Notre Dame Dominates Navy, Continues Win Streak

Liam Farrell
Nov 8
3 min read

No. 10 Notre Dame played their most complete game of the season, as the Irish rolled past the Navy Midshipmen 49-10 at Notre Dame Stadium.

Photo by Notre Dame Athletics

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame delivered on both ends of the football in this primetime matchup against the Navy Midshipmen.

Despite being without their starting quarterback, Navy was able to move the ball down the field in the first half thanks to Braxton Woodson's running ability. Woodson was the first 100-yard rusher against the Fighting Irish defense this season. While Woodson put up impressive numbers, the Fighting Irish defense got stops when they had to, as Notre Dame held the Midshipmen to 10 points in the first half.

Then, out of halftime, the Fighting Irish looked to be a completely different team. The Irish opened up the second half with a scoring drive that featured Jeremiyah Love's most improbable rushing touchdown of his career: a 48-yard scamper that looked to be a three-yard loss, but Love broke a tackle, rolled over a defender's body, and took it to the house. If Love needed a play to show at the Heisman ceremony, he certainly found one tonight. He finished this game with 94 rushing yards, 27 receiving yards, and two touchdowns.

While Love was the hot hand tonight, Jadarian Price had a good bounce back performance after his fumble last week against Boston College sidelined him for most of the game. Price ended this one with 47 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Aneyas Williams added a touchdown run as well, a 54-yard home run that ended this one with an exclamation point.

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

While the Irish had some success on the ground, it was once again CJ Carr's performance that highlighted Notre Dame's offensive triumph. Carr finished the game 13/16 with 218 yards and three touchdowns. Navy adopted a similar philosophy to Boston College last week, in which they stacked the box and forced the Irish to beat them in the air. Well, Carr accepted the challenge and did just that.

Malachi Fields was the leading receiver in this one, ending with four catches for 97 yards. Fields proved to be a reliable option for Carr with his big frame and athletic ability. The two receivers that caught touchdowns were KK Smith and Jordan Faison. Smith's touchdown reception was on a 34-yard deep shot, while Faison scored on a well-executed rub route. While the Irish didn't get a touchdown reception from a tight end through the first eight games of the season, Ty Washington ended the streak with a four-yard touchdown catch.

As it pertains to the defense, Chris Ash continues to make excellent half time adjustments as the Fighting Irish defense pitched another second half shutout. In this one, Jaiden Ausberry played the best game tonight, as the linebacker from Louisiana was all over the Naval Academy's backfield. Ausberry's fellow linebackers, Drayk Bowen and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, were extremely gap sound as well.

While Blake Horvath was ruled OUT an hour before the game, Notre Dame still displayed an impressive performance. Navy's offense wasn't nearly as explosive without Horvath, but the Academy shifted to a more physical approach with Woodson. While it may have caught the Irish off guard early, Notre Dame settled in and extended their win streak to seven.

All attention now shifts toward a Top 25 matchup next week against Pittsburgh, but if the Irish can put together a performance similar to theirs tonight, then Notre Dame should be ready to roll.

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