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Notre Dame Should Blow Out Navy If Fighting Irish Are Elite Team

Notre Dame Football Everett Golson

Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, the Navy Midshipmen nearly defeated Notre Dame in South Bend before eventually falling by a score of 38-34. The 2014 Fighting Irish team is certainly a very different and improved squad when compared to last year’s, but the near loss should still be on the minds of the Notre Dame players heading into Saturday’s matchup. If Brian Kelly’s bunch wants to prove they should be higher than their No. 10 position on the initial College Football Playoff rankings, they should make a statement this weekend.

Head coach of the Midshipmen, Ken Niumatalolo, reiterated this week that his team must play a perfect game to claim victory. Navy played about as good of a game as they could have hoped for in last season’s battle, and still fell short of upsetting the Fighting Irish.

The first and most important factor in beating Navy is slowing down their famous triple-option attack. Notre Dame’s defense proved to have issues doing so throughout the game last year. It becomes increasingly difficult to stop the run-heavy Midshipmen offense once it gets rolling, and we’ve seen Notre Dame fall behind early a couple of times to inferior opponents this season.

Navy’s triple-option also incorporates an extensive amount of cut blocking from the offensive lineman, which understandably frustrates opposing defensive lineman consistently. At times, the high volume of cut blocking can be a significant factor in demoralizing Navy’s opponent. Kelly has stressed to his team throughout the week that it’s part of the game and he doesn’t want any players being “crybabies” about it.

Nevertheless, the Midshipmen are an average team at best, with a record of 4-4. Notre Dame should have no issues beating this team, but it’s become clear that the Fighting Irish need to make a statement against teams of this caliber. It’s necessary for them to impress the College Football Playoff selection committee with each victory they accumulate in order to move up the rankings.

Nick Wilder is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickCWilder and add him to your network on Google

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