Notre Dame Football Opponent Preview: Navy

Navy (Nov. 5)

Series Record: Notre Dame leads 76-12-1.

Last Meeting: Last Oct. 10, the Fighting Irish won their fifth straight versus Navy with a 41-24 victory at home.

2015 Record: 11-2 and No. 18 final ranking in the Associated Press poll.

Navy’s Rivals Class Rankings 2012-16: No. 86 (2012), No. 95 (2013), not listed in top 100 (2014), not listed in top 100 (2015) and No. 90 (2016).

Notre Dame’s Rivals Class Rankings 2012-16: No. 20 (2012), No. 3 (2013), No. 11 (2014), No. 11 (2015) and No. 12 (2016).

2015 Summary

Navy’s 11-2 outcome was the most victories in one season at the Academy, and its No. 18 final placement in the AP poll was is highest since No. 2 in 1963, when Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach was the quarterback. It was only the second time since 1979 that Navy appeared in the final AP or coaches poll. The Midshipmen finished No. 24 in 2004 under Paul Johnson with a 10-2 mark.

The highlights included winning the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy yet again with victories against Air Force (33-11) and Army (21-17), thrashing then 8-0 Memphis by a 45-20 count (Memphis would then upset Houston the next week) and winning the Military Bowl (44-28 versus Pitt). Navy’s lone two losses were to teams that finished No. 8 (52-31 to Houston) and No. 11 (41-24 at Notre Dame).

Projected Starters Returning (per ESPN.com’s Phil Steele): eight, two on offense and six on defense.

The only team in the country that has fewer starters returning on offense and defense than Navy is Ohio State with six (three on offense and three on defense).

In a common theme among 2016 Irish foes, Navy has to replace quarterback Keenan Reynolds, a four-year stalwart whose 88 career rushing touchdowns (24 last year) are the most in NCAA history and led to Navy retire his No. 19 jersey. His heir is 5-10, 201-pound senior Tago Smith, who played some against Notre Dame last season when Reynolds was injured. He rushed for 47 yards on nine carries against the Fighting Irish. The two returning starters on offense are wide receiver Jamir Tillman, a product of powerhouse Las Vegas Bishop Gorman whose 29 receptions last year averaged 20.6 yards, and slot back Dishan Romine, whose 378 rushing yards came at a clip of 10.5 yards per carry.

Defensively, the top playmaker returning is inside linebacker Micah Thomas, the second-leading tackler last season with 73.

Offseason News

• Head coach Ken Niumatalolo, a devout Mormon, was the No. 1 candidate to become BYU’s head coach after Bronco Mendenhall accepted the Virginia job in December. Niumatalolo interviewed for the position and “agonized” on whether to accept it (his son Va’a is a linebacker for the Cougars), but eventually decided to stay with Navy. In eight full seasons with the Midshipmen, his 68-37 career mark gives him the most career wins in the Academy’s history.

• Longtime defensive coordinator Buddy Green announced his retirement after 37 years of coaching, the last 14 at Navy. The transition should be seamless because his replacement, Dale Pehrson, has been at Navy the past 20 years, coaching the defensive line the last 17. Also hired to assist with the line is Napoleon Sykes, who was on the 2010 Navy staff that helped defeat Notre Dame most recently.

2016 Outlook

Despite the high volume of graduation losses, Navy has established itself under Niumatalolo as a consistent eight-win program that can give fits to anyone. It is truly a system that is greater than the sum of its parts. Since 2002, Navy has never finished lower than sixth nationally in rushing offense with its triple-option scheme. As long as the defense can hold its opponents to less than 30 points, the Midshipmen have a fighting chance versus anyone. Last year’s defense was better than usual, which — combined with Reynolds’ excellence — is what made it an extra special 11-win campaign.

Will Notre Dame Be Favored, The Underdog Or Is It A Toss-Up?

The Irish are generally two- to three-touchdown favorites in this game just because of the immense recruiting disparity between the two schools. Again, though, Navy has a unique system where Niumatalolo and his staff maximize the talent level better than any Football Bowl Subdivision school in the country. Given the heavy graduation losses incurred by Navy, this year’s game in Jacksonville could see the Irish be favored by more than three touchdowns.

Too much attention always centers on whether the Irish can stop the triple-option attack. Navy will get its share of yards and score points against the Irish, just like versus almost everyone. The real issue is whether the Midshipmen can hold Notre Dame to less than 40 points, because defensively it does not possess the size and overall speed. In the last five meetings, head coach Brian Kelly’s troops have averaged 47 points against Navy.

If Notre Dame commits two or three turnovers and has to punt two or three times, then Navy will have a decent shot at victory.