Notre Dame got back on track yesterday with a 35-13 win over Navy. It was the 99th meeting between the two teams and was the ninth straight Irish win over the Midshipmen. It was a struggle early in the game, but Notre Dame dominated the second half and pulled away with a convincing victory. There were a number of standouts on both sides of the ball, but there were a few players that stood above the rest.

Here are my picks as the top players for the Irish in this win.

James Stats: 9 carries, 107 yards, 11.9 YPC, 2 TD
Runners Up: QB CJ Carr, WR Jerome Bettis Jr., OL Sullivan Absher, OL Will Black

Nolan James Jr. continued his breakout sophomore season with his second 100-yard game of the season. He finished the game with 107 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries, and his two touchdowns covered 75 yards. James was efficient and explosive in the win over Navy, ripping off those big runs but also churning out tough yards in short-yardage situations. He was patient when he needed to be, got downhill quickly when the down-and-distance called for it and his ability to break tackles was in top form.

This performance continued what has been an outstanding stretch of games for the sophomore from New Jersey. In the last four games, James has rushed for 322 yards, averaged 7.3 yards per carry and has reached the end zone six times. He was a standout in this win, but James has been playing at a high level for some time.

Quarterback CJ Carr had a bounce back performance as well, completing 19-29 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns. At one point in the second half, Carr completed 10 straight passes as the Irish pulled away. Sophomore receiver Jerome Bettis Jr. had career highs with six catches, 78 yards and his first career touchdown. His effort and production gave the offense a boost in the second half.

Traore Stats: 6 tackles, 1 break up
Talich Stats: 10 tackles
Runners Up: DE Rodney Dunham, LB Jaylen Sneed, LB Jaiden Ausberry

The Irish defense had a rough day against Navy, but there were several standpoints in the victory. Defensive end Boubacar Traore had a solid bounce back performance after his early ejection against BYU. He tied his career high with six tackles and also had a pass break up, perfectly playing a quarterback throwback pass that Navy hoped would be a big play. He was solid on the edge against the Navy option attack.

If not for several uncharacteristic missed tackles in the first half, senior safety Luke Talich would have been the easy runaway winner for the top player in this game. Talich had a team-high 10 tackles and he flew downhill all game long. Navy tried to get outside of him several times but he shut them down, making a number of plays at the line of scrimmage. It was another highly productive performance from Talich, who is having a breakout season.

Linebackers Jaylen Sneed (6 tackles) and Jaiden Ausberry (8 tackles) had solid performances as well, especially in the second half. Freshman defensive end Rodney Dunham also had a strong first performance against the option, playing aggressive on the edge and playing surprisingly disciplined in the game. His effort on a backside counter play drew a hold, eliminating a long touchdown run.

Porath Stats: 5-5 extra points

There weren't many special teams opportunities in this game. Punter Jasper Scaife punted just once and Navy didn't attempt a single return in the kick or punt return game. Junior Spencer Porath wasn't given any field goal opportunities, but he was perfect on all five extra point attempts.

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