The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are looking to sneak into the College Football Playoff with one loss on their record, but doing so involves taking down a very tough Navy team this weekend. Now Navy is not hosting, as this game is being played in MetLife Stadium, but you can imagine they have had this one circled for a while.
Navy is a perfect 6-0 to start the season, and only really has Army to worry about the rest of the year. They’ve beaten teams at home, they’ve done it on the road, but now they face the number 12 team in the country who knows they are on thin ice with the committee. Will Navy be able to bring down a giant and prove they are a legit force in college football?
Notre Dame probably can’t afford another loss, and they still have Army and at USC on their schedule. I cannot stress enough how much they need this game. They are going into a bye week following this neutral site contest, and they are coming off two very dominant wins. The Irish are in very good form, but their rushing defense will certainly be tested this week against Navy, who is 3rd in the country running for over 6 yards per carry.
Will that be enough to take down Notre Dame? Or will the Fighting Irish take down Navy this Saturday?
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Navy Midshipmen: Can Irish Stop Navy?
Blake Horvath leads the Midshipmen with 888 passing yards and 621 on the ground
Matchup Information – Notre Dame vs Navy
- Venue & Location: MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
- Date: Saturday, October 26th, 2024
- Kick Off: 12:00pm Eastern
- Broadcast: ABC
Betting Odds
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Spread
- Notre Dame -13 (-112)
- Navy +13 (-108)
Money Line
- Notre Dame -500
- Navy +395
Total
- Over 51 (-110)
- Under 51 (-110)
Navy Looks to Stay Perfect Against Notre Dame
Jeremiyah Love has ran for 462 yards and 7 TDs this season
Both rushing defenses will be tested this Saturday. Navy only throws the ball 10 times per game, but when they do, they are usually good for about 7 yards per attempt, ranking Top 3 in the country. As a team, they have double the amount of rushing yards as passing yards, and they have 5 ball carries with over 150 yards on the season. However, Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame know how to stop the run.
They are 26th in rushing yards allowed per game, giving up just 113 and only 82 on the road. Now, the numbers may be skewed considering teams usually play the Irish from behind, but regardless, the front 7 is very good. They allow just 3.3 yards per rush, dropping to 2.7 away from South Bend. This puts them Top 20 in the nation, and overall, their defense is much better than anything Navy has seen this year.
As for the Midshipmen’s rushing defense, they will need to slow dow Jeremiyah Love and Riley Leonard. Since losing to Northern Illinois, the Irish are 5-0 and are outscoring their opponents by and average score of 41-10.8. The Fighting Irish are rolling on both sides of the ball, and I see them keeping it going this weekend. Navy ranks 83rd in rushing yards allowed per attempt, giving up nearly 4.5 yards per carry and over 170 total per game. They also allow over 225 passing yards, so if Leonard decides to air it out, he will more than likely have success.
As for my coin, I will be backing the Irish to win by two touchdowns, even though that is a large number.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Navy Midshipmen Best Bets
Riley Leonard is a dual threat QB for the Irish
Notre Dame vs Navy Prediction: Notre Dame Wins & Covers, Under 51
Best Bets: Notre Dame -13 (-110) Bovada
The Irish will be the best team Navy has faced on both sides of the ball. Let’s take a look at their competition this season.
Navy Opponent’s Scoring Rankings
- Temple: Offense (111th), Defense (107th)
- Memphis: Offense (29th), Defense (51st)
- UAB: Offense (115th), Defense (128th)
- Air Force: Offense (130th), Defense (99th)
- Charlotte: Offense (89th), Defense (119th)
In those categories, Notre Dame ranks 22nd offensively, and 3rd defensively. This is going to be a nasty wake up call for Navy.
Now, yes, Navy beat Memphis, arguably a Top 40ish team. They got into a shootout and won the game 56-44. A shootout will not work well for the Midshipmen against Notre Dame, as they have the offense to keep up, and the defense to make stops when it counts. I see them coming to play, very fired up this weekend, rolling to an easy victory.
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