[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Midshipmen of Navy have always been a thorn in Notre Dame’s side, and Saturday night’s game was no different. Despite winning 49-39, the Fighting Irish blew a 21-point lead and came close to suffering their second loss on the year.
“It ended up being a game where we outscored them,” Irish head coach Brian Kelly said following the game.
After Notre Dame scored on it’s first four possessions with touchdowns, Navy rallied for 23-straight points to put them ahead 31-28 with just over four minutes in the third quarter. What looked like a dangerous situation would turn around quickly for Notre Dame.
Irish quarterback Everett Golson helped his team with a 3-yard rush into the endzone to return the game to Notre Dame, 35-31. With 12:22 remaining in the game, Tarean Folson exploded for a 25-yard rush to put the Irish ahead by 11 at 42-31.
Navy was still very much in the game, however.
After two missed field goal attempts by Notre Dame, Navy scored a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to cut the lead down to just a field goal. With 4:18 remaining in the game following what would be Navy’s final score of the game, they went for an onside kick that ultimately failed.
Golson would seal the deal with about 87 seconds left in the game with an 8-yard touchdown run.
Golson became the first player in Notre Dame history to throw for three touchdowns and run for three scores in a single game. As a team, the Irish put up 533 yards of total offense. Golson finished the game 18-of-25 for 315 yards through the air with one interception while rushing for 33 yards on nine attempts.
The Irish defense gave up 454 total yards, and in the last three games the Irish have given up 113 points to opponents. With Arizona State next on the schedule for the Irish, this is something they hope to change.
“We’re aware of how many points we’ve given up,” Kelly said Sunday. “We think that, obviously, that’s not what we want to do, but each circumstance is different, and we know what our challenges are as they lay in front of us.”
Notre Dame has now won four straight over Navy, extending their lead in the series to 75-12-1.
“I challenge anyone to put these guys on their schedule,” Kelly said. “Anybody that thinks Navy is an easy team to play. It’s very difficult.”
