Ok. So. Did we really just learn anything from Sam Hartman and Notre Dame running Navy out of Dublin with a shillelagh in hand, beating them at their own ground game? Or was this just a fun exhibition to begin the collegiate season on Saturday afternoon? Another whupping in a years-long tradition of the Fighting Irish thanking Navy for their help in World War II by thoroughly outclassing them on the football field?
For now — for now — the No. 13 Fighting Irish are the first team to make a powerful statement in the (we know, we know) National Title race, helmed by Hartman, who tied Jack Coan’s record for most touchdown passes in a Notre Dame debut.
If you bought in to what you watched on Saturday afternoon, we get it and we believe you.
FINAL
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) August 26, 2023
Notre Dame 42
Navy 3
Marcus Freeman pretty much got everything he could have wanted out of Sam Hartman's debut.
Week 0 overreactions are a thing. It's not one to say Notre Dame just got a lot more interesting on a national level.
Notre Dame dominates Navy in Dublin again
Whether this contest ultimately “matters” or not won’t change the fact that Notre Dame made Navy look quite mid(shipmen) in the process. Was this disrespectful to the troops?
Haters will say tradition is dead in college football, but the most powerful Navy in the world is currently down six touchdowns to Notre Dame
— Dan White (@atdanwhite) August 26, 2023
Though perhaps this wasn’t a fair fight from kickoff, consider Hartman’s, ahem, maturity.
Notre Dame starting QB is 3 years older than Indianapolis Colts starting QB.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) August 26, 2023
Put Anthony Richardson in Navy’s backfield, and this whole thing could’ve turned out differently.
It’s never too early to start ranking CFP hopefuls … except here, today, it’s quite literally too early. The field doesn’t look the way it should.
Here's my current College Football Playoff rankings:
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownEP) August 26, 2023
1) Notre Dame
2) Mercer
3) Navy
4) North Alabama
Notre Dame’s running backs flew untouched into the Navy secondary. Marcus Freeman’s got himself an offensive line. Hartman had both immaculate mojo and impressive skills.
The only thing that was missing from this year’s edition of the Irish Showdown? A repeat of Nebraska head coach Scott Frost’s absurd decision in 2022, which handed Northwestern their, uh, only win.
I think notre dame should do an absolutely unnecessary onside kick in tribute to our fallen Ireland hero, Scott Frost.
— Lucy Rohden (@lucy_rohden) August 26, 2023
College football is Erin Go Back, and so is Notre Dame.
Frost is not. Probably for the best.