No. 5 Notre Dame pulled away from Navy for a 35-13 win on Saturday, but for a minute there, it felt way too close for comfort. The Fighting Irish, who ended up securing their ninth straight victory over the Midshipmen, were only up 14-13 at halftime and needed a massive second-half surge to truly take control. It was a wake-up call, that’s for sure, especially with a huge game looming.
A First Half Scare From the Underdogs
You have to give Navy credit: they came into this game as 29.5-point underdogs and they didn’t play like it in the first half. Midshipmen quarterback Jackson Gutierrez was running wild, racking up 110 yards on 28 carries. That’s a huge deal when you consider Notre Dame’s defense came in allowing just 67.3 rushing yards per game. Gutierrez actually surpassed that mark in the second quarter! Navy’s option-spread attack definitely threw a wrench in the Irish’s defensive plans coming off their bye week. Navy even took a 13-7 lead on Gutierrez’s 2-yard touchdown run with just 1:52 left in the first half. It looked like Notre Dame was truly on the ropes, but Nolan James Jr. quickly shut that down. He ripped off a 52-yard touchdown run that put the Irish back on top 14-13 with just 50 seconds remaining in the half. That run? It felt like everything in that moment.
Irish Unleashed: The Second Half Takeover
Whatever Coach Marcus Freeman said at halftime, it absolutely worked. Freeman, who notched his 50th career win as the Irish coach to move to a 50-13 record, told his team to “Stop panicking. Don’t come up with magical calls that our guys don’t know how to execute.” He got them to calm down, and they came out firing. Notre Dame scored on each of its first three possessions of the second half, completely flipping the script. CJ Carr, who finished with 210 passing yards and two touchdowns, led the charge. Jonaz Walton punctuated a 78-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 21-13. After a Navy punt, James wasn’t done, adding his second touchdown run of the day, a 23-yard scamper that made it 28-13. Later, Jerome Bettis Jr. got in on the action with a 31-yard touchdown catch, sealing the deal. The defense also locked in, holding Navy to a meager 56 total yards in the entire second half. Notre Dame ended the game with 426 total yards, their fifth time this season breaking the 400-yard mark.
50 Wins and a Monster Matchup Ahead
This win gets Notre Dame to 7-1, successfully bouncing back after their road loss at BYU two weeks ago. Carr spent his bye week back home in Michigan, watching his younger brother play, which he said helped him reset mentally. Good thing, too, because this team just got a jolt when they needed it most. While they eventually figured out Navy’s nuanced attack, it clearly wasn’t easy. That defensive unit will need to be absolutely at its best next Saturday when Notre Dame hosts No. 1 ranked Miami. That’s a true test for this Irish team, and everyone will be watching to see if they can bring that second-half energy for a full sixty minutes. Navy, meanwhile, hosts Temple next Saturday.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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