(Photo Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics)

After a sluggish first half, No. 5 Notre Dame outscored Navy 21-0 in the 2^nd half to pull away for a 35-13 victory in the 99th all-time meeting between the Irish and Midshipmen.

Notre Dame improves to 7-1, earning its first win since suffering its first loss of the season two weeks ago against BYU. The Irish now return home to face No. 1 Miami next Saturday night in a primetime showdown in South Bend.

The Irish left little to doubt on who would win in the 2nd half but the performance didn’t necessarily leave Irish fans feeling their team was back on track, particularly after a troubling first half.

Navy scored on each of its first three possessions but still trailed 14-13 at halftime, thanks to Notre Dame’s defense holding the Midshipmen to field goals on two of those drives. It marked just the third time under Marcus Freeman that an opponent had scored on its first three possessions of a game, joining the regular loss to Northern Illinois and national championship loss to Ohio State during the 2024 season.

The Midshipmen also controlled the clock for 23 minutes and 33 seconds in the first half, the most time of possession by any team in a single half across FBS this season.

Notre Dame found itself trailing 13-7 with 1:52 remaining in the first half after Navy quarterback Jackson Gutierrez rushed for a touchdown.

The Irish answered in a big way. Nolan James Jr. broke loose for a 52-yard touchdown run on a quick drive down the field, giving Notre Dame a 14-13 lead with just 55 seconds remaining before halftime. James finished with nine carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns.

Notre Dame received the ball to start the second half and wasted little time extending its lead. Freshman running back Jonaz Walton capped the opening drive with a short touchdown run, putting the Irish ahead 21-13 with 9:15 remaining in the third quarter.

The drive also featured the emergence of Jerome Bettis Jr., who hauled in three catches on the possession. Bettis finished with a team-high six receptions for 78 yards and made an even bigger impact later in the game.

With five seconds gone in the fourth quarter, Bettis Jr. caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from CJ Carr, his first career touchdown reception, to cap the scoring and put Notre Dame comfortably ahead 35-13.

Carr completed 19 of 29 passes for 210 yards and two touchdown passes as the Irish finished off the 35-13 victory.

Notre Dame now turns its attention to its biggest test of the season to date, welcoming No. 1 Miami to Notre Dame Stadium next Saturday night.

We will recap the sluggish 1^st half and preview the matchup with #1 Miami on Notre Dame Federal Credit Union’s Irish Football Fix Monday night at a special start time of 5pm on Pulse FM.