Notre Dame was good. The No. 3 Irish could be better.
That has become something of a theme this year. The routs of ranked opponents Stanford and Virginia Tech were impressive, but Notre Dame’s offense could have offered more. Entering the off week with a win against Pittsburgh, well, let’s not revisit that one. Saturday’s 44-22 victory against Navy in San Diego showed both peak offensive and defensive efficiency for the Irish, for a half.
“What we learned today is getting of to a great start is one thing, but if you don’t play with the same physicality for four quarters, you’re going to be in trouble,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said, not for the first time this season.