Notre Dame football will have its hands full with Navy in Week 12

Navy keys to victory

Navy coach, Ken Niumatalolo, and his staff have had two full weeks to prepare and study for the Irish since last week was a bye week for the Midshipmen. In those two weeks, the Navy coaching staff has attempted to identify the weak points of the Notre Dame offensive and defensive lines.

There’s nothing Navy can do about the athleticism of Notre Dame’s players at the skill positions. But, if they can pick out which defensive linemen aren’t discipline, offensive coordinator, Ivan Jasper, will know exactly who to run at. The Midshipmen are first in the country in rushing with an average of 358 rushing yards per game. Navy will need to find those faults in the defensive line and star senior quarterback, Malcolm Perry, will be able to work his magic running the triple-option offense.

On the opposite side of the ball, Navy’s new defensive coordinator, Brian Newberry, has taken an extremely aggressive approach with his new unit. He knows he will need to put pressure on Ian Book but also contain him from getting outside the pocket and running free. Newberry will need to have his defense prepared to time their blitzes perfectly and finish the play, preventing the elusive Irish quarterback from breaking tackles.