Navy Midshipmen vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

Where: Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, IN

When: Saturday, November 16th at 2:30pm EST

How (TV): NBC

Navy Midshipmen (Away)

renewed focus.
1-0#NavyFB | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/lIXUTAzOzE

— Navy Football (@NavyFB) November 11, 2019

Head Coach: Ken Niumatalolo {All-Time: 94-59 | NAVY}

Regular Season Record: 7-1

After going through their worst season in recent memory last year, the Navy Midshipmen are back to being one of the best G5 programs in the FBS. The Midshipmen currently sit in a tie for first place in the AAC West Division with SMU, holding a 5-1 record in conference play. With a win over Notre Dame, Ken Niumatalolo’s squad can push themselves further towards a New Year’s Six bowl bid.

The Middies will travel to Notre Dame after enjoying a bye week during Veteran’s Day weekend, as well as a dominant win over UConn the week prior. Navy’s triple option attack put up over 400 yards on the ground in their 56-10 stomping of the Huskies, with senior quarterback Malcolm Perry the top rusher with a 108 yard performance that included two touchdowns. Perry also tossed a 58 touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Mychal Cooper. Sophomore fullback Jamale Carothers added three scores on eight carries, while Nelson Smith and Perry’s backup, Perry Olsen, also found the end zone.

The Navy defense took care of business against the lowly Connecticut offense, limiting the Huskies to 311 total yards and forcing three turnovers. Junior defensive end Jackson Perkins and freshman defensive back Chelen Garnes each intercepted UConn quarterback Jack Zergiotis, who also got strip sacked by Jacob Springer. Senior linebacker Tyler Pistorio recovered that fumble, while his fellow classmate Nizaire Cromartie added an additional sack.

No. 6️⃣

In our win over Duke, QB @Ian_Book12 moved into sixth all-time in program career TD passes with 44.#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/wCyMWhAFl1

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 10, 2019

Head Coach: Brian Kelly {All-Time: 120-59 | CMU, CIN, ND}

Regular Season Record: 7-2

Although the College Football Playoff is completely out of reach, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have not allowed that reality to completely derail them. With two straight wins over ACC schools following their loss to Michigan, the Irish seem determined to finish the regular season on a high note and find themselves in a respectable bowl game.

Notre Dame returns home after last week’s road trip to Durham, North Carolina, where the Irish had their way in a 38-7 win over Duke. Senior quarterback Ian Book hurt the Blue Devils with his arm and legs, throwing for four touchdowns while also running for a team high 139 yards. Book did throw two interceptions, however he was well protected by a line that surrendered just a single sack. Senior receiver Chris Finke came up with two of Book’s touchdown throws, while leading receiver Chase Claypool caught another as part of a 97 yard game.

Notre Dame’s defense managed to contain Duke quarterback Quentin Harris, limiting him to 102 passing yards and a single touchdown. Senior cornerback Troy Pride Jr. intercepted an errant throw from Harris, while fellow corner TaRiq Bracy scooped up a fumble forced by senior safety Alohi Gilman.

Navy vs Notre Dame All-Time Series

Given the talent disparity between the two schools, it should come to no surprise that Notre Dame holds a commanding 78-13-1 lead over Navy. Four of Navy’s wins have come this century, two of which have come in Notre Dame Stadium. The Middies’ last win over the Irish came in 2016, with former quarterback Will Worth scoring the go ahead touchdown in a 21-20 win against a Notre Dame team that went 4-8 that season.

Brian Kelly has yet to lose to Navy on his home field, which may explain why he has lasted so long in South Bend. His predecessor, Charlie Weis, was on the sidelines in 2009 when the Irish fell 23-21 to the Midshipmen, despite having future NFL players Golden Tate, Michael Floyd, Harrison Smith, and Manti Te’o. Weis would wind up getting fired after that season.

Navy Roster Notes

Freshman linebacker Tama Tuitele is listed as questionable with a leg injury

Notre Dame Roster Notes

Sophomore receiver Joe Wilkins is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury that kept him out against Duke.

Sophomore linebacker Jack Lamb is out for the season after tearing a muscle in his hip against Virginia Tech.

Senior defensive end Julian Okwara is out for the season after breaking his fibula against Virginia Tech.

Junior offensive tackle Robert Hainsey is out for potentially the rest of the season with a broken ankle suffered against Virginia Tech.

Senior offensive guard Tommy Kraemer is out for the rest of the regular season with an MCL sprain suffered in practice back on October 28th.

Junior receiver Michael Young is no longer with the team after entering the transfer portal in late October.

Although only a handful of teams in the FBS use the triple option offense, it can be a dangerous weapon against an unprepared defense. Notre Dame has surely had their scout team offense mimic the typical plays such an offense would run. Nonetheless, Notre Dame’s leading tackler, Asmar Bilal should expect to get into an on-field chess match with Navy’s quarterback, Malcolm Perry.

Malcolm Perry

Quarterback | 5-9, 190lb | Kenwood HS | Clarksville, TN | Senior

Running the triple option as a quarterback is a task requires quick decision making skills based on what the defense is giving them. Despite starting his career as a receiver, Malcolm Perry quickly got acclimated to running the show in Annapolis, having racked up over 3,000 rushing yards to rank fourth in the program’s history in that category. Perry is also capable of fooling defenses on occasion by throwing deep passes, connecting on five touchdown tosses so far this year. With his combination of smarts and speed, Navy is in good hands in their quest for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.

Asmar Bilal

Inside Linebacker | 6-2, 227lb | Ben Davis HS | Indianapolis, IN | Graduate Student

Despite arriving in South Bend as a four star recruit, Asmar Bilal took a long road towards becoming an everyday starter on Notre Dame’s defense. After redshirting his freshman season in 2015, Bilal spent the next two seasons as a reserve/special teams player before earning starts in 2018. He may not be high on NFL draft boards due to his lack of pro size and gaudy numbers, however he has made a habit of creating negative plays as a run stopper thanks to his quickness and underrated athleticism. With Bilal being the most experienced linebacker for the Irish, his presence will be needed to help corrale Navy’s option attack.

Navy at Notre Dame Best Bet and Odds

Find the latest odds for Navy vs Notre Dame below. The odds are provided by New Jersey sportsbooks bet365 NJ, DraftKings, and Caesars NJ.

Good luck! 

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