The 19th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish
are slated to take on the Navy Midshipmen this weekend in the 83rd rivalry
game between the non-conference foes.
A win by Navy this weekend would send it to the Texas Bowl on December 31st
against a team from the Big 12 Conference. The Midshipmen have earned a bowl
bid in six consecutive seasons, so this year's success comes as no surprise.
Last weekend, Navy had a five-game winning streak halted with a 27-24 loss to
a red hot Temple squad.
As for Notre Dame, it has moved to 6-2 overall on the strength of back-to-back
victories. The most recent triumph came over a woeful Washington State team
last weekend by a 40-14 final. The only two losses suffered by the 6-2
Fighting Irish this season have come against Michigan by four points and USC
by seven points.
Notre Dame holds a commanding 71-10-1 advantage in the all-time series with
Navy, including a 27-21 triumph last season.
Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs has been tremendous this season, but the signal
caller has a knee injury that may limit him or even keep him out of action
against Notre Dame. The Midshipmen, who are scoring 29.4 ppg while gaining
351.4 total ypg, rely heavily on the quarterback to move the ball on the
ground and through the air.
Navy is vying for a record fifth-straight NCAA rushing title this season.
Prior to Midshipmen's current streak of four in a row, no other program had
ever won more than two straight rushing titles. Dobbs has rushed for 16
touchdowns, and he has completed half of his passes for 618 yards with three
touchdowns and two interceptions. Vince Murray continues to pace the Mids with
638 rushing yards.
In the loss to Temple last weekend, Navy had only 254 total yards, 227 of
which came via the ground attack. Dobbs was knocked out of action early on,
giving way to Kriss Proctor. The backup quarterback ran the ball 16 times, and
while he did score a touchdown, Proctor finished with a mere 52 yards. Murray
had 115 rushing yards in the clash, and while the Mids held the ball for over
35 minutes, they fell just a field goal short.
Opponents are scoring 21.4 ppg against Navy this season, and the team is
allowing 315.6 total ypg. The Midshipmen have been fairly solid against both
the run and the pass, although they certainly don't excel in either area of
the game. With just 11 sacks and 13 takeaways, it is clear that the defense
hasn't made many big plays. Ross Pospisil leads Navy in tackles with 65,
including 5.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. He has forced a fumble and recovered one as
well.
No one would have believed that Temple would outrush Navy last weekend, but
that is exactly what happened. The Midshipmen allowed the Owls to churn out
274 rushing yards on 34 attempts, an average of 8.1 yards per carry. Navy was
tremendous against the pass, allowing only 5-of-17 passes to hit their mark
for 37 yards. The Midshipmen recorded a pair of interceptions and even
recorded a fumble in the tilt, but a 100-yard kickoff return by the Owls
proved costly.
Like Navy, Notre Dame is also dealing with an injury to its standout
quarterback, but it appears that Jimmy Clausen will be able to play against
the Midshipmen despite a toe problem. He may even have star wideout Michael
Floyd back. Floyd hasn't played since week three when he broke his collarbone.
Notre Dame is scoring 31.2 ppg this season to go along with 457.6 total ypg,
numbers that will get the attention of even the nation's best defensive teams.
Clausen has completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 2,318 yards with 18
touchdowns and two interceptions, numbers that have garnered the signal caller
some Heisman hype. Golden Tate leads the receivers with 56 catches for 927
yards and nine touchdowns, picking up the slack in Floyd's absence. As for the
ground attack, Armando Allen has rushed for 514 yards and three scores, while
Robert Hughes has recorded four rushing touchdowns.
Opponents have been able to register 22.9 ppg against Notre Dame, which is
surrendering 384.0 total ypg. So while Clausen and the offense have been
strong, the defense has been solid at best. Opposing quarterbacks have been
able to gain 13.5 yards per pass completion against a Notre Dame secondary in
need of improvement. Against the run, the Fighting Irish are surrendering a
mediocre 4.0 yards per carry.
In the victory over Washington State last weekend, Notre Dame exploded for 592
total yards, including 255 rushing yards on 48 attempts. Hughes, playing for
an injured Allen, posted 131 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. As for
Clausen, he completed 22-of-27 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns against
zero interceptions. Tate only made four catches, but one was a miraculous 50-
yard touchdown at the end of the first half between three defenders.
"It was probably one of the most phenomenal catches I've seen anyone make,
ever," Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said.
The Notre Dame defense limited Washington State to 19 minutes of possession
time and 2-of-11 success on third down conversion attempts last week. The
Fighting Irish permitted a mere 206 total yards in the clash, including 104
passing yards with a pair of interceptions.
"It was a relief," Clausen said of the lopsided affair. "Close games all the
time - it kind of gets old."
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