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Day/Time: Oct. 10/3:30 p.m. (ET)
2014 Record: 8-5
Projected Returning Starters – Offense: Four
Projected Returning Starters – Defense: Six
Head Coach: Ken Niumatalolo (seventh-year; 57-35)
2014 Points Scored: 31.8 (No. 43)
2014 Points Allowed: 27.3 (No. 70)
2014 Review
An early three-game losing streak didn’t slow down Navy, which sailed to six wins in the final seven games of its last season as an independent. Quarterback Keenan Reynolds steered the Midshipmen to victory in the Poinsettia Bowl in a rare, low-scoring win. The senior signal-caller set school records for rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns in 2014 as he added 29 scores to his total.
Expected Strengths
Reynolds, a four-year starter, leads Navy for the final time this season concluding a spectacular college career. The senior directs the triple-option – an offense that nearly every defense that faces it has difficulty slowing down. The decision-making of an offense’s quarterback plays a large part in determining whether the scheme will be successful. Reynolds checks off all the boxes as a leader of the offense.
The backfield is littered with experience in addition to Reynolds. Fullback Chris Swain and the two starting slot backs are all seniors. Swain is 245 pounds and a powerful presence that accounted for 693 rushing yards (6.7 yards per carry), while speedy slot back DeBrandon Sanders averaged eight yards per carry.
Junior wideout Jamir Tillman troubles opposing defenses with his 6-foot-4 frame, on the off-chance Navy elects to throw the ball. But he did catch nearly a third of the 62 pass completions in 2014 and remains a target opposing defensive backs need to watch.
Navy’s defensive line features seniors Bernard Sarra and Will Anthony. Sarra, a three-year starter at nose guard, is one of the heaviest players on an otherwise small team at 297 pounds. Anthony led the team with 2.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2014 – he also finished fifth on the team with 67 tackles.
The nation’s 31st-ranked passing defense returns both starting cornerbacks, a group that includes senior Quincy Adams, who broke up a team-high nine passes in 2014. Strong safety Kwazel Bertrand remains at the backend of the defense.
Navy’s lack of size is a double-edged sword for a team like Notre Dame, which has 300-plus pound linemen upfront. Navy utilizes its quicker and more agile pass rushers that can be problematic for Notre Dame’s offensive line.
Possible Weaknesses
Navy needs to replace three starters on the offensive line, though junior left tackle Blake Copeland and two seniors are set to fill the vacancies. More inexperience lies at linebacker, where two sophomores are set to step into two of the three open positions. Navy’s 3-4 defensive scheme relies heavily on the linebackers to make stops, and the three new starters will be forced to step up quickly.
Navy’s lack of size creates an advantage for opposing offenses rushing attacks. Notre Dame’s offensive line continues to push Navy’s defensive line back, which has allowed the running game to flourish. Notre Dame’s rushed for more than 218 yards in the last three meetings with Navy, averaging five or more yards per carry each time.
Key Players
Keenan Reynolds; QB: The Navy signal-caller rushed for 1,191 yards and rushed for 23 touchdowns. The senior set an NCAA record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. He’s 12-for-24 passing for 206 yards and three touchdowns in two career starts against the Irish, adding 100 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Chris Swain; FB: Swain was Navy’s third-leading rusher a year ago when the 245-pound back averaged 6.7 yards per carry. The senior is also a key blocker for the offense – nullifying him is a difficult task but would go a long way for Notre Dame in slowing down the triple-option.
DeBrandon Sanders; SB: Sanders, who stands at 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds, is one of the smallest members of the team. But the senior should play a giant in the offense, and Sanders’ speed makes him a home-run threat. Sanders is averaging eight yards per carry on 71 career attempts, and he’s caught 15 passes for 290 yards.
Quincy Adams; CB: The honorable mention All-Independent cornerback was the team’s third-leading tackler with 75 stops a year ago and broke up a team-high nine passes. He could be tasked with covering Notre Dame wideout Will Fuller.
Daniel Gonzales; ILB: The junior is Navy’s only returning starter at linebacker. He finished second on the team with 86 tackles in 2014 and tied for a team-high mark with three interceptions. Gonzales will shoulder more responsibility this fall with two sophomores poised to make their first career starts alongside him.
Notre Dame Matchup
Brian Kelly’s coached Notre Dame to four consecutive victories over the Midshipmen since he was on the losing side in his first year as head coach. But Navy’s given the Irish more trouble in the past two meetings, averaging 36.5 points and losing games by four and 10 during that stretch.
Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder was unable to formulate an effective game plan for defending the triple-option in his first year at Notre Dame, and improving remains one of the more pressing questions for his defense entering 2015. The Irish defense faces a bigger, more athletic triple-option team in Georgia Tech three weeks prior to its home matchup with Navy, which should serve as a barometer for how much, if any, improvement has been made.
Early Prediction
Notre Dame should run the ball plenty to keep the ball out of Reynolds hands. VanGorder will get his second crack against the triple-option three weeks earlier against Georgia Tech, giving the defense time to fix any kinks. The Irish look set for a fifth-consecutive win against Navy, but the game comes at a dubious time. Notre Dame hosts Navy in the middle of a three-game stretch that includes a road trip to Clemson and a home game against Southern Cal.
