Notre Dame beat Navy for the fifth-straight time on Saturday afternoon, sprinting away from the Midshipmen after a strong third quarter and cruising to a 41-24 win. Against one of Ken Niumatalolo’s best teams, the Irish handed Navy their first loss of the season, winning the turnover battle 3-1 while also holding the Midshipmen to just 102 yards in the second half.
As an annual opponent, Notre Dame’s yearly dates against Navy usually fit into one of four categories: The program-rattling loss, the white knuckle, pray-you-get-out-alive close victory, the frisky battle where the Irish pull away, and the occasional boat race.