Can Notre Dame Reach Its Full Potential Against Navy? IT Staff Predictions

Liam Gaudet
43 minutes ago
6 min read

Notre Dame is coming off the back of one of its sloppiest performances all year against Boston College. With the Irish seemingly in control of their playoff destiny moving forward, can they get right against a familiar foe who presents the same unique challenge year in and year out? The Irish Tribune Staff weighs in on the game below.

Brenden Duffy - Editor/Sports Writer: 52-21 Notre Dame

Notre Dame’s offense should come out with some fire after an underwhelming outing at Boston College last week. Jeremiyah Love should be in store for another big day; look for the Heisman hopeful to crack over 100 yards and 2 TDs once again.

On defense, I expect the Irish should be able to turn over the Navy offense a couple of times. QB Blake Horvath is a special talent who will get his production, but he has put the ball on the ground more than a few times this season. Look for Notre Dame to take advantage of this.

Want the inside scoop on all things Notre Dame? Subscribe to Tribune+ today!

Max Uretsky - Sports Writer/Recruiting Analyst: 45-17 Notre Dame

Notre Dame hasn't truly strung together a dominant 4-quarter performance since the Arkansas game, but this would be the week to get back on track before travelling to take on a sneaky good Pittsburgh team next week.

Navy ranks in the bottom 25 when it comes to pass efficiency defense, and has given up 30+ points in 4 straight contests, so I look for CJ Carr to take his shots and be able to connect on a handful of explosive plays through the air. They are a little more stout defending the ground game, giving up under 4 yards a carry on the year, but Jeremiyah Love has hit his groove as of late, and I would expect that to continue for what should be a statement game for the offense.

Defensively, Notre Dame will give up some yards playing against the ever-tricky triple option. Even in last year's 51-14 rout, Navy was still able to put up over 200 rushing yards at over 5 yards a carry. Gap integrity and properly leveraging the ball are two areas that need to be amplified anytime you are taking on the option. Navy will also let QB Horvath take the occasional shot downfield to try to catch the Notre Dame secondary sleeping after having to come down vs the run majority of the game. Horvath is not your typical drop-back QB, but he did throw for 339 yards earlier in the year vs Air Force, so eye discipline will be important on the back end for the Irish to limit any chunk plays through the air.

Bruce Straughan - Recruiting Insider/Sports Writer: 34-6 Notre Dame

Navy comes into this game with a record of 7-1 but has yet to play anyone with a pulse, having a pre-season strength of schedule of 135th in the nation. Notre Dame will be too much to handle for the Naval Academy. Navy likes to run the ball the majority of the time, which will limit the number of possessions the Irish will have offensively and the number of scores.

This is the only day of the year that I wish for our military to lose. The other 364 days of the year, I hope they dominate the world, but tomorrow, that'll be different.

Connor Regan - Editor/Sports Writer: 41-16 Notre Dame

Notre Dame is once again in a position for a get-right game. After stumbling against BC, Notre Dame's offense needs to figure a few things out. There has yet to be a game this season where both the running game and the passing game truly clicked at the same time while the defense takes care of business. This should be that game. The Irish defense is going up against a solid Navy attack and will likely give up a few field goals on stalled drives, but nothing too substantial to worry about. On offense, the Irish passing game finds a way to work out the kinks and get Carr a true rebound performance. Navy will load the box and sell out for the run, which should give the passing game enough opportunities for success.

Use code "IrishTribune20" to get $20 off your officially-licensed Notre Dame pickleball paddle

Liam Farrell - Editor/Senior Sports Writer: 34-10 Notre Dame

The Irish and CJ Carr are able to jump out to an early lead with touchdowns on their first two possessions.

Navy will be put behind the 8-ball as their early deficit forces them to become more aggressive through the air. The opportunistic Irish secondary will intercept Blake Horvath twice, as the Irish cruise for the rest of the game.

Notre Dame continues their win streak and handles the Midshipmen in a game that feels more like a blowout than the score entails.

The Irish will score more touchdowns through the air than on the ground, and there will still be one missed PAT.

Noah Wehby - Sports Writer: 42-13 Notre Dame

Notre Dame vs Navy can always be a tricky one for the Irish. Navy's well-known triple option offense has always been something that gives teams trouble, but under Freeman, Notre Dame has seemed to handle it well.

This time around, it will be no different. Notre Dame's defense will shut down Navy for most of the game with its elite speed on that side of the ball. Luckily for Notre Dame, much of this game will be played in the trenches, which is exactly where the strength of the defense is.

Offensively, the question will be if Notre Dame can play a complete game. During this winning streak, the offense seems to only be able to put together one good half of football. On Saturday, an early offensive surge by Notre Dame will make it seem like 56 is possible, but they will slow down in the second half. Malachi Fields is primed for another big game, as Navy just does not have the athletes to match up. And as always, Jeremiyah Love will add another great game to a special 2025 campaign.

Clayton Stohler - Podcaster: 52-17 Notre Dame

At a certain point, this Notre Dame team either has to put it all together or they just are who they are. And who they are right now is a really talented team, and a playoff contender. Games like this one determine if they're destined for more. The Irish have been knocking on the door of their full potential. On this night, they need to kick the door down and make themselves at home.

On offense, that looks like a deeper WR rotation that features Malachi Fields and uses Faison and Pauling as complementary pieces of the aerial assault. It also reveals Eli Rairdon as not just one of the 5 best TE's in the country, but THE best TE in the country. Navy will load the box, but that doesn't mean Jadarian Price and Jeremiyah Love can't come close to their output vs USC. And the short yardage, red zone woes have got to be addressed. If not now, never.

On defense, it will feature massive days from all 3 levels. Tae Tae Johnson, Luke Talich, and Adon Shuler...this is the game for you. Drayk Bowen, Jaiden Ausberry, and KVA...be ready to create havoc through discipline. Jared Dawson, Jason Onye, and Elijah Hughes - be ready to stop the dive and have more tackles than you've had all season long. Oh, and Josh Burnham - hope you're prepared for the best game of your career to date.

If these things happen, which I expect them to, then Notre Dame will emerge from a havoc-ridden weekend across the country as a team that hosts a playoff game. If they don't, then we know who this team is. And when a team repeatedly shows you who they are - believe them. We’ll see who the Irish show themselves to be on Saturday.

Want the latest intel on Notre Dame football? Subscribe to Tribune+ and get access to recruiting and team intel from The Irish Tribune team, as well as access to our intel community, exclusive app, and more Notre Dame content: Subscribe here to support our independent journalism.

Follow The Irish Tribune on social media:

Facebook / Instagram / X / Threads / TikTok