ND vs Navy
A rich lush green landscape, majestic castles, a breathtaking coastline, and unmatched hospitality are just a few characteristics that separate Ireland from the rest of the world. This would be the setting for the Emerald Isle Classic at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland in a stadium that is used to seeing rugby and soccer. This would only be the second time and the first since 96' that these two teams with rich histories of their own would meet. Notre Dame leads the series at 72-12-1.
In a nation full of history one of the most historic college football rivals would kick off the Saturday football season. The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame would take on the Midshipmen of Navy in the 85th meeting. With a shaky off-season that left Notre Dame with three suspended players including quarterback Tommy Reece, running back Cieere Wood, and linebacker Justin Utupo. The question for Notre Dame would be can they silence their critics despite, the missing starters? The answer is yes, as Notre Dame would blow out Navy 50-10.
How did the team earn the victory? The Fighting Irish won for four reasons; turnovers, Navy committed four while Notre Dame only had one. The second reason, Theo Riddick and George Atkins III combined for 206 years on the ground. The third reason, defense the Fighting Irish shut down the triple option (the heart and soul of the Navy's offensive attack) giving Navy no chance to establish a rhythm. Finally, the true freshmen and highly recruited Everett Golson only turned over the ball once with an int and managed the game making only one mistake. Simply Notre Dame rolled over the Midshipmen.
This win was a must win for Notre Dame as they have one of the toughest schedules this year against five top 20 teams including Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford, Oklahoma, and USC. The next opponent for the Fighting Irish is long time rival Purdue as the Irish opens their home season on NBC kickoff is scheduled for 3:30p.m. ET.
