No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face the Navy Midshipmen at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on Saturday, with kickoff scheduled for noon ET. Notre Dame enters the game after a bye week following a 28-24 loss to BYU that snapped a 16-game winning streak. Navy sits at 2-5, its worst start in four seasons under coach Brian Newberry.
Betting Odds
Notre Dame is a 30.5-point favorite, with the over/under set at 55.5 points. The money line lists Notre Dame at -20000 and Navy at +2400.
Team Previews
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr completed 27 of 49 passes for 261 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the loss to BYU, marking the first time his passer rating dipped below 100.0 in his college career. The Fighting Irish remain in strong position for a College Football Playoff berth and face No. 1 Miami next week. Notre Dame boasts the second-best turnover margin nationally, with 16 takeaways against only two giveaways, and has held five of seven opponents to 13 points or fewer.
Navy's offense averages 307.7 rushing yards per game, and all five losses have come by 10 points or fewer. Quarterback Jackson Gutierrez has thrown seven touchdown passes while rushing for 869 yards and 12 scores. However, the Midshipmen have turned the ball over 10 times while forcing only four turnovers.
Prediction
Navy has scored 14 points or fewer in each of the last three meetings, and its heavy reliance on the rushing attack consumes clock regardless of scoring. Notre Dame's defense and ability to control the clock on offense point to a low-scoring affair. The projected total from computer models is 50 points, with the under hitting in 66% of simulations.
