Unbeaten Navy sailed into battle against Notre Dame with a nation’s best turnover ratio at 14-2. Three hours and six giveaways later, the shellshocked Midshipmen chugged out of the New York area with a 6-1 record. The Fighting Irish took no prisoners with a balanced offense and an opportunistic defense to run away with a 51-14 victory. Jeremiah Love rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Riley Leonard passed for two scores and ran for another.

Notre Dame took the opening kickoff and made a statement with a long scoring march. Leonard covered the last yard with his feet after hitting Jaden Greathouse for 42 yards to reach the red zone. Navy took over and recorded a couple of first downs before fullback Alec Tecza fumbled. Irish safety Adon Shuler scooped up the ball and returned it to the Midshipmen seven yard line. Leonard hit a wide open Kris Mitchell in the end zone for a quick 14-0 lead.

Once again, Navy committed a turnover on the ensuing series. After quarterback Blake Horvath found Tecza for 32 yards, he put the ball on the ground. Junior Tuihalamaka recovered for the Irish but the offense could manage only an unsuccessful Zac Yoakam field goal attempt.

The Middies used that spark of good fortune to get on the board. Horvath tore through the Notre Dame defense for a 47-yard score as the game moved to the second period. Leading by only 14-7, Love responded by outracing the Navy secondary 64-yards to paydirt. A subsequent exchange of punts resulted in another Navy miscue. Isaiah Bryant failed to catch a wind-blown Irish punt at his own 40-yard line. The Irish recovered and were back in business.

Leonard found Jordan Faison for 17 yards on a fourth down play to keep the drive moving. A few plays later, Love needed only two yards for his second rushing touchdown and a 28-7 advantage. Horvath tried to rally his troops but the march stalled inside the Irish 20. Kicker Nathan Kirkwood came on to miss a 40-yard field goal attempt. This was the first time all season that the Midshipmen failed to score from inside the red zone.

As the half drew to a close, Notre Dame added a three-pointer by Yoakam to close with a 31-7 advantage. The Midshipmen took the ball to start the third quarter and were not to be denied. Eli Heidenreich scored from one yard out on a fourth down play to get his team back in the game.

Unfortunately for Navy, the Irish once again put a damper on their enthusiasm. Leonard answered with a 37-yard strike to Beaux Collins for a 38-14 lead. Horvath poured gasoline on the fire moments later when the ball slipped out of his hand near his own goal line. Linebacker Jalen Sneed dove on it in the end zone and the game officially became a blowout.

The fourth quarter featured more of the same as the Irish emptied the bench. Navy kept plugging away with a long march that ended badly. Freshman cornerback Leonard Moore picked off a Horvath pass near the Irish goal line to end the threat. Later, Heidenreich fumbled a punt deep in his own territory to set up Notre Dame’s final points. Freshman tailback Kedren Young, took it in for a touchdown.

Leonard’s success on intermediate and deep passes was encouraging, as was the team’s 265 rushing yards. Notre Dame was gashed a few times on defense but generally had matters under control. Navy turnovers were the story of the game but should not overshadow a strong performance by the Irish offense.

Let’s review the answers to our pregame questions:

• Can the Irish defense get off the field on third or fourth down? Navy sustained a number of drives but stopped themselves with miscues as often as the Irish shut them down.
• Will Leonard and his wide receivers solve Navy’s opportunistic secondary? Yes. Faison’s return provided a welcome spark but other receivers were open as well.
• Can Notre Dame’s offensive line create holes for Love and Price? Love was the workhorse and had a fine afternoon. Navy’s run blitzes created opportunities for Leonard to run for 83 yards, while Young picked up 52 more in the final period.
• Will the Irish be able to reverse Navy’s success in turnover margin? Another great question with a resounding answer.
• Can Notre Dame’s special teams provide a spark? A pair of fumble recoveries on punts is a pretty good day.
• Will the Irish defensive backs be able to tackle in space? There were a few missed tackles and blown assignments on defense. Notre Dame’s coaches won’t miss them when they review the game film.
• Which offense will be more efficient in the red zone? The Irish won this battle with success on five of six trips. Navy was surprisingly only one of three.
• Can the Midshipmen turn short passes into big gains? Only two passes went for more than 20 yards. Horvath was more effective as a runner.

Notre Dame (7-1) has a bye next week before home tilts against Florida State and Virginia. The prospect of winning out now seems more likely given the remaining schedule. Leonard and the offense are not yet in cruise control but they have moved into another gear. Guard Billy Schrauth returned to bolster the offensive line and Faison was the leading receiver today. Young players on defense are maturing in their expanded roles. Also, the spate of early season injuries has abated somewhat.

Navy’s uncharacteristic sloppiness is a reminder that anything can happen in football, though. It is encouraging that Coach Marcus Freeman has done a good job of warding off complacency in his locker room. We won’t talk about playoff possibilities yet but November is not far away.