For the 99th time, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1) will take on the Navy Midshipmen (2-5) in one of college football's most historic rivalries. This isn't a rivalry built on hatred or one that will likely ever bring about playoff implications. The rivalry between the Irish and the Midshipmen is about respect. It's one that Notre Dame has dominated 84-13-1 with Navy's last victory coming in 2016, but this game means much more than wins and losses. If you're a Notre Dame fan, you understand what this game means and it's more than just about who which teams wins when the clocks hit double zeros.  

Location: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.) 
Date: Saturday - October 31
Time: 12:00 PM ET
TV: ABC 
Line: Notre Dame -30.5; O/U 54.5

Let's kick off our preview of this matchup with an overview look at the Navy Midshipmen

Record at Navy: 28-17 (4th season) 

This isn't the season Navy head coach Brian Newberry expected to have heading into his fourth season at the helm. Newberry and the Midshipmen put up back to back double-digit winning seasons ending 2024 with a 10-3 record and going 11-2 in 2025. Unfortunately, key losses like quarterback Blake Horvath, slot back Eli Heidenreich and full back Alex Tecza on offense and defensive players like Landon Robinson proved to be a bigger hurdle than what some may have anticipated. 

It's still an experienced roster with a veteran offensive line and playmakers on offense, but their pass defense took a major hit and is shades of what it was a season ago. Navy has yet to beat a team with a winning record and are 0-5 against teams .500 or better. As of now, they're fighting for bowl-eligibility, and their backs are against the wall but have opportunities in November to rattle off some much-needed wins. Newberry is still one of the better coaches at the G5 level, but this season is definitely disappointing. 

Offensive Coordinator: Drew Cronic (3rd season)
Defensive Coordinator: Eric Lewis (1st season)

Rushing: QB Jackson Gutierrez - 150 att., 869 yards, 5.8 YPC, 12 TD; SB Michael Barrow - 81 att., 442 yards, 5.5 YPC, 1 TD; QB Braxton Woodson - 49 att., 384 yards, 7.8 YPC, 5 TD; RB Vic Listori - 42 att., 228 yards, 5.4 YPC, 2 TD; SB Charles Robinson - 11 att., 72 yards, 6.5 YPC, 1 TD

Passing: QB Jackson Gutierrez - 32-64, 50.0%, 692 yards, 10.8 YPA, 7 TD, 1 INT, 173.6 Rating; QB Braxton Woodson - 9-23; 144 yards, 39.1%, 6.3 YPA, 1 INT, 83.4 Rating

Receiving: TE Jordan Collins - 6 rec., 212 yards, 35.3 YPC, 3 TD; WR Truman Brasfield - 4 rec., 174 yards, 43.5 YPC, 2 TD; SB Charles Robinson - 10 rec., 85 yards, 8.5 YPC, 1 TD; WR Luke Hutchison - 4 rec., 75 yards, 18.8 YPC; RB Vic Listori - 4 rec., 72 yards, 18.0 YPC

Tackles: LB Coleman Cauley - 58; LB MarcAnthony Parker - 49; S Giuseppe Sessi - 42; DE Aiden Lyczek - 36; S Aaron Rose - 25; DT Griffen Willis - 25; CB Cam Robinson - 23; CB Phillip Hamilton - 20; LB Will Miller - 20; CB Irabonoise Oniha - 18

Tackles For Loss: DE Aiden Lyczek - 8.0; LB MarcAnthony Parker - 6.0; LB Nolan McCamy - 4.0; DT Griffen Willis - 3.0; LB Coleman Cauley - 2.5

Interceptions: CB Irabonoise Oniha - 1; S Giuseppe Sessi - 1; S Matthew Seliga - 1; CB Phillip Hamilton - 1

After going a combined 21-5 the last two seasons, Navy is staring down the barrel at not being bowl-eligible for the first time since 2023, Newberry's first year at the helm. Navy has the opportunity to pick up some wins down the stretch to get them to their 6th win. Obviously they play Notre Dame Saturday afternoon which will be tough sledding for a reeling Midshipmen team. But with matchups coming down the road against 2-5 Temple and 1-6 Charlotte, they'll be an couple of upsets over Memphis or Army away from becoming bowl eligible. 

They've been close and extremely competitive in all of their losses. They lost to Tulsa by eight, UTSA by eight and North Texas by 10 in a game where they scored 39 points, but their defense got demolished. If Navy can come back from a 2-5 record, and likely 2-6 entering November, it will be one heck of a turnaround by Newberry and his staff. 

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