Notre Dame (6-2) is preparing to take on the visiting Navy Midshipmen (7-1) tomorrow night under the lights in South Bend. The Irish offense didn't look like a team prepared to take on Boston College in their last outing. Big plays allowed this unit to put 25 points on the board with a lot of inconsistencies in between. On the other side of the ball, the Navy defense has been disappointing. They rank No. 64 in the country in points per game allowed, No. 82 in the country in yards per game allowed and No. 113 in the country in passing yards allowed.
This is, once again, a 'get right' game for the Notre Dame offense against an inferior Navy defense. Last season, this unit put up 44 points of offense against this Midshipmen defense and will look to do the same tomorrow night. Here are the three biggest storylines, two key battles and a player to watch for Notre Dame's offense.
Three Biggest Storylines
1. Finish Drives - This has quickly worked it's way up in the rankings as a top tier concern for the Notre Dame offense. Mike Denbrock's offense couldn't finish drives against Boston College last weekend, an issue that has been brewing the last couple of weeks. They fumbled on the five-yard line, missed two extra points, one field goal, failed to convert on two fourth downs and went 3 for 10 on third down. This was the fourth game in a row the offense has left points on the field and this team is still winning by double-digits every week. This is the game to get that turned around; they will have to finish drives in the red zone with points.
2. Offensive Line Push In The Run Game - The offensive line has performed admirably in pass protection throughout this Notre Dame win streak. Unfortunately, their performance as run blockers have varied from week to week. Joe Rudolph's offensive line blocked their tails off against USC in the run game allowing the team to rush for over 300-yards, Love went for 228 rushing yards. This past weekend, Love rushed for 136 yards but 94 of those yards came on one carry. The interior of the offensive line got pushed around a bit by a smaller Boston College front. This week, they face Landon Robinson who is Navy's most productive player.
3. Rebound For Jadarian Price - As electric and impactful as Jadarian Price has been for Notre Dame this season, his turnovers in the red zone have become an issue. Price has fumbled the ball three times inside of the 10-yard line and has lost two of them. That issue reared it's ugly head again against Boston College stalling a promising scoring drive. Price is one of the best running backs in the country and is a huge factor in Notre Dame having the best running back room in the country, but his turnover issues need to be fixed. Two lost fumbles down in the red zone is two too many. This needs to be a bounce back wee for Price to help propel him forward for the remainder of the regular season.
Two Key Battles
1. Interior Offensive Line vs Landon Robinson - Robinson is Navy's most productive interior defensive lineman. He leads the team in sacks, tackles for a loss and total pressures. He's fourth on the team in total tackles for 42 and has 10 hits plus sacks on the quarterback this season. Notre Dame's interior offensive line is significantly younger in November than it was heading into October. Redshirt sophomore Joe Otting will be making his third career start while redshirt sophomore Sullivan Absher will be making his second career start. Right guard Guerby Lambert is the most experienced of the three and he's a redshirt freshman. All three guys will have their opportunity to matchup with Robinson and all three guys will have to win this matchup.
2. Malachi Fields vs Irabonoise Oniha - Navy's longest cornerback is Irabonoise Oniha and he'll likely be matched up with Malachi Fields in the boundary the majority of the night. Oniha is 6-1, 183-pounds and has yet to allow a receiving touchdown this season. He's been targeted 27 times and has only allowed 13 receptions. Oniha also leads the team in passes defended. Fields has yet to be utilized as a weapon in the red zone, something I hope changes in the immediate future, but Denbrock will have to get him more involved against Navy's best cornerback.
One Player To Watch: Center Joe Otting
Notre Dame's offensive line looks significantly different than the start of the season. Left guard and captain Billy Schrauth is out for the next few weeks nursing an MCL injury and center Ashton Craig suffered an unfortunate knee injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the 2025 season. Otting stepped into the starting lineup and played physical and sound against USC allowing Notre Dame's rushing attack to run wild on the Trojan's defense. This past Saturday, however, was a different story. The interior of the offensive line got pushed around by a smaller Boston College defensive front, Otting being one of those guys.
Which version of Otting will be see tomorrow night against the Midshipmen defense? Will it be the USC version or the Boston College version, in the run game specifically. He's performed well as a pass blocker in back to back games, but Notre Dame's rushing attack is one of the most explosive in the country. Otting will have to be at his best in the run game and will be matched up with Navy's best defensive lineman at times throughout the night.
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