The No. 5 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish travel to New England to play the Navy Midshipmen for the 99th time in history. There isn’t a lot Notre Dame can do here to change any narrative for the better, and the SOS is going to take a hit — so they’re in a no win but gotta win big situation.
So… what do I want to see?
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This is going to encompass a lot of different parts of the Notre Dame football team. I don’t want to see any kind of BS in this game. As good as CJ Carr is, I don’t want to spend half of the game watching him change plays, move guys around, check down, or anything else like that. It’s Navy… line up and go after them. I know that sounds a little crazy given how good CJ is at it, but it looks more like messing around against an opponent like Navy, and the Irish should be anything but a team that’s messing around after what happened in Provo.
The defense isn’t immune to this point. There’s no reason Notre Dame’s defense shouldn’t manhandle the Navy offense. The last three meetings have been brutal for the Middies as they have only rushed for a combined 546 yards for a 186 average during the last three contests. This is a worse team than those three — so just go out there and dominate.
There was a different air around Marcus Freeman during the weekly presser, and as he talked about the BYU loss and Navy to come, he was asked a number of questions about doing things differently — like playing more than 3 wide receivers in a game. Say what you will about Freeman, but I do think he is quicker to pull the trigger on changes than a lot of coaches. I want to see some things “shook up” this week, and I don’t care about anyone’s feelings with this. It’s a week to stir up some shit — so stir it.
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While there is a bad rap concerning Navy and the chop blocks against Notre Dame — this isn’t about that. Next week’s clash against the Miami Hurricanes will be the biggest regular season game at Notre Dame Stadium since the 2023 loss to Ohio State. The boys have to stay healthy. Say some prayers, eat the vitamins and protect your neck. I fully believe this season will be wilder than 2007 (which could be advantageous for the Irish) and I don’t fully believe that it will decide if Notre Dame is in the playoff or not — but it might be. Why leave it to chance? One of the best things the Irish can do to help themselves win that game, is by getting out of this game healthy. KEEP YOUR HEAD ON A SWIVEL BROTHER.
