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Navy Midshipmen vs AP #20/Coaches' #25 / CFP #20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
12 November 2022, 12:00 PM ET, Baltimore MD. • M&T BANK STADIUM
Series: Notre Dame Leads 80-13-1 | Streak: Notre Dame, 4 gms | Last Mtg: 11-6 2021 in South Bend (ND 34-6)

TELEVISION: ABC
Online: WatchESPN and ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Dave Flemming, Analyst: Dan Orlovsky, Sideline: Kris Budden

RADIO: NAVY RADIO NETWORK
Play-by-Play: Pete Medhurst, Analyst: Joe Miller, Sideline: Keith Mills, Studio: Scott Wykoff, Pregame Commentary: John Feinstein
• WBAL 1090 AM / 101.5 FM (Baltimore)
• WFED 820 AM / 94.3 FM (Frederick, Md.)
• WFED 1500 AM (Washington, D.C.)
• WFED 104.5 FM (W. Fairfax / Loudon, Va.)
• WNAV 1430 AM / 99.9 FM (Annapolis)
• KWFN 97.3 FM (San Diego)
• WGH 1310 AM / 100.9 FM / 97.3 HD2-3 (Norfolk)
• WJGM 105.7 FM (Jacksonville, Fla.)
• Satellite: Sirius (Ch. 111 or 202), SXM App (Ch. 965)
• Apps: Audacy (WNAV) and TuneIn (WBAL)

WHY WE PLAY
• Without Navy, Notre Dame may not still exist. Notre Dame fell on hard times in World War II. The school’s population dwindled to a depression era number of 2,623 students in 1943 and a 20 percent reduction in 5 years led to stark financial problems for the school. Then the Navy came to Notre Dame’s rescue.
• According to then Notre Dame president Hugh O’Donnell, the school “offered all of the facilities of this institution to the government. In April of 1943, the V-7 Indoctrination School was created and the first group of 900 men, all college graduates enlisted for one month as apprentice seamen.”
• The late Notre Dame Vice President Father Edmund Joyce also shared the same sentiments of Navy’s importance to the school. “All I can say is without the Navy during the war, this institution would have gotten down to a few hundred students. Instead of that, we were almost twice our normal size during the war, and we were able to contribute something to the Navy.”
• The Navy signed a contract with the South Bend-situated school at the time, guaranteeing $487,711 for its infrastructure needs and administrative expenses.
• Notre Dame has never forgotten Navy’s kindness and support in its time of dire need. In fact, in the 1950s and 60s when colleges across the country en masse were ending their ROTC programs, Notre Dame stood by Navy and allowed its University to serve as a base for college naval recruits.

