After the bye week, Notre Dame gets a chance to reset its offense against a Navy defense that has slipped noticeably from where it was a year ago. The Midshipmen are allowing points at a rate that ranks 108th nationally, and they sit 102nd in yards per play allowed. The numbers get even rougher in the passing game: 123rd in passing yards allowed, 136th in both yards per attempt and yards per completion allowed, and 137th in explosive pass plays allowed.
That opens the door for the Irish, even if Navy’s run defense has held up fairly well. The bigger question for Notre Dame is whether this is the kind of game that can help the offense clean up some issues before November gets serious. There are three specific battles that stand out.
Micah Gilbert is one of the biggest ones.
The junior wideout got off to a strong start, but the last couple weeks have been quieter. He still flashed against BYU with that one-handed sideline grab on third down, yet his overall production has dipped from what he delivered early in the year.
Notre Dame needs a dependable, physical target on the boundary, and Gilbert has the build and skill set to fill that role. On the season, he has 22 catches for 409 yards and two touchdowns, but 15 receptions, 334 yards and both scores came in the first four games.
The North Carolina native has a clear chance to get rolling again.
The matchup helps. Navy has had problems on the back end, and a major reason is Phillip Hamilton’s move from slot cornerback to outside corner.
In the first two games he played, Hamilton gave up just 40 receiving yards, no touchdowns and added an interception from the slot. Since shifting outside against Tulsa, UTSA and North Texas, he has allowed 11 catches for 235 yards and four touchdowns.
That’s the kind of vulnerability Gilbert can attack.
Up front, left guard Anthonie Knapp is another player Notre Dame wants to see reassert himself.
Knapp has been solid enough, but not at the level he showed over the previous two and a half seasons. The 6-5, 305-pound lineman moved inside in the offseason and has started all seven games at left guard.
His pass protection has improved there, but the run game hasn’t featured the same sort of dominance fans have come to expect from him. Saturday looks like a good chance to change that.
Navy’s interior defensive line is led by Griffen Willis, who stands 6-1 and weighs 280 pounds. He’s their best trench defender and maybe their best defender overall.
According to PFF, Willis has 16 run stops, and he’s a big reason the Midshipmen rank 31st in rush defense in yards allowed, 17th in yards per carry allowed and 30th in carries of 20 yards or more allowed. Knapp will have to handle a smaller but physical challenge in the middle.
Then there’s CJ Carr, who might be the most important piece of the bunch.
Notre Dame’s junior quarterback has shown flashes and rough patches in his last two games against Stanford and BYU, and the Irish need him at a higher level with bigger tests coming in November. The bye week brought plenty of talk about ways the staff can help him before the snap and after it, but there’s also plenty that Carr has to clean up himself.
At 6-2 and 215 pounds, the Saline, Michigan native has a chance to build momentum before Notre Dame faces No. 1 Miami on November 7.
The timing matters, because Navy’s pass defense has been one of the worst in the country. The Midshipmen are 136th in yards allowed per attempt and yards allowed per completion, 123rd in passing yards allowed, 124th in passing touchdowns allowed with 16, and dead last in passer rating allowed at 175.1. If offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock lets Carr attack and Carr sharpens the throws he missed on October 10 and October 17, Saturday could be a big statistical day for the quarterback.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Could Add A Veteran Defensive Voice Fans Will Debate
Dave Doerens name is suddenly floating around a role that would be a little unusual but not hard to understand. The former NC State head coach, now a free agent after being fired earlier this season, has long been around the kind of defensive football Notre Dame tends to respect, and his history includes stops at Drake, Wisconsin and Northern Illinois before his run as a head coach.
What makes the idea worth watching is the connection to defensive coordinator Chris Ash, who previously worked with Doeren. If Notre Dame were to consider him for a part-time defensive analyst spot, it would bring in a veteran voice with plenty of background and, given his mixed track record as a head coach, plenty of room for fans to debate whether he is the right fit for the job. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Commit Abraham Sesay Just Added More National Buzz
Abraham Sesay keeps adding to a rising profile that already has Notre Dame followers paying attention. The 2027 Irish commit is set to be officially honored as a Navy All-American at Downingtown East High School in Exton, Pennsylvania, on October 30, 2026, part of the Road to the Dome tour that will recognize 100 All-Americans with jersey presentations ahead of the main event.
Sesay is also scheduled to take part in the annual East vs. West All-American Bowl game on January 9, 2027, in San Antonio, Texas, another marker of how quickly his national reputation has grown. For Notre Dame, it is the kind of off-field momentum that comes with landing a recruit whose name is starting to carry weight well beyond the usual prep recruiting circles. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Freeman Sent A Clear Warning About Notre Dame's Offense
Notre Dames offense left plenty on the table in its recent game against BYU, and the frustrating part for the Irish was how often drives stalled at the most important moments. They converted only 8 of 19 third downs and finished 3 of 5 in the red zone, the kind of missed chances that can keep an offense from ever finding its rhythm or forcing an opponent to play from behind.
Marcus Freeman made it clear afterward that he does not want the blame shifting toward offensive coordinator Mike Denbrocks approach. Freeman pointed to execution as the issue, took responsibility for the loss, and stressed that the unit has to clean things up quickly before the next stretch of games brings even more pressure. [Read more 🡒]