Irish Can’t Cruise Over Navy

A strong second half ground game propelled Notre Dame to a 27-7 lead early in the fourth period, but critical missteps in the final three minutes required that the Irish hang on for dear life to defeat Navy by 27-21 on Saturday. The Midshipmen were largely frustrated in their attempts to execute the option attack against a well-prepared Notre Dame defense, but they had a chance to pull out a win in the final moments before a fourth down pass fell incomplete in Irish territory.

Notre Dame appeared to be coasting with five minutes left as Coach Charlie Weis cleared his bench. The Irish were suddenly and inexplicably overcome by a wave of turnovers, special teams breakdowns, defensive lapses, coaching gaffes and wrongheaded calls by the referees that nearly cost them the victory.

The second team offense was moving toward the Navy goal with 5:25 left when freshman Jonas Gray fumbled at the five. The Middies took over but could not move the ball, and the game should have been over when they punted the ball back to Notre Dame near midfield. Unfortunately for the Irish, they fell short of a first down and compounded matters by gambling on fourth down and failing to convert. Navy took over and tailback Shun White quickly scored a concession touchdown against the Irish reserves with 1:39 left.

All players and remaining fans knew an onside kick was coming, but Notre Dame played it very passively and paid for it when Corey Johnson recovered for the Midshipmen. The Irish responded by returning its first team defense to the field. Backup quarterback Ricky Dobbs immediately lofted a long pass to Tyree Barnes, who somehow caught the secondary in a deep slumber. The play was ruled a catch at the one yard line, but replay showed that Barnes’ foot was partially out of bounds. The bad call stood and Navy scored two plays later to move within 27-21 with 1:21 still on the clock.

The odds of another onside kick were astronomical, but Navy was rewarded by a high bounce that enabled the opportunistic Johnson to grab it out of the air. Dobbs went back to work and scrambled for a first down before a sack and incomplete passes ended the threat. The Irish moved to 6-4 on the season and are eligible to play in a post season bowl game.

Although there were several bright spots throughout the afternoon, the offense and special teams mixed in several blunders. Notre Dame fumbled twice, had two passes intercepted, failed to convert a key fourth down and could not recover the aforementioned onside kicks. On the positive side, the running game carried the day and the defense dominated Navy for the most part.

Three of these turnovers stopped first half drives and kept Notre Dame from building a lead. The Irish broke into the scoring column with six minutes left in the first quarter when Mike Anello blocked a punt and Toryan Smith scooped it up and launched himself into the end zone. Navy was unable to move the ball and had recorded only two first downs until late in the second quarter, when they drove 58 yards in five plays to tie the game at 7-7.

The teams exchanged turnovers while trying to muster a two minute offense, and Brandon Walker was able to convert a short field goal to give Notre Dame a 10-7 advantage at the half. Weis appeared to make the better adjustments coming out of the locker room as the Irish ground game began to take hold and the defense reasserted itself. The aerial game was dialed back to screens and flat passes, but they were enough to keep the chains moving.

Golden Tate jump started the Irish with a 24-yard punt return, Armando Allen and Robert Hughes scored touchdowns and Walker added another field goal during the next 20 minutes to extend the lead to 27-7. The Midshipmen stayed true to form by refusing to quit, which set the stage for the nail-biting finish.

Let’s review the answers to key questions that helped determine the outcome:

Who will win the battle of first down when Navy has the ball?
Notre Dame held Navy to four yards or less on most first down plays. Consequently, the Middies were unable to convert 12 of 13 third down tries.

Will the Irish run the ball more than 50% of the time?
Definitely. They attempted 19 passes and 51 rushes.

Can Clausen return to form after a poor showing against Boston College?
Not really. His attempts to throw the ball downfield were disastrous before Weis pulled the plug and kept all throws short in the second half.

Which team will make more plays of 20+ yards?
Navy had three such plays. Two were rushing touchdowns and the third was the long completion to Barnes at the Irish one. Notre Dame’s longest gain was 19 yards on its first play from scrimmage, but it was consistently gaining 8-12 yards on runs and passes.

Will the Irish size advantage turn into physical dominance?
Yes, especially in the third quarter and on defense throughout most of the day.

Which defense will force turnovers?
Navy had a 4-1 edge in this department and also recovered the two onside kicks, but it was only enough to keep the score closer than it should have been.

As the regular season winds down, Notre Dame has improved in specific areas while its overall performances continue to frustrate the fan base. The running game works well when the staff stays with it, the defense has played admirably despite some personnel shortcomings up front and Walker is quietly becoming a competent kicker with a strong leg.

The down side includes the regression of Clausen and the downfield passing game, poor play by special teams, and the inability of the team as a whole to remain focused for 60 minutes. Essentially, the Irish are comprised of individual pieces that have still not meshed together as a unit. Some are extremely talented, but the quality of play reverts to the lowest common denominator as mental errors and lack of intensity creep into the equation.

A weak schedule and the fact that several starters are underclassmen have provided a measure of cover for a group that has clearly failed to realize its potential. Many Irish fans do not even remember when Notre Dame set the standard for a crisp, hard-hitting and well coached football team. This is not the case in 2008, and the question becomes what has to be done to preclude more of the same in 2009. One thing is certain: significant change won’t happen simply because the players are one year older.