Irish Meet Navy in Foxborough

Notre Dame (6-1) battles the Naval Academy (2-5) on Saturday in the latest chapter of this historic rivalry. The Fighting Irish lead the all-time series 84-13 with one tie. Both teams will travel to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts to compete in this contest. ABC will provide national television coverage starting at 12:00 Noon Eastern time.Navy’s Head Coach Brian Newberry is 28-17 in his fourth season in Annapolis. Newberry lost several veterans from his successful teams of the past two years. Navy’s losing record this season indicates a rebuilding effort is in progress. The Midshipmen have returning lettermen along both lines but the skill positions have many new faces. Navy’s high precision offense has struggled to find a rhythm on offense so far this season. They have fumbled the ball 15 times and recovered eight.Notre Dame Head Coach Marcus Freeman has a different set of problems. His highly talented and experienced team was chronically one step behind BYU in its last outing. The Irish played poorly on both sides of the ball and left Utah with their confidence shaken.Injuries continue to plague Notre Dame. Star linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is dealing with a thumb injury that flared up against BYU. He will miss Saturday’s contest. Cornerback DJ McKinney remains out until sometime in December, assuming Notre Dame is still playing then. Fellow corner Mark Zachary will sit as he recovers from a concussion.Safety Brauntae Johnson’s broken foot has been slow to heal. There is no established target date for his return. Defensive lineman Loghan Thomas has a shoulder injury and will not play this week. Finally, tight end Cooper Flanagan’s hamstring strain will sideline him this week as well.Navy has reported no injuries to its starters.NOTRE DAME’S OFFENSE vs. NAVY’S DEFENSENavy has not yet played a Power Four team. Their defense has surrendered 29 points per game despite impressive statistics against the run. The down linemen in Navy’s 3-4 alignment, Griffen Willis and Xavyer Arrington, are tough if somewhat undersized. Lack of a consistent pass rush was a weakness early in the season. More recently, end Aiden Lyczek and outside linebacker Nolan McCamy have shown improvement.Interior linebackers MarcAnthony Parker and Coleman Cauley are impressive athletes. Parker is a physical player and an effective blitzer. Cauley leads the Midshipmen in tackles. They are primarily responsible for Navy’s strong rush defense. Still, it is doubtful that this front seven can hold up against the Irish ground attack. Coach Marcus Freeman did not take anything for granted when assessing the Navy defense, though. “Defensively, they’re as aggressive and exotic as we’ll see”, he said. “They do a heck of a job stopping the run. We gotta make sure we have a good plan to protect our quarterback and try to attack some things that we see on film. And so it’d be a great opportunity to get back on the field and face another opponent.”In the secondary, safety Giuseppe Sessi is strong against the run and a sure tackler. Senior Ira Onija is the team’s best cover corner. This group has been porous overall, however, due to the combination of poor pressure and coverage breakdowns. Notre Dame fans can expect an efficient performance from CJ Carr when the Irish elect to pass.Notre Dame’s offense is more likely to be stopped by its own mistakes than by Navy’s defense. The Irish can score nearly at will if they are motivated and play a clean game. Navy has forced only four turnovers in seven games. The talent disparity is too great for them to hold the Irish much below 50 points. The final point total will depend on how long Coach Freeman leaves his starters in the game.NAVY’S OFFENSE vs. NOTRE DAME’S DEFENSENavy’s offensive line returned virtually intact this season. As one might expect, this unit blocks well for the run but is porous when protecting the passer. This is likely a function of practice time dedicated to this element of the attack. When successful, the Midshipmen throw the ball fewer than ten times per game. Center Cam Nichols and right tackle Malcolm Johnson are the unit’s best overall performers.Navy QB Jackson Gutierrez (8) (Photo by Bradley Rex/Icon Sportswire)Jackson Gutierrez is the primary quarterback in their option attack. He is the leading rusher by a wide margin and a 50% passer. Navy also utilizes backup quarterback Braxton Woodson in a variety of situations. At times, both he and Gutierrez are on the field together. Woodson started last season’s game against the Irish when the legendary Blake Horvath was injured.A shifty pair of slot backs adds a speed dimension to the option offense. Charles Robinson and Michael Barrow are dangerous outside runners and are the team’s leading pass receivers. Notre Dame must account for them on every play. Surprisingly, the fullback does not play a large role in Newberry’s version of the option. Vic Listorti has averaged only six carries per game. He is used primarily as a blocker and in short yardage situations.The Middies have multiple options at wide receiver and tight end. Wideouts Luke Hutchinson and Truman Brasfield are legitimate deep threats. Tight ends Jake Norris and Jordan Collins can also catch balls downfield. It will be interesting to see how aggressive the Irish are on third down. Sacks have been a major issue for Navy. I will be watching Boubacar Traore to see how he responds after being ejected at BYU. Traore is also a Massachusetts native and grew up in the greater Boston area.Boubacar Traore (5) will play before friends and family (Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire)SPECIAL TEAMSNotre Dame has a clear advantage in this department as Navy is well below average. The Irish coaches can be aggressive here in going after punts and setting up returns. Kicking and punting has been stable for Notre Dame in recent games, while the Middies have struggled.Navy kicker Nolan Bartley is a freshman. He has converted four of seven field goal attempts with a long of 34 yards. Punter Jacob Carlson averages 43 yards but several of his punts have resulted in long returns.SUMMARYNavy has improved in recent weeks, particularly on offense. They can score points against Notre Dame if its defense is not prepared and motivated. Several Irish reserves will assume more significant roles in this game and will be tested. Fumbles have been an ongoing issue for the Midshipmen. Obviously, they must avoid mistakes if they are to be competitive in this contest.Notre Dame wants to secure the victory and get its key players off the field quickly. The offense should meet little resistance. On the other hand, Navy’s option attack may pose problems for the battered Irish defense. Expect the Middies to throw the kitchen sink at Notre Dame with trick plays and misdirection.Here are a few questions that will shed light on the outcome:Which team will be more successful on third or fourth down?Will Carr be poised and on target?Can Notre Dame’s defense create turnovers and negative plays?Will the patchwork Irish defense be gashed for explosive plays?Can the Irish special teams dominate the Midshipmen?Which offense will be more efficient in the red zone?Can Jonaz Walton gain over 100 yards?Which Irish reserves will impress with strong performances?PREDICTIONNotre Dame’s primary objective for playing this game is to improve its execution on offense. There is little benefit to the defense since the option based attack is dissimilar to other opponents. Even though Navy will not help them prepare for Miami, the Irish do not want to be embarrassed. From the players’ perspective, Saturday represents an opportunity for those who do not play often to showcase their skills. I doubt the Irish coaches will reveal any new or creative schemes given the talent disparity.NOTRE DAME 45 NAVY 13Tell John what you think in the comments belowThe post Irish Meet Navy in Foxborough appeared first on NDNation.