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East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) – Ricky Dobbs rushed for three touchdowns to lead the Navy Midshipmen to an impressive, 35-17 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a non-conference matchup at New Meadowlands Stadium.
Dobbs, who also threw a touchdown pass for Navy (5-2), finished with 90 rushing yards and another 71 yards through the air. The biggest threat out of the backfield other than Dobbs was Alexander Teich, who rushed for 210 yards on 26 carries, and also hauled in Dobbs’ touchdown pass.
Dayne Crist had a rough outing for Notre Dame (4-4), as the quarterback was intercepted twice. Crist did finish with 178 yards and one touchdown in the losing effort.
The Midshipmen went 99 yards on just six plays to take a 7-0 advantage over Notre Dame midway through the opening stanza. The touchdown came from Dobbs, who connected with Teich for a 31-yard score.
The Fighting Irish got on the scoreboard late in the first quarter with a 45- yard field goal by David Ruffer.
Dobbs put the Midshipmen up 14-3 when he scored on a three-yard run early in the second frame.
Notre Dame continued to fight however, and with just over six minutes remaining in the first half Crist connected with T.J. Jones for a 16-yard touchdown.
However, in the final seconds of the second quarter, Gee Gee Greene scored on a nine-yard run to give Navy a 21-10 lead heading into the break.
The Midshipmen pushed their lead to 18 points on the their first possession of the second half when Dobbs capped off a seven-play, 77-yard drive with a nine- yard touchdown scamper.
The Midshipmen capitalized off of Crist’s second interception of the contest, by using their ground attack 10 consecutive plays. The final run was a one- yard score by Dobbs, which pushed Navy’s lead to 35-10.
Cierre Wood’s one-yard touchdown run midway through the final frame cut Notre Dame’s deficit to 35-17, but that would be the final score for the Fighting Irish, as their three-game winning streak was brought to an end.
The first drive of the game was a bad omen for things to come for the Irish. They drove to the Navy 1 yard line before failing on a 4th and Goal, and it went downhill from there, as Notre Dame was beaten handily by Navy 35 - 17. The Midshipmen only needed 6 plays to put them up 7 - 0 after the 4th down stop, ending with a 31 yard screen pass to Alexander Teich.
That was only the beginning for the Navy offense, which racked up 367 yards rushing, and averaging over 6 yards / carry. The Irish defense had no answer for Teich on the ground, leading the way with 210 yards on the ground, a school record for a Fullback at Navy. QB Ricky Dobbs added 90 yards of his own, along with 3 TDs. Dobbs completed the only 2 passes he attempted, one the TD pass to Teich, and the other a 40 yard pass to WR Greg Jones.
Irish QB Dayne Crist was 19-31 for 178 yards, 1 TD and 2 costly INTs, both leading to Navy TDs. ND was without both starting WRs, Michael Floyd and Theo Riddick, but they would have made little difference today, as the Navy offense moved the ball at will. Back-up QB Tommy Rees led a 4th quarter TD drive, capped off by a 1 yard TD run by RB Cierre Wood.
This was the 3rd time in 4 years Navy has beaten Notre Dame, after ND had won 43 consecutive times against the Midshipmen. It was the most lopsided loss to Navy since 1963, and the Navy senior class, led by Dobbs, are only the third class to have defeated ND 3 times, joining the 1937 and '64 classes.
Irish Head to NYC to Take On Navy
FACTS & STATS: Site: New Meadowlands Stadium (82, 566) -- East Rutherford, New Jersey. Television:CBS. Home Record: ND 3-1, Navy 2-0. Away Record: ND 1-1, Navy 2-1. Neutral Record: ND 0-0, Navy 0-1. Conference Record: ND 0-0, Navy 0-0. Series Record: Notre Dame leads, 71-11-1.
GAME NOTES: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Navy Midshipmen continue their rivalry this weekend at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The Irish own a commanding 71-11-1 advantage over Navy in a rivalry that dates all the way back to 1927 and has been played every year since. Last season however, it was the Mids who prevailed, taking a 23-21 decision at Notre Dame.
To the present, ND heads into the contest with a full head of steam, having won three straight games following a losing streak of the same length. The most recent of the victories came this past Saturday, a 44-20 thumping of Western Michigan. Brian Kelly's Irish club now owns a 4-3 record for the first time since 1999.
Navy meanwhile, used a late score to come away with a 28-21 victory over SMU this past weekend. It was the second victory in a row for the Midshipmen, who have been involved in five games decided by eight points of fewer thus far, winning three of them.
Dayne Crist threw for three TDs and ran for another, as ND routed WMU this past weekend. It was another strong performance from the emerging QB, who has now totaled 18 TDs (14 passing) against only five INTs on the season. Crist has plenty of weapons at his disposal to help him succeed, including Michael Floyd, who leads the team with 44 catches, 624 receiving yards and six TDs. Those numbers were helped by last weekend's performance when Floyd reeled in nine passes for 157 yards and three TDs. Cierre Wood also enjoyed a nice day with 94 yards and a TD on 11 carries. Armando Allen though, is the go-to back for the Irish despite being mostly rested with a hip flexor last weekend, and he leads the team with 448 yards for the year.
The Irish did a nice job on defense versus WMU last weekend, especially after the break when they allowed just a field goal. Overall, the defense permitted just 314 total yards, while forcing four turnovers. ND has given up a few too many yards on the year, allowing 385.9 total ypg, but the defense has done a nice job in recording 14 takeaways, including 10 INTs. Pressuring opposing QBs has helped the defense come up with so many picks, as ND has registered 19 sacks after notching four last weekend. Ethan Johnson had 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery in the win over WMU, while Manti Te'o logged 10 stops. Te'o has been a tackling machine this season and he tops ND with 79, including five for a loss.
Alexander Teich ran for a pair of TDs in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner on a four-yard scamper with 1:38 left, lifting Navy to a 28-21 win over SMU. The steady FB finished the game with a career-high 95 yards for Navy, which amassed 252 yards on the ground. Navy's option attack is churning out 259.9 rushing ypg on the season and is paced by QB Ricky Dobbs, who has run for 379 yards and five scores. Dobbs can also get the job done with his arm when given the chance, passing for four TDs thus far. Last weekend, Dobbs passed for 84 yards and a score, while adding 62 yards on the ground. Gee Gee Greene followed Dobbs with 48 rushing yards and a score versus SMU, and he has been a valuable part of the offense this year. He not only ranks third on the team with 274 rushing yards, but Greene also leads the club with 14 receptions.
Facing a good SMU offense, Navy's defense did a rather solid job in permitting just 21 points. Furthermore, the defense made the biggest play of the game when Tyler Simmons picked off a pass deep in SMU territory to setup the game- winning TD run by Teich. The Mids forced three turnovers in all, helping to compensate for some of the 375 yards the defense allowed. Navy, though, did give up 254 of those yards through the air and that is well above the 160.2 passing ypg the unit is surrendering for the season. This part of the defense will surely be tested once again this weekend by ND's stout passing attack. Aaron McCauley paces the defense with 50 stops and he had eight of them last weekend.
The Irish have things working for them right now and with another big game from Crist, expect them to extend their winning streak this weekend.
Oct 24 9:09a by Matt Grecco - 0 comments