SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Marcus Freeman rejected the compliment.
Asked what made his Notre Dame debut as defensive coordinator against Navy different from Al Golden, Mike Elko or Clark Lea, the Irish head coach was having none of the praise. Yes, Freeman’s first defense at Notre Dame held Navy under 200 total yards in a 34-6 cruise back in 2021. Yes, it was an improvement from other Irish defensive coordinators in their first crack at the Midshipmen, which Chris Ash will get with Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. (ET) Saturday on NBC.
However, Freeman first faced Navy as a defensive coordinator while at Cincinnati.
It did not go well.
“So don’t let my first year at Notre Dame confuse you with my first time playing Navy. I think it was a rushing record in 2017. I didn’t have any answer,” Freeman said. “They just kept running the ball and just kept running the ball. And we couldn’t stop it.”
Navy rushed 72 times for 569 yards in that 42-32 win, scarring Freeman enough that he never forgot it. It’s why Notre Dame began preparing for Navy last spring, then worked on it during the summer, then doubled back on the game plan during the bye week. All in preparation for an opponent that’s a three-touchdown underdog and has lost seven straight in the series.
No. 10 Notre Dame (6-2) might be the bully against Navy (7-1) this weekend, but it’s going to leave itself open for a sucker punch. Ash has some Navy experience, even if it wasn’t perfect. As Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator, the Buckeyes gave up 370 yards rushing in a 34-17 victory with a defense good enough to win the national title.
Still, there’s enough of a respect for what Navy can do to Notre Dame that the Irish put in extra hours to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Navy has evolved into a more modern option under Brian Newberry, after the days of Ken Niumatalolo. But the scare for a defensive coordinator is just the same.
Here are three keys and one prediction for Notre Dame’s penultimate home game of the season.
How quickly can the defensive line get up to speed?
There’s a chance Notre Dame’s starting defensive line against Navy could return zero snaps from last season’s competent performance when the Irish held the Midshipmen to 222 yards rushing, with more than half of that coming from quarterback Blake Horvath. It’s not like the Irish shoved the option offense in a locker, but for the most part, it kept Navy in check when necessary.
The Irish have been without departed defensive tackles Rylie Mills and Howard Cross all season. Now, Gabriel Rubio is out long term with a serious elbow injury. And the Irish will be without Donovan Hinish, too, sidelined by a concussion in practice. The only experienced defensive lineman off last year’s roster is Josh Burnham, who’s coming off his best game of the season at Boston College.
“The hardest thing, I especially tell those young guys, your first time around it’s going to be so much faster than what you can imagine,” Burnham said. “I mean, this is what they do, day in and day out. Having those past couple years has definitely helped slow it down and made things easier.”
It’s not that Freeman is baking an early Navy touchdown drive into the game plan, but he’s preemptively preaching calm if it happens. Navy’s first two drives last season ended in unforced fumbles. The Midshipmen didn’t score at all until deep in the fourth quarter two years ago. Navy did score touchdowns on two of its first three drives in Freeman’s debut season as head coach.
The key for the defensive line may be less about a fast start than adapting quickly.
“It’ll take them, the first time guys, just a little bit of time,” Freeman said. “And we can’t take too much time, right, to adjust to the speed. But we gotta just make sure that we remember, ‘Hey, where’s my eyes? Where’s my alignment? Where’s my technique?’ ”
Can the Irish make a kick?
The only certainty for Notre Dame when it lines up for an extra point on Saturday night is that freshman kicker Erik Schmidt will attempt it. Everything else? Not even Freeman knows, as the Irish look to repair their broken kicking game with the season already hurtling toward a conclusion.
North Carolina transfer Noah Burnette remains sidelined by a hip injury that’s dogged him most of the season, although he’s the only kicker to make a field goal this fall. Schmidt has missed both his attempts, including last weekend at Boston College, when he pushed a 35-yarder wide right to close the first half. Marcello Diomede, who badly missed an extra point against the Eagles, was the only other option.
“We’re going to go with Erik Schmidt, and a lot of things went into those decisions,” Freeman said. “How we feel about the health of Noah and what’s best for the team. And I think at the end of the day, that’s what’s the ultimate decision-maker, what is best for the team.”
Notre Dame didn’t change much in its practice routine for its kickers after last weekend’s debacle. However, Freeman said the staff leaned on sports psychology director Joey Ramaeker to help the specialists handle the pressure of their jobs. Freeman has admitted the kickers are struggling as much under the helmet as with their plant foot and follow-through. It’s created a dynamic where it’s hard to trust any kicker to turn it on during the game, no matter how good they look in practice.
“There’s added pressure, and it’s easy to say, ‘Don’t feel the pressure. Don’t worry about the pressure.’ Like I would tell them, ‘Who cares?’ It’s easy to say, but that’s really hard to do,” Freeman said. “And we have to continue to equip them with tools that help them in that moment.”
Notre Dame is just 5 of 8 on field goals for the season and has only attempted one longer than 40 yards, which was a 48-yarder Burnette hit against NC State. The Irish are 34 of 38 on extra points, worst among Power 4 programs and No. 134 nationally. The four missed extra points are more than the Irish have missed in the previous six seasons combined.
Will Navy follow the Boston College blueprint?
Boston College made it clear which poison it would pick against Notre Dame, crowding the box early and leaving plenty of open field for the Irish wide receivers to cover. The results were predictable, CJ Carr hitting pass plays of at least 40 yards to each of his leading receivers.
The difficulty of those throws was low, as Notre Dame protected its quarterback in the pocket, yielding a high return on investment. Carr hit Malachi Fields for a 40-yard touchdown, found Will Pauling for a 44-yard score and connected with Jordan Faison for a 46-yard gain. There was a 30-yard completion to Eli Raridon thrown in for good measure. Carr was barely pressured on all the throws.
The question is whether Navy will roll the dice in coverage by stacking the box against Jeremiyah Love or if it will take a more balanced approach and hope Notre Dame reacts in time.
The Irish rank eighth nationally in 20-yard gains this season with 53 explosive plays. That’s 12 short of last season’s total, but in half the games played.
“I mean, you learn quickly in the first two series; they weren’t going to try to let you run the ball,” Freeman said. “It was zero coverage or cover one with a low hole guy. There was one option. (We) were going to have to throw it over top, and that’s what CJ was able to.”
This will be a cat-and-mouse game the rest of the season, one Notre Dame is willing to play. Either crowd the line of scrimmage and let Carr take his shots or play back like USC and roll the dice with Love and Jadarian Price.
Navy tried to sit back against Notre Dame last season as Riley Leonard finished with just three passes longer than 25 yards. However, the Irish offense has evolved since. It’s on Carr to figure out how to take full advantage of that.
Prediction
The Navy series exists in a vacuum — a matchup so unique that it rarely affects the rest of the season. Unless Notre Dame loses, which shouldn’t be a concern this weekend. Navy arrives with similar mojo to last year, suitable for the American Athletic Conference but not a serious contender to punch above its weight. Notre Dame hammered Navy at MetLife Stadium as the Midshipmen turned the ball over six times. It’s hard to see Navy doing that again. It’s also difficult to see the Midshipmen keeping up with the Irish offense, even if the option catches Notre Dame in spots.
Notre Dame 42, Navy 21
