the Group of Five representative.
Despite a convincing 31-13 victory over Georgia Tech last week, Notre Dame remained stagnant in the AP Poll, doubts lingering in voters’ minds from its upset loss to Northern Illinois in Week Two. Unlike Navy, the Irish entered the game under intense scrutiny, their College Football Playoff hopes hanging in the balance. They left as undisputed victors, dominating all three phases, and earning the right to enjoy a New York feast fit for champions: chicken parm, lasagna and cannoli from Carmine’s, a staple of Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Though dominant, the Naval Academy entered the game untested against top competition. Currently eighth in Bill Connelly’s SP+ efficiency rankings, Notre Dame was just the third opponent Navy faced ranked in the top 100, the others being Memphis (59th) and East Carolina (95th). Needless to say, the Irish presented the Midshipmen with their toughest test thus far. Finally forced to play from behind against superior athletes, Navy crumbled under the bright New York lights.
“Sometimes you want something so bad you play outside yourself, and I think we did that today,” Newberry said.
Uncharacteristic unforced errors plagued the Midshipmen throughout the game. They entered the contest without losing a fumble but coughed up the football five times, including two muffed punts. Three turnovers in the first half doomed Navy to a near-insurmountable 31-7 deficit at halftime.
“When you look at almost every single turnover or fumble, it was something we did,” Navy quarterback Blake Horvath said. “They almost didn’t touch the ball. That is the most frustrating piece from our point. We wanted it really bad and we bit ourselves.”
Freshman cornerback Leonard Moore recorded his first career interception in the fourth quarter after Horvath lofted a wobbling prayer to the end zone on fourth-and-7. Notre Dame turned defense into offense, scoring 28 points off six takeaways, including junior linebacker Jaylen Sneed recovering Horvath’s fumble in the end zone. Graduate receiver Kris Mitchell’s 6-yard touchdown reception came three plays after Navy’s first turnover while sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love and freshman tailback Kedren Young found paydirt on 2-yard and 4-yard rushes, respectively.
“[Scoring off turnovers] was a point of emphasis. This team is No. 2 in the country in turnover margin,” head coach Marcus Freeman said. “To be plus-six in turnovers is a straight reflection of complementary football.”
“[Turnovers are] always the key to the game,” graduate linebacker Jack Kiser said. “The defense has to wreak havoc on the ball and get the ball and create opportunities for our offense.”
Navy’s signature triple-option offense initially confused the Irish defense, with Horvath breaking loose on outside runs for a 47-yard touchdown and 60-yard gain during the first half. First-year offensive coordinator Drew Cronic added a new wrinkle to the team’s traditional offense with more snaps out of the shotgun, relying on Horvath’s arm talent to keep defenses from stacking the tackle box against the run. Twice Horvath threw his receiver open along the right sideline for 20-plus-yard completions against sophomore cornerback Christian Gray.
“Any time you play a triple-option team like Navy who runs it so well, it’s going to be a difficult task,” Kiser said.
“When you add in the dynamic player [Horvath] is and his abilities, it makes it really tough. Everybody has to do their job, everybody has to be where they need to be to stop someone like that. He hurt us early, so we had to calm down and kind of make sure we were doing everything right.”
With no classes this week while on fall break, the Irish defense spent more time in the film room studying Navy than any other opponent this season. Their preparation paid dividends, helping the linebackers recognize and react to tricky pre-snap motion and unique formations. Outside of Horvath’s two explosive runs, the Irish held him to 22 yards on 12 carries. Notre Dame’s stout defense front took away the fullback dive, limiting Alex Tecza and Daba Fofana to 2.6 yards per carry. Strong performances from Moore and sophomore safety Adon Shuler eliminated the Navy passing threat that decimated opposing defenses in previous weeks. Horvath averaged 12.3 yards per attempt coming into the game but was held in check to 6.8 yards per attempt against Notre Dame. Moore blanketed snipe Eli Heidenreich all game, rendering him a complete non-factor. Heidenreich recorded at least one 20-plus-yard reception in all six games and with 12 total, ranked seventh in the country. He only managed to corral two of his four targets for 10 yards receiving on Saturday.
Kiser and Sneed carried the day for the defense. The linebacker pair led the team with nine tackles each and saw through Cronic’s smoke and mirrors to make big plays on third down and in the red zone. For the first time all year, Navy didn’t score in the red zone. The Midshipmen previously scored 22 touchdowns on 23 trips to the red zone but only managed to find the end zone once on three red-zone appearances against the Irish.
“[Navy does] some really difficult things in the red zone, but our offense was able to score in the red zone,” Freeman said.
“And we stopped them, which was crucial one of those times in the red zone. So, it’s a point of emphasis. You’ve got to have a great plan, but it’s also a mindset when you get down that we’ve got to score touchdowns on offense, and we’ve got to force them to try a field-goal attempt on defense.”
Though Notre Dame could have won the game on the backs of its defense, the offense’s red-zone efficiency turned the game into a blowout. The Irish moved the ball at will, leaning on the ground game to the tune of 204 yards on 7.3 yards per attempt through the first three quarters. Notre Dame has now scored at least 30 points in four straight games.
“[The offense has] been a work in progress obviously,” Leonard said. “But I think we’re getting better every week.”
Leonard continues to progress as a passer each week as he develops greater chemistry with his receivers. He demonstrated strong command of offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s offense by making smart decisions on RPOs and escaping the blitz to deliver precise strikes on third and fourth down. These clutch conversions kept the Navy offense off the field and prevented the Midshipmen from narrowing their deficit. Leonard attributes his improved confidence and decision making to conversations with several former Notre Dame quarterbacks, including Brady Quinn, Sam Hartman and Ian Book.
“Every single one of them has brought me down to earth,” Leonard said. “I was a little overwhelmed at first, but all of them tell me to enjoy the opportunity and play with no regrets.”
The Irish have faced and overcome adversity all season long. They escaped hostile College Station with a Week One win, learned from their upset loss to Northern Illinois and bounced back against Louisville after early fumbles. With the first College Football Playoff rankings set to release on Nov. 5, the 7-1 Irish look poised to claim a coveted spot in the top 12. Though they look to be playing their best, most complete football of the season, Coach Freeman knows Notre Dame has yet to play to its full potential.
“When I meet with [the players] again, I’m going to tell [them] about the improvements that we need to make,” Freeman said. “It’s the reality of people that aren’t satisfied. We want more. We want the best, but we’re going to enjoy today.”
