Notre Dame vs. Navy Preview

            Before I get to the preview of this week’s matchup of Notre Dame and Navy, I want to give you a little history lesson. This season will be the 125^th edition of Notre Dame Football. It’s been an illustrious and glorious 125 years that have created the most recognizable team in America. No matter where you go, people know the name “Fighting Irish”. People know the fight song, the leprechaun, the shamrock, the golden helmets. They know the names Knute Rockne, George Gipp, Paul Hornung, Joe Montana, Rudy Ruettiger, and Tim Brown. More importantly though, people know that the University of Notre Dame is a world class university. The academic side of Notre Dame has been around for 169 years and will always be around no matter what happens to football. I will always be a fan of the Fighting Irish, but I will also always appreciate what the University of Notre Dame does for the world. Go Irish!

            
            Alright, so let’s get down to talking football. Notre Dame will take on Navy Saturday. That is nothing new. What is new is that this game is being played across the ocean in Ireland. The two teams are already over there and preparing for the game. The fanbases are also over there. In fact, I read that the contingent of Irish faithful are the largest group of American fans that have traveled overseas for a one day sporting event. That’s a mouthful to say, but it’s impressive.

            
             Last year, I saw in person the Irish destroy Navy and win 56-14. I don’t think this year’s game will be any different. The Irish front seven on defense are even better this year and they should have no problem controlling Navy’s option attack. The weakness on defense for Notre Dame is the cornerbacks, but Navy does not have the wide receivers or quarterbacks to consistently challenge them. This will be a great chance for the young cornerbacks to get some playing time and experience before facing Purdue next week. 
             As for the Irish offense, they should be able to move the ball and score at least a few touchdowns. That offense will be under command by soophomore Everett Golson. Golson was part of a four-man quarterback competition that began after the 2012 season and lasted until just a couple weeks ago when head coach Brian Kelly formally announced Golson would be the starter. Eric Hanson of the South Bend Tribune compares Golson to Russell Wilson. He’s a guy that has a great arm and can also scramble out of the pocket, but he’s not as fast as Michigan’s Denard Robinson. Golson really reminds me of Robert Griffin III.

Keys to an Irish victory

1. Stop the option

Navy is always one of the leaders in rushing yards because their offensive playbook is made up of almost entirely running plays. They use all sorts of option plays to confuse defensives. Sometimes the quarterback keeps it; sometimes he pitches it to the running back, full back, or even the wide receiver. This kind of offensive scheme can work, but not against elite defenses, which is what I consider Notre Dame having. Of the seven starting linebackers and defensive linemen, five were starters last year. Plus, we have middle linebacker and preseason All-American, Manti Te’o.

2. No turnovers

Sounds like a broken record, huh? Last year, Notre Dame’s first two games were lost because of ridiculous amounts of turnovers. A 0-2 start to this season would be catastrophic and the team has to do a better job of keeping the ball.

3. Open auditions

There are a few players that can use this game as a springboard to move up on the depth chart. With starting running back Cierre Wood out for two games due to suspension, this is gives Theo Riddick, George Atkinson III, and a couple other young players to show what they can do. There are 14 wide receivers on Notre Dame’s roster, but none are the go-to guys like Michael Floyd was last year. Watch for some of them to try and make big plays when they get the chance. Finally, the weakest position for the Irish is at cornerback. There are no returning starters and only six cornerbacks on the roster and three are freshmen or sophomores.

My prediction: Notre Dame-34 Navy-10
UPDATE: Notre Dame wins 50-10

I’d also like to make the prediction that Notre Dame will finish the regular season 9-3. There are five games that are going to be easy wins (Navy, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Wake Forest). There are three games we should win (Miami, Stanford, BYU). Then there are four games that could go either way (Michigan State, Michigan, Oklahoma, USC). Nine wins are on the optimistic side of things as we could easily finish 7-5. However, this is not the year to dream of a BCS Bowl. That is next year.