Notre Dame Football Opponent Preview: Navy Midshipmen Defense
By Andrew Hall
The Navy Midshipmen are currently yielding 15 points per contest in 2015
The Notre Dame football team faces its longest standing rival in the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Irish are coming off its worst Offensive output of the 2015 season. DeShone Kizer, C.J. Prosise, Will Fuller and the rest of the Irish Offense only managed 22 points against a stout Clemson defense. Notre Dame looks to get back on track against the Midshipmen.
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Defensive Line
The Midshipmen are led by Senior Defensive End Will Anthony. Anthony was named the NAAA Rolls-Royce Athlete of the Week for his efforts against the Air Force Academy. He collected 8 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against the Falcons. Anthony has been extremely consistent for the Middies. He has tallied 23 tackles for the year. Like all Navy players, Anthony is extremely undersized. He measures 6’1″ and weighs 245 lbs.
The 3-4 Defensive alignment is rounded out by Nose Guard Bernard Sarra and Defensive End Amos Mason. Sarra checks in at 6’1″ and 297 lbs. Mason lists at 6’1″ and 250 lbs. Sarra has collected 15 tackles while Mason has tallied 19 tackles.
As an undersized group, the Irish Offensive Line should be able to dominate the Middies up front.
Linebackers
Sophomore MIKE Micah Thomas leads the Linebackers and the entire team with 32 tackles. Thomas checks in at 6’1″, 249 lbs. That is rare size for a Navy player. He has the look of a legitimate Division 1 athlete. Notre Dame will need to make sure they get up to the second level and get a body on him each running play.
Josiah Powell or Mike Kelly play at the STRIKER spot. Powell has been more productive with 10 tackles on the season.
The SAM is #58 Daniel Gonzales. Gonzales is second on the team in tackles with 29 total tackles.
D.J. Palmore rounds out the Linebacker group. Palmore plays at the RAID Outside Linebacker position. He has tallied 7 tackles.
Defensive Backs
The Cornerbacks are Junior Brendon Clements and Senior Quincy Adams. Adams has tallied 19 tackles and 4 passes broken up. Clements has collected 14 tackles, 1 interception and 2 tackles for loss.
The Safeties are Daiquan Thomasson and Lorentez Barbour. Barbour is fourth on the team in tackles with 22 total stops. He has also broken up two passes on the season. Thomasson has been less productive. He only has 2 tackles in 3 games.
Overall
The Midshipmen are allowing 15 points per contest. Navy has played Colgate, East Carolina, UCONN and Air Force. They have yielded 10, 21, 18, 11 points in each game respectively. Notre Dame is definitely a step up in competition for the Midshipmen. The Irish rank 28th in scoring average with 37.2 points per game. East Carolina, UCONN and Air Force rank 55th, 126th and 46th in points per game.
Notre Dame needs to re-establish its ground game against Navy. The Midshipmen are allowing 147 yards per contest. The Irish are averaging 250 yards per game, which ranks as the 13th best total in the country.