College Football Classic - Navy at Notre Dame from South Bend

Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Saturday, November 7th – Notre Dame Stadium – 2:30 PM ET
College Football Spread: Notre Dame -11, O/U: 55.5

Navy: The Week That Was  

The Navy Midshipmen have been known for winning almost every close game they play; in recent years, under former coach Paul Johnson and current coach Ken Niumatalolo, the boys from Annapolis have been a terrific fourth-quarter team. There’s a reason Navy has reached six straight bowl games, and stands one win away from number seven. 

Last week, however, that momentum was interrupted by Temple. The visiting Owls went into Navy Memorial Stadium and shocked the Mids, 27-24, as running back Bernard Pierce produced the game-winning score on a 41-yard dash with 2:41 left in the fourth quarter. Pierce destroyed a normally stout Navy defense, gouging the Mids for 267 yards on 29 carries. Coordinator Buddy Green has made Navy’s defense the backbone of the club, so after getting beaten up by a Mid-American Conference foe, the Mids will have to gear up for an even better Notre Dame offense.  

Notre Dame: The Week That Was  

A team doesn’t normally expect to have the equivalent of a walk-through against a power conference opponent, but when the foe is Pac-10 doormat Washington State, the exception proves the rule.

It’s hard to imagine a BCS team worse than the Cougars, who put up very little resistance when they played the Irish in San Antonio on Halloween. Notre Dame Fighting Irish scored the game’s first 23 points against Wazzu, and added a spectacular Hail Mary touchdown catch from stud receiver Golden Tate at the end of the first half. With no credible threat being posed by the Washington State offense, Notre Dame’s defense continued to dominate, enabling the Irish to cruise to a 40-7 lead and rest their starters in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame outgained WSU, 592 yards to just 206. Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen was a crisp 22-of-27 for 268 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. 

The Week That Is:  

Navy broke a 43-game losing streak to Notre Dame when the Midshipmen last visited South Bend in 2007. Last year, Notre Dame held a 27-7 lead on a neutral field in Baltimore, and had the ball inside the Navy 10 early in the fourth quarter. It appeared that the Irish were going to once again crush their longtime intersectional rival, reasserting their superiority in this traditional annual matchup. Yet, just when all seemed lost, the Midshipmen forced a red-zone turnover, scored twice, recovered two onside kicks, and had the ball in Irish territory on the final series of the game.

Navy couldn’t get that third touchdown, enabling Notre Dame to escape with a 27-21 win, but the contest showed that the Midshipmen just don’t go away. Notre Dame should win this game, especially since receiver Michael Floyd is back from an injury, but Navy’s starting quarterback, Ricky Dobbs, is also back in the lineup after missing a pair of games. The Irish will win, but Navy won’t make it easy. Notre Dame 37, Navy 27.  

Football Betting Pick: Navy +11