Notre Dame at Navy – Statistically Speaking

Here is this week’s stats comparison.  You can start to look for these every Tuesday for the last few weeks of the season and moving into next year.

• Nothing here is too surprising.  Navy can run the football better than almost anybody in the country, but has trouble stopping the ball.  When you consider the success the Navy offense has running the football and what that does to the time of possession battle, it makes their defense statistics even less impressive.
• Navy is statistically one of the worst pass defenses in the country.  With Weis calling the plays this weekend and the passing game needing a lot of work, I would be willing to bet that the Irish will pass the ball early and often.
• Navy is much more efficient stopping the run – partly because it is so easy to pass on them – so while it might be tempting for the Irish to come in with the mentality that they are bigger and stronger than Navy and should be able to run the ball at will, I think that would be a mistake.  We all know the problems this team has had running the ball.  Navy’s weakness is their pass defense – it should be exploited.
• Considering Navy hardly passes the ball, I was a little surprised to see that they give up almost a full sack a game.
• Jimmy Clausen should have time to throw the ball.  For a defense that sees a lot of passes, they don’t get to the quarterback much.
• Neither team returns kickoffs too well so don’t look for too many big returns.  Both teams will likely get quite a few chances to return kicks as well.
• Neither punts the ball especially well either.  Eric Maust’s troubles have been talked about quite a bit the last few weeks with two blocks in as many weeks.
• Navy protects the ball very well and is in the top 20 in turnover margin so far this year.  Navy is a very disciplined running offense and it will take a strong defensive effort to slow them down.