Notre Dame football pulls out an ugly win against Navy

Notre Dame football takes care of business against Navy by a score of 35-32 to improve to 7-3 on the season.

Outside of a couple of big plays given up in the first half, things couldn’t have gone much better for the Irish. Notre Dame scored 35 points and had their way with the Navy defense, while Drew Pyne looked as good as he has all year. Tommy Rees was also on point with the play-calling, putting Pyne in situations to succeed and make plays.

The second half, however, was a completely different story. Something was clearly missing, whether it was Pyne’s inability to find the open receiver or Tommy not calling enough plays that allowed Drew to get rid of the ball quickly. It looked like two completely different Notre Dame football squads out there this afternoon. Something has to give because against better competition, this stagnant of a second half will absolutely lose you the game.

Notre Dame football stars of the game

After a challenging couple of games against Syracuse and Clemson, Braden Lenzy had 5 catches for 67 yards and an absolutely incredible touchdown grab. With Pyne massively underthrowing Lenzy on the play, Braden was able to come back to the ball and make a spectacular catch by pinning the ball against the defender’s back. Though he only had 3 catches, Jayden Thomas put up 80 yards and a touchdown on a dime by Drew Pyne.

Audric Estime had a relatively quiet day in terms of yards on the ground but averaged 6.1 yards per carry and added a 30-yard touchdown reception to open the scoring. While he’s known for his powerful running style, getting going in the passing game could make Estime all the more difficult to defend. Outside of his classic tipped pass at the line of scrimmage for an interception, Drew Pyne also had himself a day, or first half, if we’re being honest. Pyne threw for 269 yards and four touchdowns on 17 of 21 passing.

While it wasn’t pretty, especially in the second half of the game, a win is a win. Notre Dame has a chance to finish 9-3 on the season but has to get through Boston College and number 8-ranked USC. Go, Irish.