A Worthy Opponent

Unlike most of its matchups with the service academies, Notre Dame was not the better team against Navy.

Seventh-year Irish head coach Brian Kelly admitted that fact after he watched his team squander a second-half lead against the Midshipmen in Jacksonville, Fla., and wind up on the losing side of a 28-27 final score.

In front of 50,867 spectators at EverBank Field, Notre Dame’s defense couldn’t get enough stops against Navy’s triple-option attack. A tired Greg Hudson-led unit allowed the Midshipmen to score on its first two possessions of the second half to take the lead and run out the clock while the Irish desperately tried to get the ball back.

Junior quarterback DeShone Kizer and the Irish offense had just two second-half possessions and six in the entire game.

“Any time you’re limited to six possessions, you have to be extremely efficient,” Kelly said. “Other than the three-and-out where we had a receiver that we couldn’t hook up with, there’s not much I can really pick at from a head coach’s perspective.

“I love the way my team battled. Navy was just a little bit better today by one point.”

Navy ran for 320 yards and converted clutch first downs when it needed to against a still-growing Irish defense. Senior quarterback Will Worth — in his seventh career game as a starter — showed his effectiveness on the ground, tallying 175 yards and two touchdowns. It was the fourth straight game Worth eclipsed 100 rushing yards.

“The pressure is always on the quarterback here,” ninth-year Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “The ball is always in his hands. The kid played phenomenal. We’re where we’re at right now because of Will Worth.

“He’s given our team belief, the way he plays, tough, hard-nosed. He’s created an edge on our football team. We’re a scrappy team and are not going to back down from anybody. A lot of that edge comes from the way he plays.”

The Midshipmen (6-2) trailed 17-14 at the half and drove 75 yards on seven plays on their first possession of the second half to take a 21-17 lead. Notre Dame responded with its own 75-yard drive, taking five minutes and 17 seconds to re-grab the lead on a 13-yard touchdown catch by sophomore wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown.

With the Irish leading 24-21, its inability to get off the field on the ensuing Navy drive determined the outcome of the game.

“They threw a lot different things at us,” senior linebacker James Onwualu said. “They really brought out a lot of their different plays. Just getting those stops is tough when they’re getting the fourth down and they’re going for it.

“You get a third down stop, now you have to get another stop. It’s tough for a defense, and we needed to make a couple more plays.”

Navy’s go-ahead drive went 75 yards on 16 plays and drained nine minutes off the clock. The Midshipmen converted four times on third or fourth down, including a crucial fourth-and-one after Notre Dame was flagged for having 12 players on the field while Navy punted. The five-yard penalty on fourth-and-six made it fourth-and-one, and Navy converted.

Worth ended the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to take a 28-24 lead.

“The toughest part is the idea of winning on third down … you have to win fourth down, too,” senior defensive end Isaac Rochell said. “It takes away your ideology of win on third down. It is taxing. You’re not done after three.”

Notre Dame’s next drive appeared promising, with Kizer leading the offense into the red zone before stalling at the Navy 20. On fourth-and-four, Kelly elected to kick a field goal — a successful 31-yard kick by sophomore Justin Yoon — to make it 28-27 Navy with 7:28 remaining.

Kelly said after the game he considered going for it instead of putting the game in the hands of his defense.

“This is a game of trust. We trust in Coach Kelly and his decisions, and Coach Kelly trusts in us to make the plays we need to make,” Kizer said. “The way that that game ended obviously is going to have a bunch of fingers pointing at that.

“But at the same time, if we were out there executing the way we should’ve in a couple third-down situations on offense and defense, we would’ve been fine.”

Navy’s offense was able to sustain a final drive and run out the clock.

Junior linebackers Greer Martini and Nyles Morgan led Notre Dame with 11 tackles apiece. Onwualu and freshman cornerback Julian Love — who left the game in the second half with a head injury, Kelly said — both finished with eight tackles.

Navy freshman safety Alohi Gilman had 12 tackles to lead the Midshipmen.

Notre Dame — favored by 6.5 points in Vegas entering the game — never looked that good against the Midshipmen.

The Irish drove 83 yards on their opening possession and scored a touchdown — a 26-yard pass from Kizer to senior wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. — but Navy responded immediately. Junior slot back Darryl Bonner capped a 73-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.

Senior tight end Durham Smythe scored Notre Dame’s only other touchdown. Kizer was 19-of-27 passing for 223 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, and sophomore running back Josh Adams was Notre Dame’s top rusher against the Midshipmen with 73 yards on 12 carries.

“We wish Coach Kelly and Notre Dame the best of luck,” Niumatalolo said. “They’re still a great team. We found a way to get one more point than them.”

The Irish (3-6) now must win all three of their remaining regular-season contests, starting with Army Nov. 12 in San Antonio, to become bowl eligible.