Notre Dame’s decision to lean on its reserves against Navy did not take long to get tested.
After a week of questions about why the Irish weren’t opening the door wider for backup receivers, Chris Ash seemed to answer with a heavy dose of rotation early on. That included sitting Leonard Moore for a breather, starting Christian Gray at corner, and sending deep backup linebacker Anthony Rezac onto the field on Navy’s opening drive.
The result was not exactly the clean message Notre Dame was looking to send.
There’s a difference between managing snaps and treating a game like a walkthrough, and the early sequence against the Midshipmen made that line look awfully thin. Notre Dame’s defense got reserve players on the field right away, but Navy responded with its longest offensive drive of the season in both time of possession and plays.
That matters because the Irish were already under the microscope after the BYU game, where both Chris Ash and Mike Denbrock drew plenty of criticism for their playcalling. So when Notre Dame’s first defensive series against a run-heavy Navy team looked loose, and the first offensive possession featured two wide receiver screens for some reason, it did little to quiet the doubts.
The bigger issue was that Navy punched first. The Midshipmen grabbed a 3-0 lead, and while that hardly changes the long-term outlook of the game, the way they moved the ball did raise questions.
Ash didn’t seem eager to load the box, and at one point even dropped a defensive lineman into coverage. That choice stood out even more against an offense that leans on the run almost all the time.
On the second defensive series, Ash rolled out a front four of Keeley, Sean Sevillano Jr., Elijah Hughes, and Rodney Dunham. Sevillano had entered the game with a career high of 23 snaps. Even with that group on the field, Navy kept hammering away between the tackles, chewing up the clock and dragging the first quarter to a close.
By then, the Midshipmen had the Irish on their heels in one key area: possession. Navy led 7-3 after controlling the ball for most of the opening frame, and Notre Dame’s early approach had already become part of the story.
In Other News...
Marcus Freeman Just Put Notre Dames Defensive Leadership Under Pressure
Marcus Freeman did not hide his frustration at halftime against Navy, and the message carried beyond the scoreline. The Notre Dame head coach said the defense was being asked to run plays it did not know, a blunt critique of both execution and play calling that underscored how messy things had gotten in the first half. Freeman also stressed the basics he wants from that side of the ball, calling for a more physical approach and a steadier response when the game starts to tilt.
The second half brought a much cleaner defensive showing, but the larger issue did not disappear with it. Freemans comments put a spotlight on Chris Ash and the rest of the defensive staff, because in South Bend, the standard is not just better results after halftime, but a defense that looks organized from the start. For a unit trying to settle itself, the pressure now is not only about fixing mistakes, but proving the confusion Freeman described was an exception rather than a warning sign. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Suddenly Has A Serious Drayk Bowen Concern Before Miami
Drayk Bowens status has become one of the biggest questions hanging over Notre Dame as it turns from Navy to Miami. The linebacker suffered a lower right leg injury during the game, and while the Irish were able to manage around several bumps and bruises with substitutions and limited snaps, Bowens situation carries more weight because of how central he has been to the defense.
Marcus Freeman also offered updates on a cluster of other injured players, including Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Leonard Moore, Cooper Flanagan and Micah Gilbert, leaving Notre Dame with a clearer picture of the overall health of the roster but not much certainty at one of its most important spots. With Miami next on the schedule, the Irish are now waiting to see whether Bowen can get back in time or whether theyll have to adjust the defense again for a game that already demands full strength. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Got The Win Navy Still Exposed A Real Concern
Notre Dame handled Navy 35-13 at Gillette Stadium, but the game still offered a familiar reminder of how much the Midshipmen can disrupt a rhythm. CJ Carr guided the Irish offense with 210 passing yards and two touchdowns, and Nolan James Jr. added 107 rushing yards and two scores as Notre Dame found enough balance to separate after a slow start.
Even with the final margin, Navy spent much of the first half doing what Navy does best, leaning on the triple option to shorten the game and keep Notre Dame from settling in. The Irish eventually pulled away after halftime, but the opening stretch showed a concern that can linger against disciplined opponents: when the clock keeps moving and possessions get scarce, even a deeper roster can be pushed into an uncomfortable kind of game. [Read more 🡒]