NAVY RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE
With a staggering 357.9 rushing yards per game, Navy ranks first in the country, a perch that is not unfamiliar for the program in this category. As is usually the case, the success of the Midshipmen’s ground attack starts with the play of its quarterback.
Senior signal-caller Malcolm Perry already has 1,042 rushing yards through eight contests at a clip of 6.6 yards per carry with 16 touchdowns (Notre Dame as a team has 15 rushing TDs). Perry’s 130.3 yards per outing rank fourth nationally.
Perry is complemented in the running game by a pair of fullbacks: junior Nelson Smith (5-9, 218) and sophomore Jamale Carothers (5-9, 203). Smith is second on the team with 505 yards (63.1 per game) and third with seven touchdowns, while Carothers leads the way with an average of 9.9 yards per carry, is second with eight scores and ranks third with 355 yards in just five games (71.0 per contest).
