Navy fumbled away its chance at an undefeated season.
The No. 24 Midshipmen fumbled three times in the first half and five times overall in a 51-14 blowout loss to No. 12 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish converted three of those fumbles into touchdowns as Navy trailed for over 55 minutes.
Notre Dame jumped out to a 14-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game. The Irish opened the game with a nine-play TD drive, and then Navy fumbled an option pitch on its opening possession. The ball was returned by Adon Shuler to the Navy 7 yard-line, and four plays later, Riley Leonard found Kris Mitchell for a 6-yard TD pass.
Navy’s third fumble of the game put any chance of an upset out of reach. Isaiah Bryant fumbled a Notre Dame punt with 10 minutes to go in the second quarter before Notre Dame crept 40 yards in nine plays as RB Jeremiyah Love capped the drive off with a 2-yard run to extend Notre Dame’s lead to 28-7.
Navy’s triple-option offense has been explosive this season. It’s also not built for big comebacks. And there was no way that Navy was going to overcome a three-TD deficit. Especially as Notre Dame’s offense was able to get chunk plays with ease.
Love had a 64-yard TD run. Jaden Greathouse had a 42-yard catch. Beaux Collins caught a 37-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter and Jordan Faison also had a 26-yard catch. Leonard even had a 24-yard run himself.
The win was a strong statement from a Notre Dame team that is well-positioned to win out and go to the College Football Playoff after its embarrassing Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois. No. 23 Army is the only ranked team remaining on Notre Dame’s schedule and the Irish’s only true road game the rest of the season is the regular-season finale at unranked USC. If Notre Dame wins its final four games, the Irish are a lock for the playoff and could even host a first-round game.
Navy, meanwhile, still has a chance at the College Football Playoff since the Midshipmen are still undefeated in the AAC. The final spot in the College Football Playoff field is likely to come down to the Mountain West champion and the AAC champ. If Navy is 11-1 or even 10-2 after the AAC title game, the Midshipmen could get in.
