Good morning, colleagues. Declan Moriarty-Chen here, the Notre Dame Fanatic. I'm a sweater-vested graduate-student type who can recite the Irish schedule back to the leather-helmet era and the playoff selection protocol by heart. I follow the Irish from the stands, and I keep a hand-drawn résumé ledger of every opponent's record, because, as I often say, strength of schedule is a love language.
Today's lecture has two parts. First, a painful seminar in Provo. Second, a bye week, followed by one of college football's most sacred traditions. Please take notes.
Part 1: Last Week, a Seminar That Ended Too Soon
Notre Dame lost 28-24 at BYU on Saturday night. We're 6-1. We came in ranked No. 2, and we're now No. 4 in the AP poll. Our 16-game winning streak is over, and, per the AP, it was BYU's first win over Notre Dame since 2004.
I'll present the evidence in chronological order, as any good scholar would. BYU scored first on a 5-yard quarterback run. Spencer Porath kicked a 46-yard field goal, and Nolan James Jr. ran 8 yards for a touchdown to give us a 10-7 lead. Then BYU scored twice, once on a 15-yard trick-play touchdown pass to its own quarterback and once on a 1-yard run, and we trailed 21-10 at halftime.
But the Irish don't fold. After a muffed punt return and a failed fake punt by BYU, Porath kicked field goals from 31 and 39 yards, and we trailed 21-16 entering the fourth quarter. Then Jonaz Walton plowed in from 3 yards out and ran in the two-point conversion himself. Notre Dame led 24-21 with 9:31 left. Jayden Sanders intercepted a pass at our 15 with 8:05 left. I'd posit, colleagues, that the thesis was nearly complete.
Then BYU drove 55 yards in 10 plays and scored on a 6-yard pass with 1:47 left. 28-24. CJ Carr responded with several clutch throws, including a fourth-down completion to Micah Gilbert that put us at the BYU 9 with four seconds left. His final pass fell incomplete in the end zone.
And here's the footnote that will appear in every history book. After the game, the Big 12 said its review found that time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground, and that the replay crew had incorrectly cleared the play. The conference said it would conduct a full review of its end-of-game officiating process. The result stands. I accept it. But I would posit, respectfully, that the clock owes us a few seconds.
Carr threw for 261 yards. Jaden Greathouse caught eight passes for 125 yards. James ran for 77 yards and a touchdown. We went 4-for-4 on fourth down, and Luke Talich and Drayk Bowen each made eight tackles. Coach Marcus Freeman said afterward that we had BYU on the ropes and couldn't find a way to finish, and that BYU made the stop when it mattered most. That's an honest assessment, and an honest assessment is the first step to an A.
Peer Review: Our Own Paper
Every scholar must critique his own work. Per the AP, we struggled to finish drives at critical moments, turning the ball over once in the red zone and settling for field goals after twice starting drives in BYU territory. Carr completed 27 of 49 passes, and that's not the efficiency we're used to. And we went 8-for-19 on third down. Those are the revisions we need before the next draft.
But let the record show the full résumé. We beat Wisconsin 41-13, Rice 52-0, Michigan State 27-10, Purdue 49-10, North Carolina 37-26 and Stanford 58-7. We went 10-2 last season. Strength of schedule is a love language, and our résumé still writes poetry.
Part 2: The Bye, Then Navy in Foxborough
Notre Dame doesn't play this Saturday, Oct. 24. It's our open date. Consider it a reading week. Rest, reflect and rewatch the film until the lesson sinks in.
Then, on Saturday, Oct. 31, we meet Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., at noon Eastern. Navy is the designated home team.
The Opponent's Résumé
I'll begin with respect, because this series deserves it. The Navy-Notre Dame game was played every year from 1927 to 2019, making it the longest uninterrupted intersectional rivalry in college football. The 2020 game was canceled because of the pandemic. Most fans on both sides consider the series a sacred tradition, and I count myself among them. And Navy went 11-2 last season, an excellent year.
Now, the ledger. Navy is 2-4 this season. It beat Towson and Tulsa. It lost 38-30 at Florida Atlantic, 24-20 at UAB, 14-9 at Air Force and 38-34 at UTSA last week. And last season, we beat Navy 49-10 at Notre Dame Stadium. Navy also plays North Texas this Saturday, while we rest.
Our Course Syllabus
1. Finish the paper. We moved the ball in Provo, but red zone execution failed us. Two weeks of practice should fix that. 2. Respect the Midshipmen. Navy scored 34 points in each of its last two games. Every defender has to stay on assignment, read his keys and tackle with discipline. 3. Keep the clock honest. And, just to be safe, let's score with more than four seconds left.
South Bend vs. Annapolis
South Bend. South Bend sits along the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, which is where the name comes from. It's the fourth-most populous city in Indiana, with 103,453 people at the 2020 census, and it became a city in 1865. Notre Dame Stadium was built in 1930 under Knute Rockne, earning the nickname "The House that Rockne Built." And to the north stands the Word of Life, a 1964 mural on Hesburgh Library that's 134 feet tall. Its image of Jesus, arms raised like a referee signaling a touchdown, is visible from the stadium. That's why everyone calls it Touchdown Jesus. Notre Dame officially claims 11 national championships, and seven of our players have won the Heisman Trophy. I would posit that's a strong résumé.
Annapolis. Annapolis is a lovely, historic city. It served as the temporary capital of the United States in 1783-84, and Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris there. It's known as "America's Sailing Capital." I respect all of it.
But here's my footnote. This game has never been played at Navy's home stadium in Annapolis because the stadium is relatively small. So, when Navy hosts Notre Dame, it borrows a bigger stadium somewhere else. This year, it's Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Colleagues, America's Sailing Capital is hosting a football game in an inland town in Massachusetts. I would posit that's a navigational error.
Concluding Remarks
Here's my thesis statement. Notre Dame came within a few seconds and a few yards of beating a top-10 BYU team on the road, and we're still No. 4 in the country. Navy has a proud tradition and an offense that has scored 34 points in each of its last two games, but it's 2-4 this season. We have two weeks to rest and fix our red zone problems, while Navy plays North Texas first. If we finish drives, the next chapter of this sacred series belongs to the Irish.
Strength of schedule is a love language. Class dismissed.