Oct 25, 2006, 15:21 GMT
(Sports Network) - The 11th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish will attempt to continue the program's long-time domination of the Navy Midshipmen when the two meet this weekend. Last weekend, Notre Dame squeaked out a 20-17 victory over UCLA to improve to 6-1 overall. The team has now won four straight contests since its only loss of the season at hands of still undefeated Michigan. Many analysts believe that Notre Dame will remain a one-loss team heading into the regular season finale against USC on the road, and the winner of that clash could very well earn a bid to a BCS Bowl game. As for Navy, it was idle last weekend, giving the club two weeks to prepare for Notre Dame. The Midshipmen dropped an ugly 34-0 decision to nationally-ranked Rutgers in their last bout, but that defeat was not indicative of the quality of this Navy squad. It owns a 5-2 overall record and needs just one more win to become bowl eligible. With the likes of Duke, Temple, Eastern Michigan and Army remaining after this weekend's tilt, Navy could be looking at a nine-win campaign. Notre Dame holds a dominant 69-9-1 advantage over Navy in the all- time series between the long-time rivals, and although the teams meet every year, the Irish have not lost to the Midshipmen since 1963.
Notre Dame is averaging 28.9 ppg and 375.3 total ypg, solid numbers for an offense that is led by one of the nation's premier quarterbacks. Brady Quinn is expected to be a top-five pick in the next NFL Draft, but his sole focus right now is leading the Fighting Irish to success. The strong-armed signal caller has completed 62.9 percent of his passes for 1,938 yards with 18 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He has benefited from a tremendous receiving corps led by Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight. Both players have reached the end zone seven times on pass plays, and Samardzija has scored on a run as well. He has 42 catches, tied for the team lead with versatile tailback Darius Walker, and McKnight is tops with 523 receiving yards. As a runner, Walker has posted 579 yards and three touchdowns. Quinn has proved this season that he performs well in pressure situations when his team is trailing late. Against UCLA, the Heisman hopeful threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Samardzija with 27 seconds remaining to give Notre Dame the victory. The big receiver finished with eight catches for 118 yards and two scores, while Quinn passed for 304 yards and wasn't intercepted.
Notre Dame has played its share of strong opponents so far this season, and with the exception of the Michigan game and the first half against Michigan State, the defense has played fairly well. Overall, the Irish are yielding 22.7 ppg and 332.7 total ypg, and 13 of the 17 touchdowns that they have surrendered have been passing scores. There are big plays to be made through the air against the Irish, who do a much better job stopping the run. Maurice Crum has 51 total tackles, including seven TFLs. Victor Abiamiri leads UND with six sacks, and Terrail Lambert has three interceptions. UCLA scored a pair of second-quarter touchdowns against Notre Dame last weekend on long passes, but the Irish defense deserves credit for limiting the Bruins to three points over the final 37 minutes.
Navy was dealt a devastating blow in the game against Rutgers when quarterback Brian Hampton was lost for the season with a knee injury. The Midshipmen were unable to move the ball once Hampton left the game, and he will be replaced under center by Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada. In his time at quarterback against Rutgers, Kaheaku-Enhada put up modest numbers, and it will be interesting to see how he responds to his new role. Navy managed nine first downs and 161 total yards against the Scarlet Knights, including 113 yards on the ground. The squad entered the game as the top-ranked running team in the nation, but things will be much more difficult without Hampton. The injured option quarterback ran for well over 600 yards and scored 10 rushing touchdowns in the six games that he played and finished. Hampton also threw two scores. Expect the versatile Reggie Campbell to get plenty of touches this weekend along with Adam Ballard.
Navy has been solid on defense this season, holding opponents to 20.6 ppg and 348.1 total ypg. The Midshipmen have yielded 17 touchdowns to opposing offenses, including 12 through the air. While their sack total of 11 could certainly stand some improvement, they have come up with 14 takeaways. Opponents are making good on 46 percent of their third down conversion attempts, and Navy would clearly benefit from getting strong in that department. Rob Caldwell has made 60 tackles to lead the Midshipmen, while David Mahoney and John Chan are tops in the sack department with four apiece. Rutgers racked up 34 points against Navy, including four offensive touchdowns, but it is important to point out that two of the scoring drives covered fewer than 30 yards. The Middies surrendered 339 total yards and held RU standout tailback Ray Rice below 100 rushing yards.
The good news for Navy is that its remaining schedule features some bad teams that should represent fairly easy victories. As for the bad news, the Midshipmen have no chance this weekend.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Notre Dame 44, Navy 10
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