For Midshipmen, win is third in four years
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Last year, Notre Dame had no answer for Navy fullback Vince Murray. Saturday, with the injured Murray watching from the sidelines in nylon sweat pants, the Irish couldn’t find a way to stop his replacement, Alexander Teich.
Rushing for 210 yards on 26 carries and scoring on a spectacular 31-yard screen pass, Teich ran roughshod over Notre Dame, leading Navy to its second straight win over the Irish, 35-17, before 75,614 at New Meadowlands Stadium.
From 1964-2006, Notre Dame beat Navy 43 straight times, the longest series streak in college football history. Since then, the Midshipmen have upset the Irish three of the last four years.
The celebration was especially sweet for Navy’s seniors. The last group of Midshipmen to defeat Notre Dame three times was the class of 1964.
“In the past we were looked at like the little brother,” said Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs. “This kind of like, turns it around … It’s priceless from a player standpoint. [Notre Dame] is who we grew up watching, Rudy and everything.”
It was another game where Notre Dame (4-4) couldn’t deal with the triple-option offense of Navy (5-2). In addition to Teich, Dobbs carried 20 times for 90 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Gee Gee Greene (8 carries, 56 yards) added a 9-yard touchdown run.
“They need to be credited for their execution of the scheme they ran,” said Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly. “My hat goes off to coach Ken [Niumatalolo] and his staff. We had no answer for them.”
The Navy offensive line – playing with four different starters than in last year’s win over Notre Dame — paved the way. Guards John Dowd and Josh Cabral, tackles Jeff Battipaglia and Ryan Basford, and center Brady DeMell opened huge holes in the Notre Dame front and helped seal things when Navy ran wide.
“The offensive line did a great job. I had an easy job. My job was to run the football,” said Teich. “And Ricky did a phenomenal job reading the defense. He was on point today.”
Navy confused Notre Dame with an unbalanced formation, shifting a tackle to the opposite side of the line, and filling the spot with a wide receiver. When the Mids went unbalanced, they regularly ran to the heavy side, but the Irish never picked up on the trend.
“They get it veered down upon your linebacker,” said Kelly. “We were trying to make some adjustments. Navy is well schooled in all variations.”
The Midshipmen led all the way, rolling for 367 rushing yards, their most ever against Notre Dame, and had no turnovers or penalties.
“It was pretty close to perfection,” said Dobbs.
But it didn’t start out that way as the Irish drove 71 yards with the opening kickoff. On fourth and goal at the 1-yard line, however, Navy senior linebacker Tyler Simmons and junior nose guard Jared Marks stuffed Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist on a quarterback sneak.
“We outman them by 70 pounds on average up front,” said Kelly. “If you can’t get a foot on the half yard line, you get what you deserve.”
Navy responded with a 99-yard drive that was all Teich. First the fullback sprinted through a huge hole for his career-long run, 54 yards. Then on an off-target screen pass by Dobbs, Teich tipped the ball to himself, and serpentined 31 yards, finishing the play with a swan dive into the end zone as he was tripped short of the goal line.
“We knew in the locker room before this game,” said Teich. “I could see it in guys’ faces. Everybody was dialed in all day.”
After Notre Dame drove for a 45-yard field goal by senior David Ruffer, Navy put together an efficient 77-yard scoring drive in which it needed to convert just one third down. Dobbs’ 3-yard touchdown run put Navy up, 14-3.
The Mids were on the verge of frustrating the Irish for a second time in the red zone as defensive end Jabaree Tuani dropped Cryst for a 4-yard loss, but on third and 14, Cryst found freshman wideout T.J. Jones on a crossing pattern for a 16-yard touchdown.
With 1:59 left in the half, Navy sophomore safety De’Von Richardson (Bowie), starting for injured senior Emmett Merchant, gave the Mids another chance to score with a diving interception, the first of his career, at the Notre Dame 30.
Navy didn’t waste the opportunity as sophomore slot back Greene stiff-armed a defender, and dove for the goal line, reaching the ball inside the end zone pylon on a 9-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds left.
Navy opened the second half with a 77-yard touchdown drive, Dobbs’ 40-yard completion to Greg Jones on third down, setting up his own 9-yard touchdown carry for a 28-10 lead.
Notre Dame answered with a promising drive, but Navy junior cornerback Kwesi Mitchell snuffed it out with the first interception of his career. The Mids then drove 73 yards on 10 straight rushing plays, including seven by Teich. Dobbs’ third touchdown of the game, a 1-yard plunge, gave Navy a 35-10 lead with 5:18 to go in the third period.
After that, Navy relied on its ball-control offense and bend-but-don’t-break defense – led by Simmons (10 tackles), Tuani (2.5 tackles for a loss) and senior nose guard Chase Burge (six tackles) – to work the clock and put away another satisfying victory over Notre Dame.
“When you come in as a freshman, you think the sky is the limit,” said Dobbs. “I was hoping that we could beat them all four years.”
