It looked like just another careless mistake—this one only caught by replay officials during an extended commercial break. But the result was another Notre Dame special teams calamity that ends up being the difference between a win and a loss.
The Irish’s 28-27 loss to Navy has many culprits, but none more striking than the 12th man on the field for Scott Booker’s special teams. And of all the catastrophic special teams blunders that have infected this season, this time it was Notre Dame’s inability to field a properly-sized unit that re-routed the football game.
Beause the 4th-and-6 mistake caught after a long TV timeout turned a Navy punt into a five-yard penalty, returning the Midshipmen to the field as they converted the 4th-and-1.