One of the biggest matchups of Week 9 is No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. No. 24 Navy Midshipmen. The Midshipmen are undefeated with a 7-0 record, their best start since 1979, and bowl eligible for the first time since 2019.
This is an important game for both teams. It will be played at MetLife Stadium at 12 p.m. EST.
The Fighting Irish lead the all-time series 80-13-1. This is their second matchup at MetLife Stadium. Navy defeated Notre Dame 35-17 in 2010.
The Fighting Irish have dominated the Army for many years. However, this is a much different Navy team. They are third in the country in points scored per game at 44.0. Notre Dame must be at its best against this well-coached and prepared team.
Coach Brian Newberry is in his second season as the Navy head coach. He’s been with the program for six seasons overall. Before being promoted to head coach, he was their defensive coordinator.
In his first year as head coach, he led Navy to a 5-7 record and a 4-4 mark in the American Athletic Conference. Although the Navy lost seven games, it was an excellent defensive team.
Navy’s defense finished second in the nation in fumbles recovered (14) and third in red zone defense.
Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard must be better against the Navy. He didn’t throw any touchdowns last week against Georgia Tech.
Leonard must match his Week 6 performance against Stanford, where he threw three touchdowns and zero interceptions while completing 16-of-22 passes.
Navy’s quarterback Blake Horvath has been sensational. We are seeing a quarterback who barely makes mistakes this season. His decision-making has been impressive.
Horvath has thrown ten touchdowns for 888 passing yards and only one interception. His only interception came in Week 1 against Bucknell.
It’s the biggest challenge the Fighting Irish defense will face this season. Who will have the edge, Notre Dame’s defense or Navy’s offense? We shall see on Saturday.
Notre Dame is the favorite by 12.5 on the spread. The Midshipmen could make this game more competitive and keep the Fighting Irish on their toes.
Prediction: Notre Dame wins 34-32