OPENING KICK
• Navy (3-6) and #20/25 Notre Dame (6-3) meet for the 95th time on the gridiron when the two square off on Saturday at 12-Noon at M&T Bank Stadium (71,008) in Baltimore. This will be the 23rd time Navy and Notre Dame have played in Baltimore and the first since 2008. This is the fourth time the Navy-Notre Dame game has been played at M&T Bank Stadium. Saturday’s contest is presented by Navy Federal Credit Union and Navy Mutual.
• The two programs are among the winningest FBS teams in college football history. Notre Dame ranks fourth all-time with 935 wins, while Navy ranks 25th with 732 wins.
• The two schools had played 93-consecutive times, which was the longest intersectional rivalry in college football, until 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic caused the game to be canceled. Navy and Notre Dame were originally scheduled to open the 2020 season in Dublin, Ireland. Travel restrictions, however, forced the game to be moved to Annapolis for what would have been the first game in series history to be played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium before the contest was ultimately canceled. The 2023 Navy-Notre Dame game will be played on Saturday, Aug. 26 in Dublin. It will mark the third time the Mids and Irish have met in Ireland and the first time with Notre Dame as the home team.
• Notre Dame leads the series 80-13-1 and has won four in a row over the Mids.
• Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo has beaten Notre Dame 3 times and has lost 4 other times by 10 points or less in his 13 games against the Irish. His 3 wins against Notre Dame are tied with Wayne Hardin (1960-61) for the most in school history.
• Niumatalolo has beaten 5 Associated Press Top-25 opponents during his tenure with the last coming on Nov. 23, 2019, when the Mids defeated #21 SMU 35-28. Niumatalolo beat #19 Notre Dame 23-21 in 2009. The highest-ranked team a Niumatalolo-led Navy team has defeated came in 2016 when the Mids stunned #6 Houston 46-40.
• Navy has defeated 4 Notre Dame teams ranked in the top 25: 1936 over #13 Notre Dame 3-0; 1944 over #2 Notre Dame 32-12; 1957 over #5 Notre Dame 20-6 and in 2009 over #19 Notre Dame 23-21.
• Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has Navy’s number when it comes to shutting down the option. In 2018, as defensive coordinator at Cincinnati, his unit held Navy to 171 yards of total offense, including just 124 yards on the ground, in a 42-0 win. Last year, as defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, his group again shut down the Mids, allowing just 189 yards of total offense, including 166 yards on the ground, in a 34-6 Notre Dame win.
• Navy has made things interesting against the Irish at M&T Bank Stadium. In 2008, sophomore quarterback Ricky Dobbs came off the bench and nearly led the greatest comeback in school history. Navy trailed Notre Dame 27-7 with less than two minutes remaining when Shun White scored on a 24-yard touchdown run to make the score 27-14. Corey Johnson recovered the ensuing onside kick at the ND 41 and on the first play, Dobbs hit Tyree Barnes with a 40-yard pass down to the Notre Dame 1. Dobbs scored on the next play to make it 27-21 and then Johnson again recovered the onside kick at the ND 41, but this time the Notre Dame defense held thanks to a Pat Kuntz sack.
• In 2002, a 1-7 Navy squad led 8-1 and ninth-ranked Notre Dame 23-15 deep into the fourth quarter until the Irish rallied for 2 touchdowns in the final 4:30 to hold on for a 30-23 win thanks to 2 Carlyle Holiday touchdown passes.
• Navy is the only team in the FBS that will not play a home game in the month of November. Navy lost at Cincinnati (20-10) last Saturday, plays host to Notre Dame this Saturday in Baltimore, travels to UCF next week (11-19) before traveling to Philadelphia on Dec. 10 for the annual Army-Navy Game presented by USAA, in addition to a bye on Thanksgiving weekend. It marks the first time since 1988 that Navy will not have a home game in the month of November. Remarkably, in 1988, Navy played its final home game on Oct. 1 vs. Yale and then played 4 games on the road (Air Force, Pitt, Syracuse and South Carolina) and 2 neutral site games (Notre Dame in Baltimore and Army in Philadelphia) to finish 3-8.
• Navy starting quarterback Tai Lavatai was lost for the year in the first quarter of
the Temple game with a left knee injury. Backup quarterback Xavier Arline, who came on to finish the Temple game and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 23-yard run in overtime, started last week against Cincinnati and played well, rushing for 87 yards on 12 carries. Arline is a two-sport athlete for Navy as he is also a starting attackman on the lacrosse team. Arline initially committed to North Carolina to play both lacrosse and football, but after a change in the Tar Heel football coaching staff, Arline decommitted and signed with Navy.
• Navy starts a combined 4 seniors on offense and defense, a mark that is tied with Cal, Louisiana Tech, North Texas and Temple for the third fewest in the country.
• Navy defeated Temple on Oct. 29 without completing a pass. It was the eighth time in the Niumatalolo era that Navy has played an entire game without completing a pass. Not completing a pass in a game is not necessarily a bad thing for the Mids, as they are 7-1 in those games. In two of those games, 2009 vs. Wake Forest and 2008 against SMU, the Mids never attempted a pass. Both of those games were played in torrential downpours with Navy beating Wake Forest 13-10 and SMU 34-7.

SCOUTING NOTRE DAME
6-3 Overall
Head Coach: Marcus Freeman
• Notre Dame enters Saturday’s game as one of the hottest teams in the country, having won three straight and 6 of its last 7. Last week, the Irish manhandled #4 Clemson in South Bend 35-14.
• Notre Dame has won 16-consecutive games in the month of November, which is the longest active streak in the FBS.
• Junior quarterback Drew Pyne has had a solid year for Notre Dame, completing 111 of his 182 pass attempts for 1,278 yards and 14 touchdowns. Pyne has tossed just 4 interceptions.
• Pyne’s favorite target is junior tight end Michael Mayer, who many consider the best tight end in the country and the greatest tight end in the history of Notre Dame. The surefire first-round draft pick has caught 51 passes for 624 yards and 7 touchdowns (#24 in the country). Sophomore Lorenzo Styles has 24 catches for 292 yards and a touchdown.
• Notre Dame’s rushing attack is led by the 1-2 combo of sophomore Audric Estime and sophomore Logan Diggs. Estime has rushed for 662 yards and 9 touchdowns on 117 carries, while Diggs has 545 yards and a touchdown on 112 carries.
• Notre Dame’s offensive line has allowed just 3.78 tackles for loss per game, which ranks seventh in the country.
• Like Navy, Notre Dame likes to keep possession of the ball. Notre Dame is holding it 32:39 per game which ranks 17th
in the country.
• Defensively, Notre Dame is led by senior linebacker JD Bertrand and graduate student linebacker Jack Kiser. Bertrand has recorded 60 tackles this year, with 6.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks, while Kiser has 37 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Senior defensive lineman Isaiah Foskey is fourth in the country in sacks, averaging 0.9 per contest.
• Notre Dame’s defense ranks 19th nationally in fourth down
defense (.375). The Irish have 2 defensive touchdowns, which is 16th nationally. The Irish are averaging 3.1 sacks per game, which is 14th best in the country.
• Notre Dame has blocked an incredible 6 punts this year and has blocked a punt in four-consecutive games. Notre Dame’s first points last Saturday against Clemson came on a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown. Foskey has 2 blocked punts on the year, which is tied for third nationally.
• Senior Brandon Johnson is 15th in the country in punt returns, averaging 9.9 yards per return.
• Notre Dame is 16th in the country in fewest penalties per game (4.67) and 25th in penalties yards per game (43.8).