Day/Time: Oct. 10/3:30 p.m. (ET)
2014 Record: 8-5
Projected Returning Starters – Offense: Four
Projected Returning Starters – Defense: Six
Head Coach: Ken Niumatalolo (seventh-year; 57-35)
2014 Points Scored: 31.8 (No. 43)
2014 Points Allowed: 27.3 (No. 70)
2014 Review
An early three-game losing streak didn’t slow down Navy, which sailed to six wins in the final seven games of its last season as an independent. Quarterback Keenan Reynolds steered the Midshipmen to victory in the Poinsettia Bowl in a rare, low-scoring win. The senior signal-caller set school records for rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns in 2014 as he added 29 scores to his total.
Expected Strengths
Reynolds, a four-year starter, leads Navy for the final time this season concluding a spectacular college career. The senior directs the triple-option – an offense that nearly every defense that faces it has difficulty slowing down. The decision-making of an offense’s quarterback plays a large part in determining whether the scheme will be successful. Reynolds checks off all the boxes as a leader of the offense.
The backfield is littered with experience in addition to Reynolds. Fullback Chris Swain and the two starting slot backs are all seniors. Swain is 245 pounds and a powerful presence that accounted for 693 rushing yards (6.7 yards per carry), while speedy slot back DeBrandon Sanders averaged eight yards per carry.
Junior wideout Jamir Tillman troubles opposing defenses with his 6-foot-4 frame, on the off-chance Navy elects to throw the ball. But he did catch nearly a third of the 62 pass completions in 2014 and remains a target opposing defensive backs need to watch.
Navy’s defensive line features seniors Bernard Sarra and Will Anthony. Sarra, a three-year starter at nose guard, is one of the heaviest players on an otherwise small team at 297 pounds. Anthony led the team with 2.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2014 – he also finished fifth on the team with 67 tackles.
The nation’s 31st-ranked passing defense returns both starting cornerbacks, a group that includes senior Quincy Adams, who broke up a team-high nine passes in 2014. Strong safety Kwazel Bertrand remains at the backend of the defense.
Navy’s lack of size is a double-edged sword for a team like Notre Dame, which has 300-plus pound linemen upfront. Navy utilizes its quicker and more agile pass rushers that can be problematic for Notre Dame’s offensive line.
Possible Weaknesses
Navy needs to replace three starters on the offensive line, though junior left tackle Blake Copeland and two seniors are set to fill the vacancies. More inexperience lies at linebacker, where two sophomores are set to step into two of the three open positions. Navy’s 3-4 defensive scheme relies heavily on the linebackers to make stops, and the three new starters will be forced to step up quickly.
Navy’s lack of size creates an advantage for opposing offenses rushing attacks. Notre Dame’s offensive line continues to push Navy’s defensive line back, which has allowed the running game to flourish. Notre Dame’s rushed for more than 218 yards in the last three meetings with Navy, averaging five or more yards per carry each time.
Key Players
Keenan Reynolds; QB: The Navy signal-caller rushed for 1,191 yards and rushed for 23 touchdowns. The senior set an NCAA record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. He’s 12-for-24 passing for 206 yards and three touchdowns in two career starts against the Irish, adding 100 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Chris Swain; FB: Swain was Navy’s third-leading rusher a year ago when the 245-pound back averaged 6.7 yards per carry. The senior is also a key blocker for the offense – nullifying him is a difficult task but would go a long way for Notre Dame in slowing down the triple-option.
DeBrandon Sanders; SB: Sanders, who stands at 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds, is one of the smallest members of the team. But the senior should play a giant in the offense, and Sanders’ speed makes him a home-run threat. Sanders is averaging eight yards per carry on 71 career attempts, and he’s caught 15 passes for 290 yards.
Quincy Adams; CB: The honorable mention All-Independent cornerback was the team’s third-leading tackler with 75 stops a year ago and broke up a team-high nine passes. He could be tasked with covering Notre Dame wideout Will Fuller.
Daniel Gonzales; ILB: The junior is Navy’s only returning starter at linebacker. He finished second on the team with 86 tackles in 2014 and tied for a team-high mark with three interceptions. Gonzales will shoulder more responsibility this fall with two sophomores poised to make their first career starts alongside him.
Notre Dame Matchup
Brian Kelly’s coached Notre Dame to four consecutive victories over the Midshipmen since he was on the losing side in his first year as head coach. But Navy’s given the Irish more trouble in the past two meetings, averaging 36.5 points and losing games by four and 10 during that stretch.
Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder was unable to formulate an effective game plan for defending the triple-option in his first year at Notre Dame, and improving remains one of the more pressing questions for his defense entering 2015. The Irish defense faces a bigger, more athletic triple-option team in Georgia Tech three weeks prior to its home matchup with Navy, which should serve as a barometer for how much, if any, improvement has been made.
Early Prediction
Notre Dame should run the ball plenty to keep the ball out of Reynolds hands. VanGorder will get his second crack against the triple-option three weeks earlier against Georgia Tech, giving the defense time to fix any kinks. The Irish look set for a fifth-consecutive win against Navy, but the game comes at a dubious time. Notre Dame hosts Navy in the middle of a three-game stretch that includes a road trip to Clemson and a home game against Southern Cal.
