Brian Kelly discusses challenges Navy poses in game prep

While playing Navy is a return to the familiar for Notre Dame in the bigger picture, it is quite the switch up for the Irish defense compared to what they have seen this season. 

Navy runs the triple-option offense, a near-obsolete offensive scheme in college football today. On Thursday, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly addressed playing the Midshipmen’s offense and how he his preparing his team for the abnormal.

“It’s so fundamentally sound, and you’ve gotta win one-on-one matchups,” Kelly said. “That’s the thing, you’re playing an offense that you don’t see the rest of the year. We didn’t see it last week, and we won’t see it next week.”

The triple-option is a run-heavy offense. Sometimes it even trends toward an all-run offense. Navy beat Tulsa last Friday without completing a pass. They threw four, completed zero, and ran for 302 yards on the way to a 20-17 victory. On the season, they are averaging 59 passing yards per game.

Carlinos Acie is Navy’s biggest threat. The 5-foot-9 fullback is averaging 7.8 yards per carry this season.

“You have to shift gears,” Kelly added. “You’re not doing things in your practice schedule that normally do, so it’s really getting out of a comfort zone more than anything else, and that’s difficult because you’re so used to getting into routines. Navy gets you out of that routine.”

On the topic of a different routine, Irish safety Kyle Hamilton has temporarily transitioned from the secondary to a coaching role after suffering an injury against USC. Notre Dame will be without the All-American for the second consecutive week, and their first full game without him was not pretty. Prior to the likely top-five draft pick’s injury, the Irish defense was allowing 5.2 yards per play, 6.6 yards per pass and 3.7 yards per rush. All of those numbers increased in his absence to 6.8 yards per play, 8.8 yards per pass and 5.0 yards per rush.

On the offensive side of the ball, Notre Dame will look to score early against the Midshipmen, as the option offense is not built for come-from-behind situations. It requires longer drives play-count wise, and it bleeds the clock. 

The Irish offense has come alive in recent weeks behind the best play of the year from both quarterback Jack Coan and running back Kyren Williams. The two were responsible for 440 of Notre Dame’s 523 yards and three touchdowns in last weekend’s 44-34 win over North Carolina. 

Notre Dame is a 21-point favorite for the NBC game. It kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET.