Predicting the Final Score of Notre Dame vs. Navy
By Matt Heinz
@MattHeinz_Rant
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Going from playing the defending national champions, Florida State, on the road with College Gameday in town to playing Navy is like going from the Super Bowl to the Canadian Football League. Maybe Brian Kelly should ask Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson for advice on how to handle this emotional roller coaster.
Notre Dame goes on the road to play the Midshipmen at FedEx Field in Landover, Md. on Saturday night and can’t afford to overlook their opponent. Obviously, if Kelly really needs advice from a guy who needed Marvin Lewis’ help to understand what a savings account is, the Irish are in trouble. All jokes aside, Notre Dame will need to be extremely disciplined on defense to stop the triple-option attack of Navy.
Navy is home to the nation’s second best rushing offense, but that offense has only produced 27.6 points a game. Quarterback Keenan Reynolds is one of the better QBs Navy has had in recent years as he is leading the team with 639 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Noah Copeland is another back the Irish must be aware of at all times. Copeland is averaging a very impressive 8.7 yards a carry which is good enough for 602 yards and three touchdowns.
The triple-option offense usually succeeds against aggressive, over-pursuing and undisciplined defenses, and the 2014 Brian VanGorder led Irish defense is fueled on pursuing the ball like wild animals hunting for their family in the jungle. Coming off a bye week is perfect for a coach who isn’t used to coaching against a triple-option offense as VanGorder has coached primarily in the NFL and SEC. The bye week and the talent mismatch will be enough for Notre Dame to bottle up Navy’s offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, Navy clearly doesn’t have the athletes to match Notre Dame’s speed on offense and the accuracy of Everett Golson. Tarean Folston should have his third good game in a row at the Redskins’ stadium. With the bitter taste of how the Florida State game ended in their mouth still, the Fighting Irish will take out their anger on Navy.
Prediction: Notre Dame 45, Navy 21
Matt Heinz is a college football writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattHeinz_Rant
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