Notre Dame has won 6 games in a row after the disappointing 0-2 start but needs to keep winning – and look good doing so – in order to bolster its CFP resume. Next up for the Fighting Irish is a matchup with long-time rival Navy, who enters Notre Dame Stadium with a 7-1 record and despite last weekend’s loss to North Texas, still in control of its own destiny for a CFP berth.
SERIES HISTORY
Notre Dame and Navy have met 97 times on the gridiron, making Navy the most frequent Fighting Irish opponent in the university’s storied football history. These two teams met every year on the field from 1927-2019, with the 2020 game that was scheduled for Dublin, Ireland canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Fighting Irish have dominated the series, holding an 83-13-1 advantage. The longest winning streak that Navy has ever had in the series is 2 games (on 4 separate occasions), and the best overall stretch for Navy was when the Midshipmen won 5 of 8 against Notre Dame between 1956-1963. On the other hand, Notre Dame famously won 43 games in a row from 1964-2006, the longest consecutive wins streak by one team over another in college football history.
Notre Dame went 9-2 against Navy during the Brian Kelly era, falling in 2010 and 2016, and Marcus Freeman has picked up right where Kelly left off. Freeman was the defensive coordinator for the 2021 matchup in which the Fighting Irish held Navy to just 6 points and has won all 3 games against the Midshipmen as head coach.
On the other sideline, Navy head coach Brian Newberry has not defeated the Fighting Irish since taking over for Ken Niumatalolo, but he has restored the shine to a proud Navy program. The Midshipmen went just 11-23 in Niumatalolo’s last 3 seasons, but under Newberry, Navy is 22-11, including 17-4 in the past 2 years.
SERIES RESULTS SINCE 2000
2024 – Notre Dame 51, Navy 14
2023 – Notre Dame 42, Navy 3
2022 – Notre Dame 35, Navy 32
2021 – Notre Dame 34, Navy 6
2019 – Notre Dame 52, Navy 20
2018 – Notre Dame 44, Navy 22
2017 – Notre Dame 24, Navy 17
2016 – Navy 28, Notre Dame 27
2015 – Notre Dame 41, Navy 24
2014 – Notre Dame 49, Navy 39
2013 – Notre Dame 38, Navy 34
2012 – Notre Dame 50, Navy 10
2011 – Notre Dame 56, Navy 14
2010 – Navy 35, Notre Dame 17
2009 – Navy 23, Notre Dame 21
2008 – Notre Dame 27, Navy 21
2007 – Navy 46, Notre Dame 44
2006 – Notre Dame 38, Navy 14
2005 – Notre Dame 42, Navy 21
2004 – Notre Dame 27, Navy 9
2003 – Notre Dame 27, Navy 24
2002 – Notre Dame 30, Navy 23
2001 – Notre Dame 34, Navy 16
2000 – Notre Dame 45, Navy 14
NOTABLE GAMES
2024 – Notre Dame 51, Navy 14
In a rare ranked matchup between these rivals, Notre Dame exploded for a 51-14 win behind a swarming defense that forced 6 Midshipmen turnovers. Navy had entered the matchup ranked second in the nation in turnover margin, but the Midshipmen fumbled on their first 2 drives, allowing Notre Dame to race out to a 14-0 lead which they would push to 31-7 by halftime. QB Riley Leonard was efficient, accounting for 261 total yards and 3 touchdowns while RB Jeremiyah Love raced for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns, pacing a Fighting Irish rushing attack that rolled up 265 yards on the ground, actually outgaining Navy. In addition to forcing turnovers, the Notre Dame defense did a good job of limiting star Navy QB Blake Horvath. Though Horvath had runs of 60 and 47 yards, his other 12 carries went for just 22 yards. The Irish defense also made Horvath a one-man show, holding WB Eli Heidenreich and FB Alex Tecza to a combined 84 yards on 23 carries (3.7 YPC). The emphatic win over Navy launched the Fighting Irish back into the CFP picture.
