What To Look For When Notre Dame Takes On Navy

Notre Dame looks to kick off its 2023 season with a victory today when it takes on Navy. Ideally, the Fighting Irish are able to earn a dominant season opening win, but it won't be easy. Navy went just 4-8 last season, but the Irish beat them by only three points and Navy lost five games by a touchdown or less.

We should know early on if Notre Dame is ready to play at a high level and handle its business against the Midshipmen. Below is an overview of what I'll be looking for in this matchup to know if the Irish are ready to play at a high level and earn an impressive victory.

NOTRE DAME OFFENSE

1. Is the offensive line controlling action - Navy dominated the Irish ground game last season, and in the second half they sacked quarterback Drew Pyne five times. It wasn't an anomaly, as Navy was an outstanding run defense all season long, finishing in the Top 10 nationally in rushing yards allowed and rushing yards allowed per attempt last season. If Notre Dame is going to dominate this game it will need its line to play at a high level. That means being able to get the ground game going, at least enough to keep Navy honest, and it will have to protect quarterback Sam Hartman. If it can control the line of scrimmage and accomplish these two tasks the Irish offense should roll.

2. Will Sam Hartman and the wideouts gel quickly - Hartman and the Irish wideouts have had plenty of time to get on the same page throughout the spring, summer and now fall camp sessions. Doing so on game day is another thing. Hartman is proven, but his wide receivers are not. An early tell in this game will be if Hartman and his pass catchers are gelling quickly. That means him getting the ball where it's supposed to go and his wideouts making the plays they need to make. I'm not worried about them making grabs when open, but will they get open enough, and can they win the tougher, more contested throws, that is what I want to see.

3. How will Gerad Parker use all his weapons - Notre Dame has a lot of weapons on offense, bug they are largely unproven. We also don't know how Parker will use those weapons. If we see him moving guys around, mixing up his personnel groups and designing ways to get his skill players the ball in space the offense should thrive.

4. Where will the big plays come from - All of this leads to my constant focus lately on being a more big play offense. With Navy's issues defending the pass and the arrival of Hartman, we should see Notre Dame be able to rip off some big plays today. If they can't it won't necessarily be a bad sign for the future, because it's ultimately just one game and it's the season opener, but it would make winning this game the way they need to a little bit harder.

NOTRE DAME DEFENSE

1. Are the defensive tackles ready to dominate - If Notre Dame is going to stop the option there are several things they need to do, but the top of the list is the defensive tackles playing at a high level. Rylie Mills, Howard Cross III, Gabriel Rubio and Jason Onye need to play at a high level if Notre Dame is going to shut down the fullback and keep the quarterback runs to a minimum, which are absolutely top-level keys to shutting down the option. If the interior linemen are dominating early that will be a great sign for the Irish defense, and will make it very, very hard for Navy to move the football.

2. Is the linebacker play improved - Notre Dame's linebackers had a brutal performance against Navy a season ago, and that will need to change dramatically if the Irish are going to shut down the option offense. Getting JD Bertrand back after he missed last season's game should be a big help, but overall the group needs to play a lot better. That means being assignment correct, playing fast, getting off blocks, taking proper angles to the football and being sound tacklers. They should get plenty of opportunities to make plays on all three aspects of the triple option, and they need to play at a high level. If they do it would go a long way towards shutting down the option, but also tell us a little something about whether or not the linebackers are going to make the necessary improvements this season from a more big picture standpoint.

3. What game plan changes will we see - Notre Dame's game plan last year left them vulnerable against the fullback runs, which is why Daba Fofana went for 133 yards and ripped off runs of 50 and 36 yards. Defensive coordinator Al Golden will need a better all-around plan this year, one that does a better job controlling the middle of the line of scrimmage, one that takes the fullback out of the game and one that limits the big plays that proved so costly a season ago.

4. Will they tackle better - Notre Dame wasn't a great tackling team last season, and that was true against Navy as well. This one isn't hard and doesn't require much explanation. We'll know early if the Irish are better tacklers, which includes being in better position and taking better angles to the football.

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