Navy @ Notre Dame preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 23, 2010 ) Notre Dame 17, Navy 35

THE STORY: Notre Dame goes from one storied rivalry to another when it hosts Navy. The Irish lead the all-time series 71-12-1 and prior to a triple-overtime loss to the Midshipmen in 2007, Notre Dame had won an NCAA-record 43 straight games in this series. But Navy has taken three of the last four, and a win Saturday would give the Midshipmen their third straight victory over the Irish for the first time in school history. The Fighting Irish had a four-game winning streak snapped with a 31-17 home loss to Southern Cal last week.

TV: NBC. LINE: Notre Dame -20.5.

ABOUT NAVY (2-5): The Midshipmen enter this contest riding a five-game losing streak, their longest since 2002 when they lost 10 straight. They have been competitive, though. Four of the losses have been by a combined eight points, including last week’s 38-35 setback against East Carolina. Navy is again having immense success on the ground, ranking third in the country with 325 rushing yards per game, but the defense has faltered in recent weeks. The Midshipmen have given up 35 or more points in three of the past four games and they rank 103rd nationally in rushing defense.

ABOUT NOTRE DAME (4-3): With another loss, the Fighting Irish would drop to .500 in what was supposed to be a bounce-back year for the program. Notre Dame started the season ranked 15th and were hopeful of making it to a BCS bowl, but losses to South Florida, Michigan and USC have all but eliminated that possibility. Quarterback Tommy Rees is making strides in his sophomore season but is still prone to some inconsistency. After throwing seven touchdowns in back-to-back wins over Purdue and Air Force, Rees had only 190 yards and an interception in the loss to the Trojans.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. With a victory, Ken Niumatalolo would become only the second coach in Navy history to record three wins over Notre Dame.

2. The Midshipmen rank 117th nationally with 109 passing yards per game. Quarterback Kriss Proctor has never topped 150 passing yards in any game, but he has four career 100-yard rushing efforts.

3. After running for a career-high 191 yards against Purdue, Notre Dame running back Cierre Wood has only 71 yards in the last two games.

PREDICTION: Notre Dame 34, Navy 21 - The Fighting Irish’s talent will eventually wear down the Midshipmen, sending them to their sixth straight loss.