Notre Dame football score predictions: Fighting Irish vs. Navy staff picks

No. 12 Notre Dame (6-1) and No. 24 Navy (6-0) get together to renew their rivalry at MetLife Stadium this afternoon in one of college football’s most intriguing matchups of the week. Here is who five Blue & Gold staff members are picking.

Tyler Horka: Notre Dame 35, Navy 21

If there was ever a year for Navy to get a rare win over Notre Dame, this would be it. The Midshipmen’s option offense is rolling at the rate it was during the height of the Ken Niumatalolo era. He beat the Irish twice in a row after the Irish had previously won 44 of 45 games in the rivalry series.

This is Brian Newberry, though, not Niumatalolo, and this is an Irish defense that is as equipped to slow down what Navy does offensively as any. It’s tough to totally stymie Navy when it is at its best. That’s why I have the Mids putting a few scores on the board. But this is also an Irish offense that is getting better as the season goes along, and that’ll be the different. Navy is not set up to stop Notre Dame’s potent rushing game and improving pass attack.

Give me Notre Dame by two touchdowns.

Kyle Kelly: Notre Dame 31, Navy 20

Regardless of its record, Navy has been known to play the Irish tough. Then, you factor in that this Midshipmen team is much better than the one Notre Dame took down 42-3 last season in Ireland in Week 0 — this game has all the makings of one that has Irish fans sweating much harder than they would have expected before the start of the season. Look for Notre Dame to pull away with a late-fourth-quarter touchdown and a field goal for good measure.

Jack Soble: Notre Dame 42, Navy 26

This one is tough to project, because there are so many unknowns involved. At the top of the list: How will Notre Dame’s increasingly young defense deal with Navy’s triple option?

The Midshipmen can score on anyone, and they should do that enough to give the Irish a scare. But ultimately, Notre Dame’s offense has come too far to lose this one.

Todd D. Burlage: Notre Dame 32, Navy 21

Ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since the final poll of the 2019 season when Navy finished 11-2 and placed No. 20, the No. 24 Midshipmen have started 6-0 for the first time since 1979. Not surprisingly, Navy used its rugged triple-option running game under second-year head coach Brian Newberry during the great start to the season.

The Midshipmen are ranked fourth nationally in both rushing offense (274.8 yards per game) and scoring offense (44.8 points per game). Also of note, the Midshipmen were tied for first in red zone offense, scoring on each of their 23 attempts. They also were fourth in red zone defense, holding opponents to just 2 scores on 19 trips inside their own 20-yard line, including only 8 touchdowns. A formidable opponent, for sure, but Notre Dame’s talent takes over and leads the Irish to their seventh straight victory in this longstanding rivalry.

Steve Downey: Notre Dame 41, Navy 34

The last time Notre Dame and Navy squared off at MetLife Stadium it resulted in a 35-17 win for the Midshipmen in 2010. That seems like forever ago, though, because the Fighting Irish have won 11 of the last 12 meetings, seven of which featured a margin of victory between 17 and 42 points.

Playing Navy and its triple-option attack is never fun, but it could be even more of a chore than normal because the Midshipmen appear to have their best quarterback since Keenan Reynolds — who finished his college career with an NCAA Division I-record 88 career touchdowns and FBS-record 4,559 rushing yards by a quarterback — left Annapolis in 2015. Junior Blake Horvath has been a revelation for Navy, both running and throwing. During the Midshipmen’s 6-0 start, he compiled 1,509 yards of total offense and 20 total touchdowns.

The Irish will need to score points to win this game, but they should be able to do so behind steadily improving quarterback Riley Leonard against a Navy defense that was yielding 398.7 yards per game. Notre Dame has scored at least 34 points in 10 of their last 12 meetings with the Mids and will do so again this year to earn a shootout victory.