You may have noticed that I didn’t post a “Notre Dame vs. USC Review”, that’s because I didn’t feel like there was much to write about. If you don’t know, the Fighting Irish lost to the Trojans 31-17. Although we only lost by 14, and was only down by a touchdown a few times, the game never felt winnable for the Irish. It was a dismal performance from the beginning for Notre Dame. The offense never had any kind of momentum and the defense had no answer for the Trojans offense. Turnovers also reared their ugly had as the Irish committed three of them.
I said in my preview of the game that the Irish had to come out strong and forget all the hype and hysteria that had been made of the game. It was the first night game at Notre Dame in years, there were new helmets being used, and there were more than 50 high school recruits in attendance. Plus there was a new hockey arena was opened on campus, and the men’s and women’s basketball teams started their season with “midnight madness”. It seemed to me that the Irish football players forgot they actually had to play a game Saturday night.
Fortunately for the Irish, Navy comes to town this weekend. Navy is a dismal 2-5 with wins over Delaware and Western Kentucky. This is a perfect game for the Irish to come out, dominate, and get some pride back. Although, that’s how it should always be against Navy, but somehow the Midshipmen have defeated the Irish the past two seasons.
Keys to the game
Run defense- I’m not sure where Notre Dame’s defense was last weekend, but hopefully they decide to return for this game. Notre Dame’s defense gave up 219 yards to USC running backs. There is no way a quality run defense should ever give up more than 200 yards. Navy is a team that will run the option down your throat for 60 minutes, kind of like they have the past two seasons.
-The “Option” is an offensive scheme that relies on the rushing game for success. There are dozens of different plays, but basically the quarterback hikes the ball and has the option of keeping it, passing it, or handing the ball to one of several running backs. It sounds complicated but it’s easier to watch and learn how it works.
Offense- The whole Irish offense needs to come out for this game. This means running backs, wide receivers, linemen, and quarterback. This unit only had 267 yards against USC, that’s only a little more than USC had rushing yards. Navy has a horrible defense so Notre Dame should have no problem at all racking up points.
Tommy Rees- The quarterback for the Irish had a pretty bad game against USC so it’s time for him to come out and have a great game. I think it’s also important for him to have a strong performance because he may be fighting for his starting position. Freshman Andrew Hendrix has gotten a decent amount of playing time in the past two games and may be ready to start a game if need be.
Predicted score: Notre Dame-35, Navy-14
Notre Dame should have no problem beating Navy. The Irish need this win to restore confidence in the team and the fan base, because the road gets a little tougher with a visit to Wake Forest next week.
Not to brag or anything, but I will be attending this weekend’s game with my girlfriend. We’re sitting behind the goal posts on the South side of the stadium (the side that doesn’t have the tunnel or student section. I’ll be sure to have pictures and a story next week. GO IRISH!
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