2023 – Notre Dame 42, Navy 3
The Fighting Irish got off to a fast start in Marcus Freeman’s second season by dominating Navy in the season opener in Dublin, Ireland. Notre Dame took the opening drive 81 yards on 13 plays, setting the tone for the entire day. The only drives the Fighting Irish did not score on were when they missed a 42-yard field goal and ran out the clock at the end of the game. Transfer QB Sam Hartman was brilliant in his Notre Dame debut, completing 19 of 23 passes for 251 yards and 4 touchdowns, RB Audric Estime paced an Irish rushing attack with 95 yards and a score, and true freshman WR Jaden Greathouse caught the first 2 touchdowns of his Notre Dame career. The Irish defense got in on the action as well, holding the Midshipmen to just 126 yards rushing on 48 carries (2.6 YPC) and only a Navy field goal with 3:33 remaining prevented the shutout. Notre Dame would start 4-0 before a heartbreaking loss to Ohio State resulted in an ultimately disappointing 10-3 season.
2022 – Notre Dame 35, Navy 32
An inconsistent performance in Baltimore almost doomed Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish followed up arguably their best half of the 2022 season with definitely their worst half of the season. Notre Dame took a commanding 35-12 lead into the locker room behind 4 passing touchdowns and a rushing score from QB Drew Pyne, but Navy stormed back with 19 unanswered points in the second half to push the Irish to the brink. Midshipmen backup QB Maasai Maynor led Navy on an 11-play, 88-yard drive to cut the deficit to 35-32 with 1:21 remaining, but Notre Dame recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock to seal the victory. After rolling up 333 total yards in the first half, Navy used various pressure looks to hold Notre Dame to just 2 total yards in the second half, buying their offense time to get things going. The victory over Navy was Notre Dame’s fourth straight following the 16-14 loss to Stanford, and Notre Dame would defeat rival Boston College 44-0 the following week before falling to USC in the season finale.
2021 – Notre Dame 34, Navy 6
Notre Dame got off to a sloppy start and did not take the lead until 2:46 remained in the first half on a rushing touchdown from Kyren Williams, but a 70-yard touchdown pass from Jack Coan to Kevin Austin with 50 seconds left in the first half pushed the margin to 17-3. Still, Notre Dame was shut out in the third quarter and with the score standing uncomfortably close at 17-6, the Irish leaned on defense and the rushing attack to close out the Midshipmen. A safety, another Williams touchdown run, and an 8-yard plunge from Logan Diggs resulted in a 34-6 Notre Dame win, moving the Irish to 8-1 on the year.
2019 – Notre Dame 52, Navy 20
Navy entered the 2019 matchup against an up-and-down Notre Dame team ranked 23rd in the country and led by dynamic QB Malcolm Perry. Unfortunately for the Midshipmen, they had no answer for the pressure that the Notre Dame defense brought, nor could they stop the connection between Ian Book and Chase Claypool. Book threw 5 touchdown passes, with 4 of them going to Claypool, tying the school record. On defense, Notre Dame forced 4 Navy turnovers, including fumbles on the first 2 drives, a big reason why Notre Dame went into halftime with a 38-3 lead and cruised to a 52-20 victory. Navy was the only ranked team Notre Dame beat in 2019, and despite a 10-2 regular season record, the Irish were sent to the Camping World Bowl where they defeated Iowa State 33-9.
2018 – Notre Dame 44, Navy 22
Notre Dame moved to 8-0 with a 44-22 victory over Navy behind 330 passing yards and 2 touchdowns from Ian Book and 142 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns from Dexter Williams. After Miles Boykin fumbled on Notre Dame’s first offensive snap, little went wrong on offense the rest of the way, as the Irish scored on 7 of the next 9 drives. Notre Dame led 27-0 at halftime and though Navy closed the gap to 30-14 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter due to some sloppy tackling, the outcome was never in doubt. Notre Dame would finish the regular season undefeated but fall to Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
2016 – Navy 28, Notre Dame 27
Notre Dame dropped to 3-6 in the forgettable 2016 season with a 28-27 loss to Navy in Jacksonville. The Fighting Irish somehow managed to lose a game in which they scored on 5 of 6 drives, due in large part to the inability of the defense to tackle and get off the field. After Justin Yoon kicked a 31-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 28-27 with 7:28 left, Notre Dame never got the ball back, as Navy ran 14 plays on the ensuing drive to run out the clock. For the game, the Midshipmen were 8-13 on third down and 4-5 on fourth down and on the final drive alone converted all 5 third and fourth down attempts.