GAME DAY FESTIVITIES
• The March-On of the Brigade of Midshipmen will begin at 11:41 am.
• The National Anthem will take place at 11:51:30 am, followed by a flyover at the conclusion of the national anthem.
• Saturday’s flyover will feature 2 Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornets from the “Fighting Omars” of Fighter Squadron Composite Twelve based out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach, Va. Piloting the lead aircraft will be Lt. Cmdr. Nathan Davey, USNA Class of 2008. The wing aircraft will be piloted by Cmdr. Wayne Irons, USNA Class of 2005 and a former defensive back for the Navy football team. Providing ground control will be Lt. Chad Theriault, USNA Class of 2009. The Fighting Omars are the Navy’s premier TOPGUN adversary squadron. The squadron’s mission is to provide the most professional, aggressive and accurate threat simulation, along with tactical expertise from a cadre of the finest Super Hornet pilots in the world.
• There will be 3 parachute jumpers that will jump out of their plane at 11:54 am and land on the field at 12:01 pm.
• Navy will take the field at 12:03:20, while Notre Dame will follow at 12:04 pm
• Kickoff on Saturday is tentatively slated for 12:05 pm.
• The Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps will perform at halftime.
• The pilots from the pregame flyover will be recognized between the third and fourth quarters.
• Following the game, Navy’s alma mater, Navy Blue & Gold, will be played as the team stands at attention in front of the Brigade of Midshipmen. It is one of the best traditions in all of sports.

Kick their ass Navy.

(11-09-2022 09:08 PM)sierrajip Wrote: [ -> ]Kick their ass Navy.

While I appreciate the support, it'll be a tall task.

We need ND to be doing classic trap game, post-Clemson let down things.
We need to run the offense well, killing clock. That's conceivable but far from a given.
We need to convert drives into points -- that's been the weak point all season.

And then maybe something like in our 2016 win, when Brian Kelly kicked a field goal down four with 7:30 left...and we never let them have the ball again.

Thanks for this, my father was in the Navy so it's very easy to root for y'all.....unless you play Memphis of course

(11-09-2022 09:56 PM)slhNavy91 Wrote: [ -> ]

(11-09-2022 09:08 PM)sierrajip Wrote: [ -> ]Kick their ass Navy.

While I appreciate the support, it'll be a tall task.

We need ND to be doing classic trap game, post-Clemson let down things.
We need to run the offense well, killing clock. That's conceivable but far from a given.
We need to convert drives into points -- that's been the weak point all season.

And then maybe something like in our 2016 win, when Brian Kelly kicked a field goal down four with 7:30 left...and we never let them have the ball again.

Run defense is what I want to see from Navy. ND does not have a passing game. I understand your point but I believe Navy can do this.

Go Navy.

I will most likely be in my backyard in a deer blind instead of watching the game (unless the morning goes very well possibly).

slhNavy91 described the formula to win, and it is feasible if not likely.

The previous Navy teams that have beaten ND in my lifetime have all had very strong offenses, and I would not describe this Navy team that way. On the other hand, our run defense is strong and that is their offensive strength so maybe it cancels out. We will see.

Go Navy, beat ND!

Of. Note, both ESPN and CFN have this game listed as a "best bets" for ND to cover. That doesn't really mean anything one way or another but hopefully it means ND is looking past us.

(11-10-2022 08:32 AM)Vonz90 Wrote: [ -> ]I will most likely be in my backyard in a deer blind instead of watching the game (unless the morning goes very well possibly).

slhNavy91 described the formula to win, and it is feasible if not likely.

The previous Navy teams that have beaten ND in my lifetime have all had very strong offenses, and I would not describe this Navy team that way. On the other hand, our run defense is strong and that is their offensive strength so maybe it cancels out. We will see.

Go Navy, beat ND!

Whitetail or Mule?

(11-11-2022 02:39 PM)MeepMeep Wrote: [ -> ]

(11-10-2022 08:32 AM)Vonz90 Wrote: [ -> ]I will most likely be in my backyard in a deer blind instead of watching the game (unless the morning goes very well possibly).

slhNavy91 described the formula to win, and it is feasible if not likely.

The previous Navy teams that have beaten ND in my lifetime have all had very strong offenses, and I would not describe this Navy team that way. On the other hand, our run defense is strong and that is their offensive strength so maybe it cancels out. We will see.

Go Navy, beat ND!

Whitetail or Mule?

Whitetail, I am in the Midwest.

Go Irish!


(note to Memphis fans that think we matriculating AACers should not be allowed to post yet: my daughter is a proud alum of Our Lady, hence the Irish are now my #2 rooting interest)

Update so far, haven't seen a thing.

Irish lead 21-13 in the second.

ND 35
Navy 13

Half

(11-12-2022 01:35 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote: [ -> ]ND 35
Navy 13

Half

Well that sucks, but I got a deer so it balances out.

Navy comes out of the half with a ten minute drive for a FG.

So the deer is hanging and I sit down to watch the game- first 3 plays I see are an Navy INT, Navy TD catch and 2 pt conversion.