NR Navy Midshipmen 2-6 (2-4) vs #10/#8/#8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 7-1
Saturday 6 November 2021 3:30 pm ET
Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend Indiana

TV: NBC
Online: Peacocktv.com (premium)
Play-by-Play: Mike Tirico, Analyst: Drew Brees, Sideline: Kathryn Tappen

Radio: Navy Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Pete Medhurst, Analyst: Joe Miller, Sideline: Keith Mills, Studio: Scott Wykoff, Pregame Commentary: John Feinstein
• Satellite: Sirius 111, XM 202, SXM App 965
• 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)
• WBQH 93.5 FM (Washington, D.C.)
• WJBT 100.3 FM (Jacksonville)
• KWFN 97.3 FM (San Diego)
• WGH 1310 AM / 100.9 FM / 97.3 HD2-3 (Norfolk)

OPENING KICK
• Navy and No. 8 Notre Dame meet for the 94th time in series history when the two square off on Saturday afternoon (3:30 pm ET) at Notre Dame Stadium (77,622) in South Bend, Ind. The two programs are among the winningest FBS teams in college football history. Notre Dame ranks sixth all-time with 925 wins, while Navy ranks 23rd with 727.
• The two schools had played 93-consecutive times, which was the longest intersectional rivalry in college football, until last year when the COVID-19 pandemic caused the game to be cancelled. The two schools 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 cancelled. The 2022 Navy-Notre Dame game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 12 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
• Notre Dame leads the series 79-13-1 and has won three in a row over the Mids. Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo has beaten Notre Dame three times and has lost four other times by 10 points or less in his 12 games against the Irish.
• Navy is playing the third-toughest schedule in the country this year based on opponent winning percentage from the previous year. The Mids’ 12 opponents this fall combined for a 72-42 (.632) record in 2020. Only Arkansas (.644) and UMass (.644) have tougher slates based on last year’s results.
• Navy’s eight opponents it has faced to date (does not include games against Navy) are a combined 39-17 (.696), which is tied for the ninth-toughest schedule in the country based on opponent winning percentage. If you include Navy’s entire 12-game slate, the combined record is 57-30 (.655), which is tied for the eighth most difficult schedule in the country based on opponent winning percentage.
• Saturday will be the second time in three weeks Navy has faced a top-10 opponent, as the Mids lost to No. 2 Cincinnati 27-20 on Oct. 23.
• Notre Dame will be Navy’s fourth opponent this year that is currently ranked in the top 25. Navy lost at No. 19 Houston 28-20 after leading 17-7 at the half and lost to No. 24 SMU 31-24 after leading 21-7.
• Niumatalolo has beaten five Associated Press Top-25 opponents during his tenure with the last coming on Nov. 23, 2019, when the Mids defeated No. 21 SMU 35-28. Niumatalolo beat No. 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 No. 6 Houston 46-40.
• Navy has defeated four Notre Dame teams ranked in the top 25: 1936 over No. 13 Notre Dame 3-0; 1944 over No. 2 Notre Dame 32-12; 1957 over No. 5 Notre Dame 20-6 and in 2009 over No. 19 Notre Dame 23-21.
• Navy is 32-21 (.604) in the American Athletic Conference since joining in 2015, which is tied with Cinicinnati for the fifth best mark in the conference during that time. Only Memphis (35-17), Temple (32-19), UCF (34-19) and Houston (32-19) have been better. Navy has defeated every team in the conference at least once.
• Navy defeated Tulsa last Friday night without completing a pass (0-4). It was the seventh time in the Niumatalolo era and the first time since 2018 against UCF that Navy has gone 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 6-1 under Niumatalolo in games they don’t complete a pass. 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.
• Niumatalolo is the eighth-longest tenured coach in the FBS, while Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly is 11th.

SCOUTING NOTRE DAME
7-1 Overall | Independent
Head Coach: Brian Kelly
• Notre Dame enters Saturday’s game with a 7-1 record and is riding a three-game winning streak.
• The Irish started the year 4-0 with wins over Florida State (41-38, OT), Toledo (32-29), Purdue (27-13) and Wisconsin (41-13).
• Since dropping a 24-13 decision to Cincinnati of the American Athletic Conference, the Irish have defeated Virginia Tech (32-29), USC (31-16) and North Carolina (44-34).
• Notre Dame has won 28 of its last 29 games at Notre Dame Stadium dating back to 2017. The only loss during that time period came this year when they lost to Cincinnati.
• Notre Dame ranks among the top 25 nationally in the following defensive statistics: sixth in passes interepted (12), seventh in turnovers gained (18), 11th in turnover margin (+0.88) and 12th in defensive touchdowns (2).
• Individuals on the Notre Dame offense rank among the nation’s top 25 in the following statistics: Kyren Williams is 22nd in all-purpose yards per game (133.25) and 23rd in total touchdowns (10).
• Individuals on the Notre Dame defense rank among the top 25 nationally in the following statistics: Isaiah Foskey sixth in sacks (1.06/gm), Foskey seventh in fumbles recovered (2), Foskey eighth in forced fumbles per game (0.38), Kyle Hamilton ninth in interceptions per game (0.4/gm) and JD Bertrand 14th in solo tackles per game (5.4/gm).
• Individuals on the Notre Dame special teams rank among the top 25 nationally in the following statistics: Chris Tyree sixth in kickoff returns for a touchdown (1), Jonathan Doerer 20th in field goals per game (1.5) and Jay Bramblett 23rd in punting (45.1 yds/punt).
• The Irish offense has been red hot of late, scoring 107 points over the last three games.
• Running back Kyren Williams is an All-America candidate, rushing for 707 yards and 7 touchdowns on 143 carries, while catching 27 passes for an additional 257 yards and 3 touchdowns. Over his last two games, he has rushed for 199 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries against North Carolina and 138 yards on 25 carries against USC.
• Tight end Michael Mayer may be the top tight end in the country and presents nightmare matchup problems for opposing defensive coordinators. Mayer has 41 catches for 465 yards and 3 touchdowns on the year.
• Isaiah Foskey has played like an All-American on the defensive line for the Irish with 9 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. He has also forced 3 fumbles and recovered 2.
• Safety Kyle Hamilton is another All-America candidate, leading Notre Dame with 3 interceptions and and 4 pass breakups. He missed the North Carolina game with an injury.
• Linebacker JD Bertrand is having a standout year, leading the Irish in tackles with 71, which is 32 more than the next closest player (Foskey).
• Defensive lineman Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, whose brother Adam Amosa-Tagovailoa played on the offensive line at Navy, has 6 tackles for loss for the Irish.
• Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman stopped the option cold when he was at Cincinnati, as the Bearcats shut out Navy 42-0 in 2018. The Bearcats held Navy to 171 yards of total offense, including just 124 on the ground.

