No. 5 Notre Dame Beats Navy 35-13 at Gillette Stadium With 28 Unanswered Points

Navy had No. 5 Notre Dame on its heels for most of a half. Then the Fighting Irish took over.

Notre Dame beat Navy 35-13 on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, scoring 28 unanswered points after the Midshipmen led 13-7 late in the second quarter. CJ Carr threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns, and Nolan James Jr. ran for touchdowns of 52 and 23 yards, according to the Associated Press.

It was Notre Dame’s ninth straight win over Navy. The Irish improved to 7-1, while Navy fell to 2-6.

Notre Dame vs. Navy: final score by quarter

Source: Naval Academy Athletics box score.

How did Navy take the early lead?

By keeping the ball away from Notre Dame. Navy held possession for 23:33 of the first half and scored on each of its first three drives, according to Naval Academy Athletics. Freshman kicker Nolan Bartley made field goals of 38 and 26 yards, and quarterback Jackson Gutierrez ran in from 2 yards out to make it 13-7 with 1:52 left in the half.

Navy finished with 212 rushing yards on 48 carries, the most Notre Dame had allowed this season. Gutierrez ran for 110 yards, his fourth straight 100-yard game.

How did Notre Dame come back?

Quickly. James broke a 52-yard touchdown run with 55 seconds left in the second quarter, giving the Irish a 14-13 halftime lead even though they had the ball for only 6:27 of the first half.

Notre Dame then opened the second half with a 78-yard drive capped by Jonaz Walton’s 3-yard run. James added a 23-yard score late in the third quarter, and Navy was held scoreless after halftime.

“I’m really pleased with the way our coaches and players adjusted to the new things they were doing,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said, according to Naval Academy Athletics.

Navy coach Brian Newberry pointed to eight penalties, many on offense. “Those are drive killers for us,” he said.

Did Jerome Bettis Jr. score for Notre Dame?

Yes. Jerome Bettis Jr., the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Notre Dame alum Jerome Bettis, caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Carr on the first play of the fourth quarter. That made it 35-13 and finished the scoring. The box score lists him with 78 receiving yards.

Why was Notre Dame vs. Navy at Gillette Stadium?

The game was a neutral-site meeting at the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, with 61,293 fans in attendance. It was Navy’s second straight loss in a neutral-site game at Gillette Stadium; the Midshipmen also lost to Army there in 2023, the AP noted.

Navy wore commemorative uniforms honoring the 100th anniversary of its 1926 national championship team. Notre Dame now leads the all-time series 85-13-1.

What’s next on the Navy football schedule?

Navy returns home next Saturday, Nov. 7, to face Temple at 3:30 p.m., according to Naval Academy Athletics. Notre Dame, which bounced back from a road loss at BYU two weeks ago, moved to 7-1.

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