Navy at Notre Dame

By — Gene Wang,

3:30 p.m. at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.
TV: WRC-4, WBAL-11. Radio: WZAA (1050 AM), WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM), WNAV (1430 AM), WBAL (1090 AM). Records: Midshipmen 2-5; Fighting Irish 4-3.

It’s miller time

Quarterback Trey Miller likely will make the first start of his career for Navy, but don’t expect the game plan to change drastically. Miller might not be as familiar with all the finer points of the triple option as injured starter Kriss Proctor, but offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper said early in the week he would remain aggressive in his play-calling. The sophomore grew more comfortable with the triple option during the second half of last week’s 38-35 loss to East Carolina, leading the Midshipmen on three touchdown drives and to a three-point lead with 7 minutes 51 seconds to play.

Personal Post

close but no cigar?

The triple option is most successful when Navy finishes off drives that reach an opponent’s 20-yard line. The Midshipmen, however, haven’t been able to do that with much regularity over the last four games. In 20 red zone opportunities during that span, Navy has nine touchdowns. The Midshipmen are ranked 108 out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in red zone offense; they’ll need to fix that deficiency if they expect to beat Notre Dame and go on an extended winning streak to salvage their season.

floyd a threat

When these teams played last season, the Midshipmen didn’t have to worry about Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd, who missed the game at New Meadowlands Stadium because of an injury. This year Floyd has 57 catches for 667 yards and four touchdowns. He is ninth in the country in receptions per game (8.1) and 23rd in receiving yards per game (95.3). Navy has been prone to yielding big plays in the passing game this year, and Floyd is among the best down the field.

— Gene Wang