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No. 13 Notre Dame could've spent much of the second half of its season opener against Navy at a local Dublin pub and it probably wouldn't have made a difference. The Fighting Irish cruised to a 42-3 win over Navy to start the 2023 season, scoring touchdowns on their first five possessions and marking an impressive debut for quarterback Sam Hartman.
It would've been hard to write a better script for the Irish. Looking to rebound from an inconsistent 2022 in Year 2 under coach Marcus Freeman, the team got a major boost in the offseason from Hartman, a Wake Forest transfer who brought lot of hype with him. He lived up to the billing by completing 19 of 23 passes for 266 yards and tying a school record with four touchdown passes in a debut.
In all, eight different Irish players caught passes from the first-year signal-caller. Jayden Thomas led the way with four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown, while freshman receiver Jaden Greathouse caught two touchdown passes.
The Irish got plenty from their rushing attack as well. Audric Estime dominated the game's first two possessions, but didn't get as many carries in the second half. He finished with 95 yards rushing and a touchdown as the Irish rushed for 191 yards as a team, averaging 6.0 yards per carry.
The win extends Notre Dame's win streak over Navy to six straight, including all three matchups played in Ireland. What did we learn from Saturday's game? Let's take a look at some takeaways below:
1. Notre Dame's offense looked crisper with Hartman
There's no sugarcoating that Notre Dame's quarterback play last season was subpar. Ty Buchner struggled in the opener against Ohio State, and a shoulder injury knocked him out until the Gator Bowl. Understandably, he looked rusty against South Carolina, even in a 45-38 victory. Drew Pyne, the Irish's quarterback for much of last season, did an excellent job taking care of the football but wasn't a difference-maker against good teams.
Now, here comes Hartman, who almost immediately legitimized the Irish offense. Yes, Notre Dame looks more talented at wide receiver this year, but it wasn't just what Hartman did with the ball in his hands. During his postgame interview, Freeman pointed to Hartman's pre-snap ability to read the defense and check in and out of plays. Those are the little things an experienced veteran brings to an offense.
As nice as that is, what happens after the snap counts most. Reading a defense doesn't mean much if you can't take advantage of it. Though Hartman looked a bit off early and threw behind some receivers, he grew into the game as it progressed and played well. It was exactly what you wanted to see if you're Notre Dame.
2. Notre Dame's offensive line was as advertised
By Notre Dame's first two possessions, it became clear this team could run for as many yards as it wanted. The Irish offensive line, led by CBS Sports Preseason All-American tackle Joe Alt, was blowing Navy's defensive line off the ball. Their size was too much to handle, and they were opening enormous holes for the running backs all day.
They also kept the pocket clean. Navy finished with only two tackles for loss and did not record a sack. The one time Navy had a clean shot at Hartman in the pocket, he evaded the pressure, stepped up, and fired a 20-yard touchdown pass. Now, it must be said that pushing Navy around isn't the same as pushing around Ohio State, Clemson and USC; all three of those teams are on Notre Dame's schedule.
3. Notre Dame's secondary left something to be desired
Statistically, it's hard to find anything to be upset about with the Notre Dame defense. Navy finished with only 169 yards of offense and averaged 3.1 yards per play. However, if Navy QB Tai Lavatai showed a bit more accuracy, there were open Navy receivers on multiple occasions.
4. Navy isn't as bad as the score suggests
Navy hasn't been good over the last few seasons, and there wasn't much on display today to make you think the 2023 season will be much different. However, it's important to remember this was Brian Newberry's first game as coach and Navy was implementing a new-look offense. It's still the option, but there are new wrinkles and a lot of new formations. Navy even went into the shotgun at times!
Plus, the game script was very much against the Midshipmen. With the Irish jumping out to a big lead quickly, Navy was forced to play a game it didn't want as this isn't a team designed to score quickly and erase deficits. While I'm not sure how many games the Midshipmen will win this season, there's a good chance this will be the worst game they play all year.
