The No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1) entered their Week 9 regular-season college football matchup against the Navy Midshipmen (2-5) as favorites at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on Saturday.
However, on the field, the Fighting Irish were absolutely dominated in the first half, with Navy controlling the time of possession for 22 minutes compared to Notre Dame's five.
This has prompted College Football Insider Heather Dinich to criticize head coach Marcus Freeman's squad and their on-field display.
"Notre Dame run D getting gashed in the first half", Dinich wrote on X.
Despite Notre Dame's possession struggles, they have mounted a comeback and lead 14-13 against the Navy Midshipmen at halftime. While it remains to be seen whether the Fighting Irish can hold onto this lead until the final whistle, there's no doubt the Navy Midshipmen can go toe-to-toe with a potential CFP contender.
The Navy-Notre Dame football rivalry reached a momentous milestone on Saturday, with their Week 9 matchup marking their 99th overall meeting in college football.Despite being one of the most talked-about fixtures of the independents, the head-to-head record has been lopsided, with the Fighting Irish cruising ahead in wins.
In 98 games completed so far, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have recorded an impressive 84 wins, compared with the Navy Midshipmen's 13 wins and one draw in their near 100-year history of playing each other.
Both programs, which first locked horns in 1927, have played every season except 2020, which was canceled due to the pandemic.
Despite Notre Dame's overwhelming historical success, today's first half shows the Navy Midshipmen can still challenge the Fighting Irish.
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