2012 – Notre Dame 50, Navy 10
The Fighting Irish kicked off the magical 2012 season in Dublin, Ireland with a 50-10 thrashing of Navy behind 293 rushing yards. Theo Riddick ran for 107 yards and 2 touchdowns while George Atkinson III added 99 yards on the ground and 2 scores. Notre Dame also showcased the dominant defense which would carry them to so much success throughout the season, as Stephon Tuitt returned a fumble 77 yards for a touchdown and Manti Te’o snared the first of his 7 interceptions on the season.
2010 – Navy 35, Notre Dame 17
Notre Dame dropped to 4-4 in Brian Kelly’s first season with a demoralizing 35-17 loss to Navy. The Midshipmen piled up 367 rushing yards, with 210 coming from Alexander Teich and another 90 from Ricky Dobbs, who also scored 3 touchdowns. Navy dominated the second and third quarters, turning what was a narrow 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter into a 35-10 cushion by the start of the fourth. The loss to Navy ushered in arguably the worst week in modern Notre Dame football history, as student videographer Declan Sullivan was tragically killed the following Wednesday when the scissor lift he was using to film practice tipped over in high winds. Then that Saturday, a grieving Notre Dame team lost 28-27 to Tulsa.
2007 – Navy 46, Notre Dame 44
The streak had to be broken at some point, and it came to an end with a 46-44 Navy victory over Notre Dame in triple overtime. Notre Dame fell to 1-8 in a forgettable season with the loss. With the game tied 28-28 and 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Charlie Weis opted to go for a fourth-and-8 conversion rather than attempting a 41-yard field goal. The Irish did not convert, sending the game to overtime. After the teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime and field goals in the second, Navy scored a touchdown and two-point conversion in the third overtime. Notre Dame answered with a touchdown but were stopped on the two-point try, giving Navy the victory and ending the longest all-time college football consecutive wins streak by one team over another.
1997 – Notre Dame 21, Navy 17
There were many close calls in Notre Dame’s 43-game winning streak over Navy (including last second field goals in 1984 and 2003), but the play that best epitomizes the streak was the final snap of the 1997 contest. With Notre Dame leading 21-17 with 3 seconds left and Navy holding the ball at their own 29-yard line, Navy’s Hail Mary pass was deflected into the air by the Notre Dame secondary and caught in stride by Navy receiver Pat McGrew. However, CB Allen Rossum caught McGrew and pushed him out of bounds at the 1-yard line, giving Notre Dame the win in Bob Davie’s first season.
1969 – Notre Dame 47, Navy 0
In a 47-0 rout at Notre Dame Stadium, the Irish offense piled up 720 total yards, which remains the school record. The Fighting Irish finished the season with an 8-2-1 record (the tie was against USC) and ranked 5th in the final AP poll.
1964 – Notre Dame 40, Navy 0
Notre Dame got off to a fast start in Ara Parseghian’s first season at the helm behind the right arm of the soon-to-be Heisman winner John Huarte. The Irish easily passed what was thought to be a tough test from the Staubach-led Navy team with a 40-0 victory over the Midshipmen in Philadelphia in a matchup that pitted the 1963 Heisman winner against the 1964 Heisman winner. Notre Dame finished the season 9-1, dropping the finale at USC in a game marked by questionable officiating. However, the 1964 season got the Irish program back on track, and Parseghian would capture his first national title in 1966.
1963 – Navy 35, Notre Dame 14
Roger Staubach quarterbacked arguably the greatest team in Navy football history to a 9-1 regular season record and #2 national ranking. One of the highlights of Staubach’s Heisman campaign was Navy’s 35-14 victory over a terrible Notre Dame team in South Bend. The Fighting Irish would finish the season 2-7, and head coach Hugh Devore (who himself admitted he was a stopgap hire), departed to make way for Ara Parseghian.
Story written by Andrew McDonough
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