No. 8 Notre Dame Gets Ready For Navy’s Triple-Option Wizardry

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Sometimes you indispensable power gears to get to the decorativeness line. No. 8 Notre Dame volition request to bash that Saturday erstwhile it renews its rivalry with Navy.

A week aft holding disconnected North Carolina, the Fighting Irish (8-1, No. 10 CFP) big a Navy squad (2-6) that has provided its stock of scares.

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Just inquire No. 2 Cincinnati, which escaped Annapolis with a 27-20 triumph implicit manager Ken Niumatalolo’s crew. Yes, the aforesaid Bearcats who 3 weeks earlier ended Notre Dame’s 26-game location winning streak.

Coach Brian Kelly is 8-2 coaching against Navy, but preparing for its triple-option discourtesy is ever a hassle.

“We didn’t spot it past week and we won’t spot it adjacent week,” Kelly said. “So, you person to displacement gears; you’re not doing things you usually do. So, it’s truly getting retired of a comfortableness portion much than thing else. And that’s hard due to the fact that you’re truthful utilized to getting into routines. Navy gets you retired of that routine.”

Navy, which is 103-73 with 11 vessel appearances nether Niumatalolo, has struggled with injuries connected its violative enactment and successful the secondary. But the Midshipmen person shown up and competed, losing adjacent games against Houston and SMU, which are present some ranked. They rallied past week to triumph 20-17 astatine Tulsa.

“I’ve ne'er been astir a radical similar this that, successful spite of their record, they travel to enactment each week,” Niumatalolo said.

Navy didn’t implicit a walk aganst Tulsa — sophomore Tai Lavatai lone attempted 3 — but rushed for 302 yards down Carlinos Acie (3 carries, 80 yards) and Chance Warren (10-70), Lavatai (18-64) and fullback Isaac Ruoss (13-49). The Midshipmen had the shot for 37:18.

Niumatalolo knows his defense, led by linebackers Diego Fagot and Johnny Hodges, volition beryllium challenged by the Irish discourtesy led by Kyren Williams, who piled up a career-best 191 rushing yards and 261 wide against the Tar Heels.

“They’re good, a truly bully shot squad similar they ever are,” helium said. “In 2019, with 1 of our amended teams (7-1 and ranked No. 23) we went successful determination and they crushed america (52-20).”

MIDDIE IMPERSONATOR

Walk-on Chase Ketterer, a erstwhile enactment backmost astatine New Prairie High School 25 miles westbound of Notre Dame, tried to replicate Lavatai successful practices this week. Ketterer came to Kelly’s attraction successful 2019 erstwhile helium played against the coach’s son, Kenzel, a antiaircraft extremity astatine South Bend St. Joseph. Ketterer rushed for 2,496 yards and accounted for 43 touchdowns that season.

“It’s been a engaged week,” Ketterer said Tuesday. “Practice doesn’t commencement until 4. We were retired present astatine 3 o’clock doing walk-throughs and watching film. It’s decidedly been a engaged week.”

NAVY ON THEIR MINDS

Preparing for Navy is not a one-week thing. Kelly makes definite signifier clip is fixed to Navy during the outpouring and preseason, and the players besides enactment connected things during summertime workouts.

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“We recognize we won’t beryllium capable to replicate the velocity astatine which they tally the triple (option),” said linebacker JD Bertrand, Notre Dame’s starring tackler with 71.

“Playing Navy, you’ve conscionable got to bash your job,” added antiaircraft Jayson Ademilola, who has 32 tackles, 4.5 for losses. “It’s each 11 guys knowing what their duty is.”

But what astir the unexpected?

“There’s going to beryllium a treble pass, and there’s going to beryllium thing that we haven’t seen before, a formation,” said Kelly, who has kept a publication connected Navy since 2010. “There’s ever thing different.”

IRELAND IN 2023

The schools announced Thursday that they volition conscionable Aug. 26, 2023, successful Dublin astatine Aviva Stadium. The crippled volition beryllium broadcast by NBC.

Notre Dame and Navy had played each play since 1927 until the pandemic disrupted the docket past year. When Notre Dame chose to play an ACC-laden schedule, 1 of the stipulations was that lone nonconference crippled lone could beryllium played successful the authorities of an ACC team. Maryland is not one.

That meant the “longest uninterrupted intersectional rivalry successful assemblage football” — the Irish pb 79-13-1 — was interrupted for a season. The 2022 crippled volition beryllium played successful Baltimore and the bid is presently acceptable to tally done 2032.

“It’s a rivalry that goes way, mode back,” Navy elder cornerback Michael McMorris said. “It’s precise breathtaking due to the fact that it’s a large ambiance and it’s amusive going up against athletes similar that.”

STREAK-BREAKER

Niumatalolo was an adjunct caput manager erstwhile the Midshipmen ended Notre Dame’s agelong streak successful the bid with a 46-44 triple-overtime triumph successful South Bend successful 2007. As caput coach, Niumatalolo is 3-9 against the Irish with wins successful 2009, 2010, 2016. Notre Dame has won the past 3 matchups.

“If you don’t person immoderate belief, you person zero chance,” Niumatalolo said. “We’ve got to play arsenic good arsenic we tin play, and they person to assistance america a small bit.”

INJURY REPORT

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Navy escaped information Kevin Brennan is listed arsenic questionable due to the fact that of a enarthrosis wounded that has kept him sidelined for the past 3 games. He has worked intimately with freshman starter Rayuan Lane.