Notre dame 52, navy 20 | monday, NOVEMBER 18, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
Cruising Claypool grabs 4 TDs to lead resurgent offense of No. 16 Notre Dame past No. 23 Navy
ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer
Irish senior quarterback Ian Book scans the field and looks to pass during Notre Dame’s 52-20 win over Navy on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. Book threw for five touchdowns for the third time this year, the most by an Irish quarterback in a season, and he also took over the No. 4 spot in all-time touchdown passes with 49, passing DeShone Kizer.
Notre Dame-Navy ‘rivalry’ needs to come to an end Grant DelVecchio Sports Writer
Tradition is everything at Notre Dame. From academics to residence hall life to faith-building to athletics, there is little that goes on at Our Lady’s University that isn’t deeply rooted in tradition. Because of this, branching away from the way things have “always been done” and moving on from the old days is hard to come by for Irish students and fans alike. Saturday’s contest between the Fighting Irish and the Naval Academy was the 93rd matchup of a “rivalry” that dates back to 1927 and was solidified during the days of World War II. You would be hard-pressed to find two programs more engulfed in tradition or as well-respected as Notre Dame and Navy are, but this doesn’t suffice for a reason to keep the series alive. I put “rivalry” in quotes because, in my opinion, a series in which one team has 77 victories and the other has 13 isn’t much see DelVECCHIO PAGE 2
By CONNOR MULVENA Sports Editor
The feelings of uneasiness were palpable on Saturday in South Bend. In the 93rd continuous meeting between Navy and Notre Dame, the third longest streak in college football, the Midshipmen came into Notre Dame Stadium as the No. 23 team in the nation. With weapons like senior quarterback Malcolm Perry, and the traditional anxieties that accompany the triple option, a bit of worry crept into some of the minds of Irish (8-2) fans. All of this worry reached a culmination on Navy’s (7-2) fourth down attempt during its first drive of the game. When the Midshipmen got the first down, potential trouble loomed on the horizon. It didn’t take long until the momentum shifted toward the Irish after a Malcolm Perry fumble, however — and it would remain in favor of the Irish for the rest of the afternoon. The Irish offense wasted no time in its first possession of the game. Senior quarterback Ian Book connected with senior wide receiver Chase Claypool for a gain of 23 yards, then soon followed with a pass over the middle to graduate student wide receiver Chris Finke. Finke managed to evade a defender and stretch the gain to 14 yards.
But that offensive momentum reached a halt after a false start penalty brought the Irish back. Book was forced to scramble in the pocket on two consecutive snaps, the second of which would give the Irish an opportunity on fourth and a yard, where the Irish would blow forward with a rush from senior running back Tony Jones Jr. Book ended the drive with a short pass over the middle to his favorite target, Claypool, to start the contest with a scoring drive. But Navy’s standout quarterback wasted no time on his first drive, either. The quick and agile Perry showed off his footwork early with a few big gains, evading Irish linebackers with swift jukes. The Irish defense buckled down as the Midshipmen advanced into Notre Dame territory, bringing on a 4th and three for Navy, which the Midshipmen would attempt. It felt like an attempt which would set the tone for the game, an indicator of how this Irish defense might handle the triple option during the afternoon. The play ultimately ended in a first down for the Midshipmen, but Perry fumbled on the very next play. Graduate student linebacker Asmar Bilal recovered the fumble to hand the Irish offense the ball for a drive which would end in a 47-yard touchdown pass
from Book into the hands of Claypool. The quick turnaround for the Irish was what set the tone on Saturday afternoon in a game which was understandably surrounded by a sense of angst. The Irish forced four total turnovers throughout the game, and head coach Brian Kelly discussed just how vital those those turnovers were with a team like Navy. “Any time you get Navy to turn the football over, they’re going to be huge for you,” Kelly said. “But, yeah we were active, we were fast, we were physical. They haven’t played a team quite like that all year, and it’s difficult. We talked so much about our inability to map the speed of the triple option, well they can’t map the speed of our defense. And so it worked well for us today that we played fast and physical.” On the following drive, Perry fumbled once more to hand the Irish a prime opportunity on the Navy 39. And the offense only continued to capitalize on Book’s connections with Claypool. The drive ended in a threeyard touchdown pass to the corner of the end zone, where Claypool’s physicality proved too much for the Navy corner. Just like that, a gutsy 1st down by see VICTORY PAGE 3
Claypool shines in dominant performance By GRANT DelVECCHIO Sports Writer
After Notre Dame’s 52-20 routing of visiting rival Navy on Saturday afternoon, Irish head coach Brian Kelly was eager to express his pleasure regarding the way his staff and players performed. For Kelly, this game reflected what it means to have success, as opposed to winning rings or big bowl games. “When you talk about success, it doesn’t have to have a quantitative bowl game or championship, it has to do with days like today where you see it all come together,” Kelly said. “You see your guys excited, happy, fulfilled, and it was just an exciting day to watch our football team have so much enjoyment by execution through an outstanding game plan.” Fifty-two matches the second most points scored on the season for the Irish, and much of Notre Dame’s recent success has been built out of strong performances from senior wide receiver Chase Claypool. This game was no different. The 6’4” Canadian native hauled in seven catches for 117 yards and see CLAYPOOL PAGE 3