Victory Notre Dame: Irish 41, Navy 24

”Thank God,” Kelly said. ”I think we established something that I wanted to establish and that is a base way of playing the option teams. It’s something we can carry with us.”

Victory: Notre Dame. Things finally started to feel like they were getting back to normal for the Irish in the second half as they beat Navy, 41-24. After giving up over 200 yards rushing to Navy in the first half, Notre Dame buckled down and held Navy in check in the second half as the Midshipmen “only” ended the game with 318 yards rushing and 340 yards total.

Notre Dame’s defensive adjustments made all the difference in the second half as they pulled away from their 24-21 lead at halftime.

The Irish have had their fair share of struggles with Navy over the years and defending the tricky triple option, and as we watched things unfold in the first half, we wondered if it was all going to bite the Irish in the butt once again. Two big fullback runs for touchdowns had everyone reliving 2010 all over again.

But that was it for the Naval scare.

”Thank God,” Kelly said. ”I think we established something that I wanted to establish and that is a base way of playing the option teams. It’s something we can carry with us.”

Oct 10, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Navy Midshipmen quarterback Keenan Reynolds (19) is tackled by Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jaylon Smith (9) in the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

There was a bigger picture involved here when it was all said and done. Notre Dame lost an absolute heartbreaker last week to Clemson, and all the goals and all the hype for the 2015 season were suddenly put into a large bowl of uncertainty. Much of that uncertainty still exists, but a convincing win over a team they have had past problems with removes some of the doubt of whether the Irish can win out and make a playoff spot.

CJ Prosise continued his excellent play with 129 yards on the ground and 3 touchdowns and he added another 56 yards receiving. By land or by “air” Prosise attacked Navy all afternoon.

Notre Dame has plenty of opportunity in front of them- even if the schedule is looking more and more like a handheld dessert rather than the wild boar it was supposed to be at the start of the season. Regardless of “who” is next, Notre Dame must keep winning in ways like this.

Zero doubt in the fourth quarter. It’s all business. Next up… Southern Cal. We need more victory Notre Dame.