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Ava Wallace
Reporter covering local universities and colleges
SAN DIEGO – This one, at least, did not take much by surprise.
If the Navy needs comfort after this latest defeat, its fifth in a row, the team can assume the fact that, unlike those tough but win-win matches against SMU and Air Force and Temple and Houston, a win against Our number 3 Notre Dame seemed almost impossible. The Navy only once defeated two of Ireland's top ranked combat teams in 1944 and 1957. By 2018, with their ill-fated offensive and helpless defense, the Mids were hardly prepared to a generation surprise.
Despite everything, the lack of competition in the first half of the aspirants in the 44-22 defeat against Notre Dame was dismal. The Navy has performed well in the first two games of its last two games, but no pace was reached under cloudless skies on Saturday, and a 27-0 deficit at halftime meant the end.
"What we did very well was that we got off to a good start," said Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly. ". . . They are very difficult to prepare because you have to manage the most efficient operation compared to the triple option in all football. "
The Fighting Irish (8-0) equalized this efficiency, then the dismantling of the Navy, which totals an attack of 584 yards against 345 for the Mids. Irish quarterback Ian Book completed 27 of 33 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns. He pitched an interception and shared glory with running back Dexter Williams (142 yards and three touchdowns in 23 carries); wide receiver Miles Boykin, who caught two touchdown passes; and Jafar Armstrong, who ran for a score.
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The Midshipmen (2-6) finally found the end zone in the third quarter when short quarterback Zach Abey scored two goals and back Mike Martin scored the other in the best training of the evening. Quarterback Garret Lewis completed 4 of 11 passes for 52 yards and 11 yards in 11 runs as the Navy's defensive adjustments paid off.
But no doubt had been raised since the navy had found its rhythm.
The Mids started with a wasted opportunity. Security Sean Williams forced Boykin to fumble in the first game of the game, putting the Navy aboard Notre Dame 36. The Mids returned the ball.
"Yes, we had to do something," said Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo. "We could not. It has a lot to do with them. It's a good team. "
They then cashed four consecutive possessions. In her first five campaigns, including two in Fighting Irish territory, the Navy had 57 yards.
Notre Dame would not have been able to paint a more contrasting painting. If Navy fans were hoping that the crowd "gathered" from the SDCCU stadium would give a boost to their mediums – San Diego is a Navy town, after all, home to the largest naval fleet in the world. and Saturday was the first tour of the series in California – they only needed to hear the overwhelming roar of Irish worshipers who were traveling for the contest.
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It was strong enough to remind that the Irish are well worth traveling for this year, more than they have been since at least 2012, the last time that they had 8-0.
They provided their fans with more reasons to rejoice, taking everything they wanted on offense and showing off their stars. Sandwiched around the Navy's top five unnecessary orders, Notre Dame racked up 318 yards and three touchdowns in her first six orders.
Armstrong made his triumphant comeback after missing three games due to a knee infection and a meter score for the first touchdown of the evening, which also included a 33 yards of Dexter Williams.
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The Irish Fighting set a 27-0 lead in the first half before the Navy made a breach with Abey's one-yard push into the end zone to open the third quarter to the following a 58-yard old-fashioned sprint from former quarterback turned transformer Malcolm Perry (135 rushing yards in 12 runs). The pair recalled the best days of 2017 for a moment as the crowd, including many fans of Notre Dame, exploded. The tired defense of the navy even forced the Irish to settle for a spot after the puck, and Abey added another 1-meter touchdown on the next shot.
Mediums have made things respectable, alternating scores with Notre Dame. Safety Jacob Springer gave them a chance to make more impression when he intercepted Book and ran 24 yards at Fighting Irish 39 early in the fourth quarter.
This time, the navy did not miss this opportunity. Martin scored 33 yards for a touchdown, and Abey's pass to OJ Davis converted two points to 37-22.
But as has been the case all season, the resuscitation of mediums has not been enough to overcome their past mistakes. All Notre Dame had to do was keep her head down and get points to win the game. Book dug deep and released a brave record that allowed Navy defenders to jump up and down, frustrated by the next possession. Facing a third and ten players out of a total of 48 Irish, he has long danced behind a strong offensive line before throwing a 27-yard pass to Armstrong for a first run.
Three games later, he threw a 22-yard touchdown pass just in front of the cornerback, cornerback, and Boykin's head to take the score to 44-22. The Irish had control, as expected.
"It was a blow to the back," said the first time to Bookatalolo. "We feel like we have two scores [away] at the moment. If we could stop here, it would have been huge. He made this game. . . It's a good team. I mean, we knew we were going to arrive. We knew we had to play to perfection, get help from them. We do not have it. "
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