Notre Dame may not get many chances to hit the reset button, but Saturday against Navy looks like one of them.
After what happened at BYU, the Irish walk into a very different kind of challenge. Navy’s offense is its own animal, and that’s exactly why this game could serve as the kind of clean, assignment-heavy test Notre Dame needs before Miami.
There’s no room for freelancing, no extra chances to drift out of position. It’s all about doing the job in front of you.
Jaylen Sneed said the BYU loss left a bad taste, especially with the Cougars moving the ball at will in Provo. Still, he pointed to the bigger picture and the message head coach Marcus Freeman keeps hammering home.
"It was very frustrating, but Freeman always talks about like there's going to be struggle," Sneed told the Notre Dame media after practice this week. "There's going to be adversity and you're going to go through things, and anything that's worth it in life is going to be hard.
That's what he says. So I just try to keep that in the back of my mind and know it's going to be hard, but just keep working to get better every day."
The loss snapped Notre Dame’s 16-game winning streak. It was only the third defeat in the last two years, which is the kind of run that can make a team feel like it’s living above the normal mess of a college football season. But Sneed’s point was clear: the answer now is to respond the right way, not dwell on the stumble.
That’s where Navy comes in. As of Thursday morning, Notre Dame was a 30-point favorite, but that number does not erase how unusual this matchup is. Safety Luke Talich described just how much the Irish have to adjust for Brian Newberry’s group.
"Navy's a unique offense, and they run a different type of scheme, and we definitely change a lot of things," Talich shared. "Pretty much our whole package is completely changed, and it's more so just discipline and assignment football and just kind of focusing and keeping your eyes on the right thing and executing your job every play.
And you can't do anyone else's job. You just got to do your job."
For Notre Dame, that makes Saturday less about style points and more about steadiness. After BYU, that might be exactly the kind of medicine the defense needs as it looks to get back in shape for Miami in two weeks.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Suddenly Has A Serious Drayk Bowen Concern Before Miami
Notre Dame is already juggling a few health questions coming out of the Navy game, and the biggest one may be at linebacker. Drayk Bowen suffered a lower right leg injury during the matchup, and with Miami next on the schedule, his availability is now uncertain at a spot where the Irish can least afford another setback.
Marcus Freeman also had to address the status of several other injured players, including Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Leonard Moore, Cooper Flanagan and Micah Gilbert, after a game in which Notre Dame leaned on substitutions and limited some players' workloads to get through it. The next few days should tell the story on Bowen, but for now it leaves one of the defense's key pieces very much in question heading into a major test. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dames Early Navy Gamble Is Raising Questions Fast
Chris Ashs early-game choices against Navy stood out right away, and not just because Notre Dame was trying to settle in on defense. The Irish mixed in reserve players early, including starting Christian Gray at cornerback and getting backup linebacker Anthony Rezac on the field on the opening drive, as the unit tried to sort out Navys option looks and keep the game under control.
Instead, Navy put together its longest offensive drive of the season during that stretch, and the Midshipmen briefly led 3-0 before Notre Dame answered to go ahead 7-3. The sequence has already put a spotlight on the defensive playcalling and the decision to lean on reserves so early, leaving plenty of room for questions about how much of the opening trouble was execution and how much was design. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Freeman Just Put Notre Dames Defensive Leadership Under Pressure
Marcus Freeman did not hide his frustration at halftime of Notre Dames game against Navy, and his comments cut straight to the heart of the defenses issues. He said the unit was being asked to run plays it did not know, a sign that the problems were not just about effort or physicality but about execution and communication in a game that demanded both.
Freeman also stressed that the defense had to play physically and stay away from panic, a message that carries extra weight when a head coach is openly questioning how the calls are being handled. The Irish were sharper after the break, but the halftime critique only adds pressure on defensive coordinator Chris Ash and leaves Notre Dames defensive leadership under a brighter spotlight moving forward. [Read more 🡒]