Notre Dame overcame a sluggish first half and dominated after intermission in a 35-13 victory on Saturday. Despite Navy’s early success, the Irish nudged ahead by 14-13 just before halftime. The second half went according to script but the Irish paid a heavy price for the victory. Upon review of the takeaways from Notre Dame’s performance, serious injuries overshadowed the play on the field. Key defenders Drayk Bowen and Francis Brewu went down and did not return.

Despite the personnel losses, the Notre Dame defense rallied in the second half. Navy managed only one first down and no points over the final 30 minutes. Meanwhile, CJ Carr led the Irish to touchdowns on three straight series coming out of the locker room. His 31-yard scoring strike to Jerome Bettis to open the fourth quarter capped a 28-0 run. This touchdown proved to be the game’s final points. Notre Dame failed to add to its total despite two long drives later in the period.

A nightmare scenario developed following the opening kickoff. Quarterback Jackson Gutierrez engineered long scoring marches in each of Navy’s three first half possessions. Fortunately for the Irish, two of these drives ended in field goals. Still, a Gutierrez scoring run gave the Middies a 13-7 lead just two minutes before halftime. Navy had dominated time of possession by 23-5 minutes to that point. Notre Dame’s defense appeared confused and players were consistently out of position.

Momentum shifted back to the Irish in the ensuing series. Nolan James capped a 57-second drive to retake the lead with a 52-yard run to paydirt. Navy could not answer and the half ended.

Notre Dame assumed control by taking the kickoff and executing a textbook six-minute drive. Jonaz Walton’s short run made it 21-13, and the Irish defense followed with a three and out. Carr and Bettis put on an aerial show and James returned to add a 22-yard touchdown run. Nervous Irish fans finally took a breath.

The Midshipmen recorded their lone first down of the half before Notre Dame forced another punt. Carr found Bettis again on a hook and go route for an easy 31-yard score. Bettis did not play in the first half but led the team with six receptions for 78 yards. Carr finished with 19 completions on 29 attempts for 210 yards and two scores. James led the ground attack with 107 yards as the team rushed for 204.

Notre Dame’s defense was outplayed for 30 minutes but were aggressive and assignment solid over the final 30. Obviously, they cannot afford a slow start next week. Let’s review the answers to our pregame questions.

• Which team will be more successful on third or fourth down? Neither team was particularly effective Notre Dame was three of eight on third down while Navy was four of 12. Both teams were two of three on fourth down.
• Will Carr be poised and on target? CJ had a nice run of completions in the second half. He still appears uncomfortable when pressured and throws into tight coverage without setting his feet properly. A few throws were nearly intercepted.
• Can Notre Dame’s defense create turnovers and negative plays? There were no takeaways other than a turnover on downs in the third quarter.
• Will the patchwork Irish defense be gashed for explosive plays? EMTs were working overtime to stop the bleeding in the early going. Fortunately, the stitches held in the second half.
• Can the Irish special teams dominate the Midshipmen? These units had very little impact today. Notre Dame should have kicked a field goal midway through the final period. Instead, they failed on a low percentage fourth down pass.
• Which offense will be more efficient in the red zone? Navy scored touchdowns on each of its opportunities, all coming in the first half. Notre Dame was two of three. Its final drive of the game ended with the clock expiring.
• Can Jonaz Walton gain over 100 yards? Walton had 51 but at least he was utilized enough to break a sweat. James was the star of today’s game. He exhibited an effective combination of speed and elusiveness against the overmatched Midshipmen.
• Which Irish reserves will impress with strong performances? Bettis was terrific and End Rodney Dunham continues to impress on defense.

It was a costly victory in that Bowen broke his ankle. He is probably done for the season. Brewu was hurt in the first quarter and the early reports are not encouraging. Wide receiver Micah Gilbert also limped off the field, although Bettis took advantage of his sudden opportunity. Other unknowns for next week include injured defenders Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Brauntae Johnson.

Bright spots included trouble-free snaps from center and a balanced attack. The running game had more variety and crisper execution. Carr connected on throws over the middle and there were no exasperating fade passes. As noted previously, however, a few of Carr’s throws were nearly intercepted. Most questions regarding this team’s resilience were answered satisfactorily.

On the bad side, a three and out series in the first half consisted of three incomplete passes. This gave the Denbrock haters an acute case of apoplexy. One obvious corollary on defense was the apparent lack of preparedness that took too long to correct. The anti-Ash contingent nearly broke the Internet during this stretch. None of this amounts to a hill of beans in the total scheme of things.

What does matter are the injuries that occurred today. They will impact next week’s showdown against the Miami Hurricanes. Bowen’s loss is significant and Brewu has been the team’s best defensive tackle. These losses and the status of other walking wounded is the team’s greatest concern. As a result, there is plenty of doubt for the Irish faithful to wrestle with this week. That wasn’t the plan but it is where we are right now.