NOTRE DAME-NAVY
Time: 8 PM ET
Spread: ND -14.5
Total: 54.5
Betting odds courtesy of Bookmaker
No. 10 rated Notre Dame will take on another Independent school this week in Navy. The Fighting Irish have won six of seven this season, with the lone loss coming last week against No. 2 ranked Florida State. The Irish enter this game against a decent Midshipmen team as 14.5-point favorites according to college football oddsmakers at Bookmaker.
Notre Dame employs a pretty balanced offensive attack, best accented by the team’s 29th rank in passing yardage (285 per game). Last week against FSU, Notre Dame had more yards (470 to 323), but were hurt by two turnovers and two interceptions.
Everett Golson threw for 313 yards and three TDs, but did have the two INTs. Tarean Folston ran for 120 yards on 21 carries (5.9 yards per attempt) and Corey Robinson caught eight passes for 99 yards and two TDs. The loss still dropped the Irish from 5th to 10th in the rankings, and it is crucial to move up to make the tournament instated this season.
Golson has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards this season at a 61.9 percent clip and has a 143.4 passer rating. In addition, he’s rushed for 239 yards and a team-high four TDs. Robinson is the No. 2 receiver behind William Fuller. Fuller has 583 yards on 43 receptions to go with eight TDs on the year, including a 75 yard play. He’s just a sophomore so the Irish are all set at WR for a while with Robinson also in his sophomore season.
Golson is a senior and is in just his second season with major playing time. In 2012 he threw for 2,405 yards and a 131.0 rating, but this year he’s on pace to eclipse those figures by a good margin.
Again, the story for 4-4 Navy is run, run, run as fast as you can. The Midshipmen rank 2nd in the NCAA in rushing yardage (352.3 per game) but get just 91 yards in the air. The defense has been just good enough for Navy to outscore the likes of Temple, Texas State, VMI and San Jose State; but a predictable loss to then- No.5 Ohio State as well as losses to Rutgers, Western Kentucky and Air Force were all contests that Navy could have potentially won.
Either way, this showdown with Notre Dame is its first ranked game since Week 1. Last week, in the 41-31 victory over San Jose State, Keenan Reynolds threw for 56 yards but rushed for 251 and three TDs. Noah Copeland contributed nine attempts for 70 yards, including a TD rush.
