The oldest intersectional rivalry in FBS football offered another close thriller. Here are three takeaways from the duel between Notre Dame football and Navy.
For the 91st straight year, Navy and Notre Dame met on the football field. Playing every year since 1927, these two teams boast the nation’s oldest continually operating intersectional rivalry. There have been some legendary showings between the two teams, but more often than not the rivalry has gone in favor of the Fighting Irish.
Both teams had high hopes entering the season. But Navy dropped three straight league games to fall out of American Athletic Conference contention. Then, for Notre Dame, a blowout loss at Miami in Week 11 ended Fighting Irish dreams of a spot in the College Football Playoff.
With both schools bowl eligible before facing one another, that meant that there was little more than pride to play for between these two longtime rivals. Rivalries, though, often need little more than pride on the line. That was the case in South Bend, as the Midshipmen and Fighting Irish traded punches all day long before Notre Dame prevailed 24-17 in the tense contest.
With the win, the Fighting Irish took home the Rip Miller Trophy. What else did we learn from the rivalry game in the shadow of Touchdown Jesus? Keep reading for three lessons from Notre Dame’s victory over the Midshipmen in midday Saturday action in Week 12.
3. Brandon Wimbush was hot and cold against Midshipmen defense
After struggling so badly in the loss to Miami that he was benched in favor of backup Ian Book, Brandon Wimbush returned to the field on Saturday and put in another uneven performance in victory. The quarterback went 4-of-11 in the first half, struggling with the elements.
It was almost as though a switch flipped in the second half for Wimbush. On his first throw after the intermission, the quarterback hit Kevin Stepherson for a 30-yard touchdown. He found Stepherson for another touchdown on the following drive. But Wimbush finished the game just 9-of-18 for 164 yards and the two scores.
But Wimbush doesn’t just make a difference throwing the ball. He added another 41 yards and a touchdown on the ground as he complimented a strong team rushing effort. The Midshipmen managed to sack Wimbush just once on Saturday, as he scrambled away from pressure and reeled off positive yardage.
For as bad as he looked against Miami, Wimbush didn’t completely redeem himself at home in Week 12. But he did enough to help lead the Fighting Irish offense to a victorious effort. He will probably need to play better, though, if Notre Dame is going to follow up the win over Navy with another over Stanford next weekend.
2. Notre Dame front seven came up big against Navy running game
Navy’s triple-option offense is one of the most dangerous rushing attacks in the country. The Midshipmen came into Saturday’s contest against Notre Dame ranked first in the nation at an average of 370 rushing yards per game. That average is going to drop after a disappointing stumble in Week 12.
Notre Dame ultimately gave up 277 rushing yards to visiting Navy on Saturday afternoon. Even more telling, the Midshipmen needed 72 attempts to get to that mark. They averaged fewer than four yards per carry as a team, and no player managed a single carry of 20 or more yards out of the 72 times they carried the ball.
It was an impressive effort on Saturday by a Notre Dame team that has been stout against the run all season long. The Midshipmen never could break through to the second level, as the Fighting Irish won the battle in the trenches.
They did a great job containing what is usually the most dominant rushing offense in the nation. Next week they will need to do the same against the most dominant individual rusher in the country, when they face Stanford and its standout tailback Bryce Love.
1. Josh Adams had a hard day in the Notre Dame backfield
Brandon Wimbush might have had an uneven game, but he was hardly along among players on the Notre Dame offense in that regard. Just as Wimbush struggled to find any consistency in the air, so too did primary tailback Josh Adams fail to put in a consistent effort in the backfield.
Adams looked anything but strong in the win over Navy. He failed to get into the endzone for the third straight week, though Adams helped keep the chains moving as Notre Dame prevailed on Saturday. It was a solid if unspectacular performance by a guy who was a fleeting part of the Heisman discussion earlier this year.
It was the seventh time in 11 games this season that Adams managed to rush for over 100 yards. He finished the day with 106 yards on 18 carries. But he also averaged two fewer yards per carry than his usual output on the ground.
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It was a far cry from his performances against teams like USC and NC State back in October. Injured in the game against Wake Forest, Adams still looks like he is playing at less than 100 percent. He will need to heal up and look better against Stanford if the Irish are going to continue their rebound to end the regular season.