By Kyle Golik
Let me preface this article this way.
I get it. It’s only the Midshipmen, a program that is going through changes under first-year coach Brian Newberry.
But just last year, Navy kept competitive in Baltimore falling short 35-32, but a lot of that had to do with Notre Dame being held to two total yards of offense in the second half.
This year, there were no offensive outages as Notre Dame cruised away from Ireland with a 42-3 win over Navy and outgaining the Midshipmen 444 to 171 in total offense.
Indulge me, if you will, when I ask the question, did we get a glimpse of how good Notre Dame’s offense can be?
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To me, the play that set the tone early for the Irish came in the first series, where the Irish were at midfield. On a third and 10, and offensive coordinator Gerard Parker decided this was a four-down situation. He called a draw play to running back Audric Estime, who ran for 11 yards and the first down.
That attitude and tone had a carryover effect that the Irish did not relinquish any offensive momentum all game.
Wake Forest transfer quarterback Sam Hartman lived up to all the preseason hype and his first impression as the Fighting Irish starting quarterback did not disappoint. Hartman finished the day with four touchdown passes on 19 for 23 passing for 251 yards with a QBR of 97.9.
Hartman tied Ron Powlus (1994) and Jack Coan (2021) for most touchdown passes by a Notre Dame quarterback in his first game with the team
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said postgame about Hartman’s performance, “I think it’s a reflection of, he told me today this was, I think the 48th or 47th game he’s played in, right? He’s started 42 games. This moment wasn’t too big, and it’s about him going out there and just executing. And what I really, really thought he did a great job of is putting our offense in a really good position to play.”
Hartman was instrumental in putting a young inexperienced but talented wide receiver group into positions of success.
True freshman Jaden Greathouse stood out against Navy. The Austin Westlake product had three receptions 68 yards and two touchdowns. Freeman recognized his efforts and that of the other wide receivers, with Jayden Thomas and Deion Colzie scoring the other touchdowns, “To see Jaden Greathouse score two touchdowns today, it’s a reflection of, hopefully, what coach Stuckey has done with that room. Four wideouts caught touchdowns today. Right? Greathouse had two of them. That room is continuing to improve. The protection was good. And so, I think that’s going to be a great momentum-builder as we get ready for next week.”
First impressions are lasting impressions, and offensively Notre Dame did not disappoint against the Midshipmen. The offensive line was more physical and overmatched the opposition and the team was balanced on both sides of the ball.
Last season, Notre Dame relied heavily on the ground game to get past teams like Clemson, which it outgained 263 to 90 last season.
What it missed in that game, and what it ultimately cost them in key situations last season, was elite quarterback play, something Hartman has demonstrated throughout his career and did against Navy.
Yesterday was a glimpse of what Notre Dame can be offensively, and if they continue to perform at this rate, this will be a team that will be in the College Football Playoff.