NAVY-NOTRE DAME TIES
• Notre Dame defensive lineman Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa’s brother, Adam Amosa-Tagovailoa, is a 2019 graduate of the Naval Academy and was a member of the football team as an offensive tackle. He earned varsity letters in 2016 and 2018. Myron went on an official visit to Navy before choosing Notre Dame.
• The director for Saturday’s NBC telecast is Annapolis native Charlie Dammeyer. Dammeyer’s father, Chuck, was a longtime football statistician for the Navy sports information office and Charlie also helped out in the press box as a kid. Additionally, his grandfather, Bill, sold advertising for the Navy football programs.
• Corey Robinson, son of Navy basketball great David Robinson, is part of the pregame show on NBC Sports. Robinson was recruited by Navy to play football before ultimately choosing Notre Dame.

PLAYING AGAINST THE HOME STATE
• Navy does not have a player on its roster from the state of Indiana.

YOUTH IS SERVED
• Navy is fielding one of its youngest teams in recent memory.
• The Mids are starting 3 sophomores on offense and 3 sophomores and a freshman on defense.
• Navy has one freshman and 11 sophomores on the offensive depth chart and 9 freshmen and 8 sophomores on the defensive depth chart (10 freshmen and 20 sophomores combined).
• Those numbers do not include a sophomore kickoff specialist, a freshman long snapper, a freshman punter and a freshman kickoff return specialist.
• The Mids are regularly starting 6 to 7 freshmen on the kickoff team.
• As a reminder, Navy is not allowed to redshirt so those are all true freshmen and sophomores.

FIRST-TIME STARTERS - 18 Navy players have earned their first-collegiate starts in
the Mids’ 8 games this season.
NAVY’S GAME-BY-GAME FIRST-TIME STARTERS
MARSHALL (8): Carlinos Acie (SB), Nick Bernacchi (OG), Jake Cossavella (OT), Tai Lavatai (QB), Joshua Pena (OG), Isaac Ruoss (FB), Jacob Busic (DE), and Will Harbour (LB)
AIR FORCE (1): James Harris II (FB)
HOUSTON (3): Luke Coleman ©, Jayden Umbarger (WR), Xavier McDonald (Striker)
UCF (3): Darrellson Masaniai © // Tyler Fletcher (Striker) and Marcus Moore (FS)
SMU (1): Sam Glover (OT)
MEMPHIS (0): None
CINCINNATI (1): Rayuan Lane (FS)
TULSA (1): Lirion Murtezi (OG)


INJURIES MOUNTING - The Mids have lost multiple key players due to injuries this year.
NOTABLE INJURIES
• Starting bandit Mitch West is out for the year (knee)
• Starting left tackle Jake Cossavella is out for the year (leg)
• Second-team wide receiver Marcell Gleaton is out for the year (knee)
• Second-team safety Derek Atwaters is out (knee)
• Second-team safety Ajani Cuevas-Gillis is out (shoulder)
• Second-team center Luke Coleman is out (knee)
• Starting free safety Kevin Brennan is out (shoulder)
• Starting linebacker Will Harbour is out (shoulder)
• Starting guard / center Pierce Banbury is questionable (ankle)

I like the other thread better.

(11-05-2021 01:21 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  I like the other thread better.

This one contains thrice the knowledge

Just announced - 2023 Navy at ND in Dublin.

Series extended two more years to 2032

Cannot really say we match up "well" with ND but the offense is getting better and the defense is really pretty strong. I think we have a chance to keep it close and maybe a break or two and maybe we surprise some people.

Let's hope they are calling on Kelly to be fired on Monday. (Nothing against him, they just do that when they lose to us.)

Go Irish!

Sent from my SM-A600A using Tapatalk

If Arline is the QB the rest if the way, this will be very ugly. Probably will be anyway but Arline just cannot run the offense at all.