Aneyas Williams rockets to the end zone 54 yards in the 4th quarter against Navy. (Photo: Joseph Weiser)
A week after a Halloween frightfest against Boston College, Notre Dame turned the page — actually finding some perfection on a night that was anything but perfect as a first half steady rain turned into a second half heavy, wet snow.
From the moment 90 minutes before game time when it came out that Navy would be without injured star quarterback Blake Horvath, you kind of had a feeling this was not going to be Navy’s night, and it wasn’t. And it was better than that for the sell out crowd, because for the Irish It wasn’t just a win. It was a statement about control — of tempo, of weather, and of identity.
As some of the “finest” South Bend has to offer engulfed Notre Dame Stadium, the Irish delivered their most complete performance of the season, throttling Navy 49–10 and looking every bit like a team that learned, A LOT from its mistakes of a week ago.
Unlike last weekend there were no self-inflicted scares. No turnovers. No penalties — literally, not one. Just clean, efficient, confident football. The kind of game that feels less like domination and more like orchestration.
Freshman quarterback CJ Carr was all rhythm and trust, completing 13 of 16 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns before taking a well-earned seat late in the third quarter. When he hit Malachi Fields for a 52-yard strike on the first drive, it wasn’t just a statement throw — it extended Fields’ streak of 36 straight games with a catch, one of the longest active runs in the nation.
Then came Jeremiyah Love, doing what he’s done for nearly three seasons: starting, scoring, and making it look easy. His 48-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was a balance-beam masterpiece — seemingly brought down after a short gain, he rolled over a Navy tackler, regained his balance and burst down the sideline. That score moved Love into fifth all-time in total touchdowns at Notre Dame — and added one more line to his growing Heisman Trophy campaign résumé.
Marcus Freeman needs no convincing. Asked post game if Love is a Heisman candidate, Freeman did not hesitate: “Yes, he is. There is no question about it.”
The offense piled up 502 yards of offense and went 7-10 on 3rd down and was 2-2 on 4th. Heck even Aneyas Williams (Remember him? Here is a clue: See: 2024 payoff run, key players) got into the act. Williams entered the game in the 4th quarter and on 5 carries he piled up 72 yards including a J. Love like 54 yard burst up the middle to the endzone.
The defense was just as polished. Navy who came into the game with one of the nation’s top offenses averaging 460 yards of offense per game, managed only 228 total yards, with 22 through the air. Their option game — usually good for a few backbreaking plays — went nowhere, while triple option defense specialist Jaiden Ausberry was everywhere for the Irish. Ausberry posted a career-high eight tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and two tackles for loss.
A week ago, Notre Dame looked undisciplined — and at times, unfairly targeted — as penalty flags flew at all the wrong moments. This week? The Irish were perfectly disciplined, and the officiating perfectly steady. Zero penalties. None, perfection! It marked the program’s first flag-free game in 28 years — a stat that says as much about focus as it does about control.
Head coach Marcus Freeman addressed how the team cleaned up its act: “You choose to do hard things, choose to say this is the standard way of doing things, and you do them, or you don’t.” One might suspect the head coach had some very pointed discussions with his team during practice sessions this past week regarding the undisciplined look the Irish had at BC.
And that includes the kicking game, because against Navy there was evidence of life in the Irish kicking game. Just a week after setting a lowly standard for place kicking futility, things were about as perfect as they could be. Freshman kicker Erik Schmidt was flawless, drilling all seven extra points and sending each of his eight kickoffs deep into no-return territory. The crowd apparently appreciated the effort, saving some of the biggest cheers of the night in response to the upright splitting extra points. Next up, who knows. Maybe a FG is in ND’s future?!
No missed extra points, no penalties, no turnovers, red zone efficiency, 49 points: game over by the middle of third quarter. For one week, the Irish turned a week ago nightmare into muscle memory — and delivered a game that felt all but effortless. If this is what November looks like in South Bend, winter just might be this team’s season.