What they’re saying about Notre Dame’s 51-14 victory vs. Navy
Notre Dame knocked off previously unbeaten Navy on Saturday afternoon inside MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. in blowout fashion, winning the contest 51-14. Irish quarterback Riley Leonard accounted for three touchdowns on the day.
In this article, we’ll take a look around at what the media is saying about the Fighting Irish’s triumph against the Midshipmen, including Blue & Gold’s Mike Singer and Tim Hyde giving their instant reaction to the game in a YouTube live show. You can watch the replay of the show in the video player below.
Tyler Horka, Blue & Gold: Why it’s way past time to truly appreciate Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard
Sorry, Colin Cowherd. And naysayers. Doubters. Detractors. Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard is a backwards hat guy. And you’re just going to have to deal with it.
Sometimes the senior shows up in one for pregame warmups. But the main reason we know he likes to spin the bill around his noggin is because he’s finished spinning footballs before the conclusion of 60-minute games multiple times this season. He throws a backwards hat on when he signals in calls from the Notre Dame sideline.
Leonard, with all of his deficiencies and flaws and whatever else folks like to lead on and on about, is accounting for roughly 237 total yards and between 2 and 3 touchdowns per game two-thirds of the way through his lone season as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback. He had 261 and 3 in the Irish’s 51-14 victory over Navy, right on cue.
As a result, Notre Dame is very much a topic of conversation in the College Football Playoff picture a week and a half before the inaugural CFP rankings of 2024 are released on Nov. 5, backwards hat and all. Notre Dame does not have a game between now and then. Just as he did a month ago, Leonard has earned himself the right to play some golf, weather-permitting this time of year in South Bend, or catch a bass or two soaking up some serenity at the lake during the Irish’s bye week.
Jack Soble, Blue & Gold: Five thoughts—With full-strength Jordan Faison, Notre Dame receiving corps is dangerous
In the words of Joni Mitchell, sometimes you don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone. But in the case of Jordan Faison, Notre Dame fans might not have known what they lost until they got it back.
The sophomore wide receiver and two-sport star in men’s lacrosse was a factor in the passing game for the first time this season. He looked like his 2023 self after suffering two early-season ankle injuries, and the passing attack felt much more potent as a result.
Faison caught 4 passes for 52 yards, and he would have had 5 for 75 had a phantom holding penalty not been called on junior right tackle Aamil Wagner. He looked quick, especially when he snapped off a post-corner route for 26 yards in the late-second quarter.
He did have one drop, but senior quarterback Riley Leonard went right back to him and trusted his ordinarily reliable hands.
“I really trust so many of them at this point,” Leonard said. “Half the time, [I don’t] even half to look out there and know who’s out there, who’s running around. I know they’re gonna be there and I know they’re gonna be on time.”
Faison adds speed and quickness all over the field. It’s a much-needed component to a top four that includes an athletic boundary target (senior Beaux Collins), a slot specialist (sophomore Jaden Greathouse) and a slant/post/dig specialist (graduate student Kris Mitchell).
If Faison stays healthy down the stretch, it makes Notre Dame significantly more dangerous through the air. Here are four more thoughts on Saturday’s 51-14 Irish win.
Heather Dinich, ESPN: Notre Dame Fighting Irish dominate Navy Midshipmen in N.J.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said he occasionally shows his players clips of their embarrassing Sept. 7 home loss to Northern Illinois — a motivational tactic that appears to be working.
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The Irish have now won six straight games, the longest streak under Freeman, including Saturday’s 51-14 drubbing of Navy in MetLife Stadium.
“We can’t lose the pain,” Freeman said following another critical win that helped repair their hopes for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. “That’s what I want to make sure our guys understand. I don’t want to lose the pain from that game because at times we are motivated by fear. We don’t want this to repeat itself. We’ve got to use that.
“We’re going to be grateful for it if we utilize it and we learn from the lessons it’s taught us. When you have success sometimes, you forget about that pain of what NIU left in all of our hearts and our guts. There’s moments I want to reflect on that and I don’t want them to lose it.”
Pat Forde, Sports Illustrated: Notre Dame Takes Advantage of Navy’s Turnovers to Bolster College Football Playoff Résumé
Runs of unexpected bliss in college football can be built on many different dynamics, but the foundation is often the same thing: a sizable advantage in turnover margin. You want to have a Cinderella season? Take the football away many more times than you give it away. It’s the most direct path to victory.
That stat, born at the intersection of opportunity and preparedness, helps explain surprise undefeated starts for the Iowa State Cyclones (plus-nine turnover margin), Pittsburgh Panthers (plus-seven), Indiana Hoosiers (plus-eight) and BYU Cougars (plus-seven). And it certainly has come into play at the service academies—the Army Black Knights are plus-eight, and the Navy Midshipmen entered Saturday’s game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish a whopping plus-12, second-best in the nation.
The Midshipmen hadn’t turned over the ball since their first game, against Bucknell. Their creative, hybrid wing T/option offense was a thing of precise beauty—so many moving parts functioning without major malfunction. They clicked off 307 consecutive plays without a turnover from late in that season opener through last week, an extraordinary streak of fastidious football.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman
Opening statement from postgame press conference:
“We challenged the group. We had to play complementary football today. That was a point of emphasis. This team (Navy) was number two in the country in turnover margin. And I just told the guys, we were plus six in the turnover margin. That’s huge. That’s a straight reflection of complementary football.
“Proud of all three phases, a lot of good. I’m sure when I meet with you again, I’m gonna tell you about the improvements that we got to make. That’s the reality of people that aren’t satisfied. We want more. We want the best, but we’re going to enjoy today.
“Proud of the way they prepared, the way they played for the most part after halftime, how we came out with a sense of urgency to continue executing on all three phases and improve. So, it’s a big win for this program. We’ll enjoy it as we go in the bye week and get ready for the next one.”
