Losses to Navy reflect decline of Notre Dame Three wins by Navy over Notre Dame in the last four years, including two in South Bend, have flipped the most one-sided rivalry in the history of college football. As once-powerful Notre Dame comes to grips with its advancing mediocrity, no team brings out its angst more than Navy.
With Notre Dame (4-3) coming off a deflating 31-17 home loss to rival Southern California — in which backup quarterback Dayne Crist fumbled at the USC 1-yard line and the Trojans returned the mistake the length of the field — this is a tough week for the Irish to answer questions about newfound nemesis Navy (2-5).
Recommended Stories
The last time the teams met, Navy dealt Notre Dame a humiliating 35-17 loss in the Meadowlands.
| Up next |
| Navy at Notre Dame |
| When » Saturday, 3:30 p.m. |
| Where » Notre Dame Stadium, |
| South Bend, Ind. |
| TV » NBC |
“It was definitely embarrassing to just sit back and know that we had no control over what we were doing,” center Braxston Cave told reporters Wednesday.
Making the week more difficult for the Irish are remembrances of the one-year anniversary of the death of former student videographer Declan Sullivan, who lost his life when he fell from a scissor lift filming practice in high winds.
When coach Brian Kelly was asked Tuesday whether he still had any feelings of guilt, his answer reflected the mounting pressure that comes with coaching football at Notre Dame.
“Yeah, I mean, I think this has been talked about and revisited. I mean, it never leaves you. We lost a young man. You never forget about that. Obviously this week and the memorial out front of the [Guglielmino Athletics Complex] is a daily remembrance of that,” Kelly said. “Blame is not a word that we feel is appropriate. We never thought in those terms. We thought in terms of loss and making sure something like this never happens again.”
When the next reporter said, “I have a Navy question,” Kelly interrupted.
“Thank you. A Navy question,” Kelly said. “What’s your name?”
“Dan,” the surprised reporter replied.
“Dan, you get the first question now for the rest of the year.”
When Navy shocked Notre Dame 46-44 in overtime in 2007, it ended the Irish streak of 43 straight wins over the Midshipmen, the longest hex in NCAA history. But since then, Navy has proved it wasn’t a fluke as its triple-option offense has flummoxed Notre Dame. The Irish defenders sound resigned to another shootout.
“At the end of the day, it’s points versus points. That’s the game,” safety Harrison Smith said. “Especially against a team like Navy who, you know, average so many rushing yards and they make big plays through the air.”
With starting quarterback and top rusher Kriss Proctor out with a dislocated elbow, Navy may have to make more plays through the air. Trey Miller, who takes over Saturday, showed a strong arm in a relief stint in a 38-35 loss to East Carolina, the Mids’ fifth straight defeat.
One positive for Notre Dame is that it handled Air Force’s triple option in a 59-33 win Oct. 8.
“It’s not your traditional scheme,” Kelly said. “You still have to be aggressive and be able to defeat blocks. But I think they’ll have a better feel and a better understanding when this game is in front of them.SDRq
