Navy shredded the hapless and ill-prepared Notre Dame defense for 367 rushing yards and humiliated the Irish by 35-17 in the Meadowlands. Fullback Alexander Teich ripped off huge chunks of real estate on his way to 241 yards of total offense, and quarterback Ricky Dobbs accounted for four touchdowns. Notre Dame dropped to 4-4 on the season, and senior nose tackle Ian Williams suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury in the third quarter. The Irish offense was nearly as inept, as they committed two costly turnovers in possibly the worst overall performance by Notre Dame since December 1985.

The day began on an ominous note for the Irish, who took the opening kickoff inside the Navy ten yard line before turning the ball over on downs. Dayne Crist was stuffed on a fourth down sneak from two feet away, despite the fact that Notre Dame’s front line outweighed Navy by several tons. The Midshipmen took over and proceeded to march the length of the field in six plays. Teich led the way with a 54 yard burst on a dive play and converted a screen pass into an easy 31-yard touchdown.

Notre Dame could answer with only a David Ruffer field goal from 45 yards, and Navy went right back to work with a 77 yard scoring march for a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter. A deep pass off a reverse by the Midshipmen resulted in an interference call against Notre Dame during the drive. The ensuing thrust by the Irish appeared to stall in the red zone, but a well-executed third down pass to T.J. Jones and good second effort by the freshman receiver resulted in a 16-yard touchdown.

The final six minutes of the first half essentially decided the game. Trailing 14-10, Notre Dame finally stopped Navy at midfield and took over deep inside its own territory. Crist tried to use the remaining 2:37 to get into scoring position, but a poor third down throw over the middle was picked off by safety Devon Richardson at the Irish 30. The Middies patiently worked their way to the Notre Dame ten yard line and appeared to be willing to settle for a field goal, but Gee Gee Green took a pitch around left end and dove into the corner of the end zone from 11 yards out with 14 seconds remaining in the half.

Notre Dame could not recover from this loss of momentum. The 21-10 hole became seven points deeper when Navy took the second half kickoff and drove 77 yards in seven plays for a touchdown. Dobbs completed his second and final pass of the afternoon for 40 yards to set up the score. Meanwhile, Crist and the Irish still could not sustain anything on the ground or through the air. After throwing a near interception on the following possession, Crist’s horrific throw on the very next play fell into the hands of Navy’s Kwesi Mitchell.

Dobbs and Teich drove the dagger into the hearts of the Irish by leading another long scoring drive to establish an insurmountable 35-10 lead late in the third period. Notre Dame lost the services of Williams and linebacker Carlo Calabrese to leg injuries during this sequence, and neither player returned to the lineup. The remaining minutes were spent in mop-up mode. Freshman quarterback Tommy Rees led a late march against the Navy reserves that accounted for the game’s final points.

The lopsided result and the efficiency displayed by the Midshipmen underscored the poor preparation and inability to execute by Notre Dame.  The defense had no answer for the fullback dive and continually failed to carry out its assignments. The offensive line was unable to move its lighter Navy counterparts, and the running game went east to west instead of straight ahead. The result was a pitiful 108 yards on 29 carries. Even more worrisome was the performance by Crist, who appears lost more often than not these days. While the absence of Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph were certainly a factor, the Irish offense has regressed rather than improved since the season opener.

Let’s review the answers to the pregame questions to shed light on the outcome.

Will Navy be able to exert any pressure on Crist in the pocket? Yes, at least to some extent. Although Navy had only one sack, they disrupted the timing on several throws including the first interception.

Can the Irish convert on third down at a higher rate than their 38% season average? The Irish were 6 of 12, but their failure to sustain two first quarter drives was critical.

Will Notre Dame stop the inside runs by the fullback that set up the rest of their option offense? The Irish put Teich into the Heisman conversation.

Can Navy surprise the Irish with big plays from play-action or other assorted trickery? Navy was three for three in this category with two long completions and an interference penalty.

Will TJ Jones be a difference maker in his debut as the slot receiver for the injured Riddick? Jones was a bright spot for the Irish, but the offense was too impotent for it to matter.

Can the Irish run downhill in the second half against the smaller Midshipmen? There certainly is no doubt that Notre Dame’s ground game has gone downhill.

Which team will be hurt by turnovers? Navy had none while the two Irish interceptions hurt badly.

Will Notre Dame’s special teams provide an advantage? The Irish kickoff return team had plenty of chances, but it was as inept as the rest of the team.

The loss ended Notre Dame’s three game winning streak in October, while the loss of Williams is cause for concern on the defense going forward. The depths to which the once-proud program has fallen is underscored by the fact that the Irish were never really in this game, both emotionally and on the scoreboard. Coach Brian Kelly has his work cut out for him if he is to salvage something positive from this season, especially now that his Irish legacy has been stained by a loss to Navy that was anything but a fluke.