Notre Dame vs. Navy game balls
The impressive 42-3 win over Navy Saturday in Dublin, Ireland, provided plenty of options to pass along game balls.
Here are the three most deserving.
QB Sam Hartman
The much-hyped and highly-anticipated debut of the Irish grad senior quarterback couldn’t have unfolded any better in the blowout win over Navy.
Hartman finished 19-of-23 passing for 251 yards, 4 touchdowns and no interceptions.
Hartman’s 4 TD passes tied a program record for scoring tosses in a debut for a Notre Dame quarterback (Jack Coan, 2021).
Hartman, a Wake Forest transfer, was especially efficient in the first half when Notre Dame took control of the game. He connected on 14-of-17 passes in first half for 200 yards with 2 touchdowns, along with a 14.3-yards per-completion average.
Hartman confidently led touchdown drives on each of his first five possessions of the game.
The team captain also shared the wealth, connecting with nine different receivers while recording an impressive 231.7 passer ratings.
WR Jaden Greathouse
The true freshman made a memorable debut in his first college game, collecting 3 catches for a team-best 68 yards with 2 touchdowns.
The 22.7-yards per catch average for Greathouse easily led all wide receivers in the game.
Wasting no time to make an immediate impact, Greathouse recorded a 35-yard touchdown catch early in the second quarter on his first-ever collegiate reception that gave Notre Dame a 21-0 lead, an advantage that was never threatened.
Greathouse later added a 20-yard scoring catch in the third quarter that gave Notre Dame a 35-0 lead.
Fighting Irish Defense
A disciplined and complete approach to defense that kept Navy off balance from start to finish earned a collective game ball for this unit.
Grad senior linebacker Jack Kiser led the team with 8 tackles in a collective effort that 16 different Irish recorded multiple stops.
Notre Dame held Navy to only 3-of-6 passing for 43 yards, and 126 rushing yards on 48 carries for a 2.6 per-carry average.
Navy’s rushing output was 115 yards fewer than its average from last season.
The Irish finished with only 2 sacks and 5 tackles for loss in the game. But its disciplined defense did all it needed to dominate this game.
