In one of the most underrated rivalries in college football, Navy will visit Notre Dame on Saturday in front of what will be a raucous crowd in South Bend. Despite being familiar with it, Brain Kelly will have to deal with the patented triple-option that Navy will roll out.
Is he up for the challenge? First, let’s take a closer look.
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Not sure whether it’s an indictment of Tulsa or an impressive feat by the Midshipmen, but the Navy won last week (20-17) without throwing a single pass while their defense held the Golden Hurricane to just 17 points. Despite exclusively running the triple option, the Navy comes into this one with a time of possession of just 35:30 and just 4.06 yards per play, one of their worst stat lines in recent memory for the two metrics.
On the defensive side of the ball, however, captain Diego Fago leads all tackers with 71 tackles, including 10 for loss, and is turning into one of the best linebackers in the country.
For the home Fighting Irish, any hope of getting back into the CFP means they have to win the rest of the games big and get some help on the way. Led by quarterback Kyren Williams, the Notre Dame offense has largely been stagnant this season, ranking in the middle of the pack in most offensive metrics while scoring 32.6 points per game.
However, the last time we saw them on the field, they routed the UNC Tarheels 44-34, covering as 3-point favorites and dominating the rushing game.
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With an 8-2 record over Navy in his last ten games, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly should be more than prepared for what the triple option will mean for his defense. Having prepared for it every season in his tenure, I like for Notre Dame to key in on the rushing attack using their bigger front seven to force the Midshipmen to throw the ball downfield.
A task they have been proven to be incapable of.
Pick: Notre Dame -21
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