C.J. Prosise ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns, while DeShone Kizer passed for 281 yards as Notre Dame handed Navy its first loss of the season by 41-24 on Saturday. The Midshipmen hung with the Irish throughout the first half, but a fumble on the second half kickoff led to a touchdown by Prosise and Notre Dame never looked back. Freshman Justin Yoon contributed two field goals and a perfect afternoon in the kicking department as Notre Dame moved to 5-1 on the season. The Irish defense tightened up after being gashed a few times before intermission by the Navy triple option.

The day started poorly for Notre Dame as a quick three and out by the offense was followed by a 51-yard romp by Keenan Reynolds on Navy’s first play. The Mids scored two plays later for a quick 7-0 lead. The Irish answered later in the quarter and appeared to take command in the second period when Jaylon Smith recovered a fumble at the Navy seven yard line. Prosise scored on the next play to make it 14-7. The situation continued to deteriorate for Navy when Reynolds was injured on the ensuing possession. Kizer then directed the Irish on an 84-yard march as Chris Brown caught a 29-yard pass and Kizer hit Will Fuller for a 30-yard touchdown after miraculously escaping pressure in the pocket.

Trailing 21-7, backup quarterback Tago Smith rallied the Midshipmen. His 22-yard run on a third down play set up a 45-yard scoring burst up the middle by reserve fullback Quentin Ezell to cut Notre Dame’s advantage to 21-14 with five minutes left in the half. Kizer then committed the lone Irish turnover of the day when he telegraphed a sideline pass that was intercepted by Brendon Clements in Notre Dame territory. Ezell again dashed off-tackle through the porous Irish defense for the tying score with only 24 seconds remaining.

While most viewers headed for the refrigerator, Kizer kept playing. His pass to Torii Hunter put Yoon in range for a 52-yard field goal attempt, and he drilled it as time ran out for a 24-21 halftime advantage. Prosise scored twice in the third quarter to extend the margin to 38-21, and Navy could manage to score on one of two field goal attempts in the second half despite Reynolds’ return to action. Yoon closed the scoring with a seconf three-pointer of his own, and the last ten minutes were void of drama. Elijah Shumate had a nice diving interception for Notre Dame just before the hosts ran out the clock.

Despite the early frustration on defense caused by blown assignments and missed tackles, the Irish recovered to play well in the second half and won the turnover battle by 3-1. Notre Dame dominated the statistics with 27 first downs to 16 for the Mids and 451 total yards to Navy’s 335, most of which were earned in the first half. Kizer was 22 of 30 for his 281 yards and one touchdown, while Reynolds and Smith were a combined three of six for 22 yards and an interception. Let’s review the pregame questions for additional insights.

Will Notre Dame be able to protect the football after a bad case of fumble-itis last week? Yes, as it was Navy which uncharacteristically gave up the football at very inopportune times.

Can Prosise break off runs of 10-20 yards? Definitely. Prosise smoked the Mids with a 22-yard scoring run and later dragged a group of tacklers into the end zone to complete an 11-yard touchdown rumble.

Will the Irish defense maintain discipline against the option as they did against Georgia Tech? Not at first, but the Notre Dame front seven took control in the second half.

Can Notre Dame’s secondary avoid getting burned by trickery or the long play-action pass? The Irish were solid on the back end, although Navy’s quarterbacks had little or no time to look downfield when they fell behind on the scoreboard.

Will the Irish special teams contribute to the cause in a meaningful way? Yoon’s clutch three pointer before halftime stopped Navy’s momentum, and his overall performance was a great sign for the team’s future.

Can the Notre Dame defense win the battle on first down? Navy gained more than five yards per attempt on first down on five of eight series to start the game, but finished only nine of 22 in this category by my count.

As Coach Brian Kelly stated before the game, the Irish have no margin for error going forward if they hope to have a playoff-worthy resume. Next week’s matchup with the disappointing but dangerous USC Trojans will be a severe test, and Notre Dame has plenty of motivation after being humiliated last season in the Coliseum. Fortunately, they appeared to escape the Midshipmen without losing additional players to serious injury, although linebacker Greer Martini did not return after being shaken up in the second half.