South Bend, IN – No. 9 Notre Dame led Navy at halftime, 21-10, but like the cold, snowy wind that came through, the Fighting Irish blew out the Midshipmen, 49-10 in the second half. The writing seemed to be on the wall at the start. Navy QB Blake Horvath came out for the coin flip without pads nor helmet. He keys the offense running their dynamic option/run-pass option on the field. Irish QB C.J. Carr dominated through the air with 218 yards and three TDs. Horvath’s replacement, Braxton Woodson, made his first start since the 2023 season. We saw him then lead Navy to a 14-0 victory over Charlotte. Of course, Notre Dame poses a different animal.
All-American RB candidate Jeremiyah Love scored on a one-yard run to cap a 94-yard drive to start the scoring in the first period. Navy (7-2, 5-1) countered in the second with a two-yard TD run. After that, the Irish scored on two drives with Jadarian Price running in from the two. WR Jordan Faison caught a five-yard TD pass to put Notre Dame up, 21-7. The Mids closed the score, 21-10, with 15 seconds to play in the half with Nathan Kirkwood’s 33-yard FG. All the while, a soaking rain came down. By halftime the rain drops turned into snowflakes. The crowd of 76.622 became soggier and got colder.
Irish Sweepstakes in second half
On Notre Dame’s first possession in the third, on first and ten at the USNA 48 Navy took Love down. However, but he never touched bottom. He rolled over a tackler, bounced up on his feet and sped all the way to the end zone for a sudden, 28-10, lead. Desperate to stay in the game, Navy went for first on fourth and two from their 33. Woodson came up a yard short. On one long pass over the middle against a slower secondary, Carr struck KK Smith in the end zone to widen the lead, 35-10. More of the same followed.
Navy went three-and-out and12 yards back, before punting from their 13. With no-huddles and from the shotgun, Notre Dame scored in six plays on a 49-yard drive before the third ended. Carr connected with TE Ty Washington for a four-yard score. The Fighting Irish dominated.
Notre Dame follows through to finish
The snow swirled, the wind blew harder, and the stands started to empty. Our group decided enough was enough. We had to catch a shuttle back to our tailgate lot and hit the slushy road back to our VRBO in Goshen- about a 40-minute ride.
After we left, QB Kenny Minchey stepped in for Carr. The Sophomore lives near some of us who came up from Middle Tennessee where he quarterbacked nearby Pope John Paul 2 High School in Hendersonville. He led the Irish on a nine-play, 93-yard drive capped by Aneyas Williams’ 54-yard TD run. Final score, Notre Dame 49 Navy 10. We had hoped that the Mids would have put on a better showing than they had last year. Rather difficult when basically millionaire athletes compete against government employees who haven’t gotten a paycheck since the shutdown. Quite challenging even if the government didn’t shut down this year. Next year, these two will meet again in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
At least our tailgate was great!
We attended and tailgated with friends who visited South Bend to see a Notre Dame game here on campus for the first time and some who had attended with us before. Afterward on Facebook, Will Bresznyak admitted a game at ND was on his “bucket list.” Traveling from Tennessee (originally from Brooklyn, NY) he drove up with some of our other Brother Knights of Coumbus from Lebanon, TN: Ed Conrads (also an original Jersey guy) and Scott Schell, our Grand Knight. Both also visited Notre Dame for the first time. Scott is one of the best BBQ-ers we’ve gotten to know since moving to Tennessee. He brought venison burgers and did his masterful grilling for all of us in the Blue Lot.
Also joining us from New Jersey came Les Di Vite, Bell Serafin and Steve Cielsa. All had attended Notre Dame with us for games here before. Also, they’ve tailgated with us in Annapolis and at several ArmyNavy venues. On Friday, we toured the campus – the Grotto, the bookstore, the stadium, admin building and even the Notre Dame Knights of Columbus Council 1477 Hall. Disappointed to see artwork with Christopher Columbus covered up though the tapestries were supposed to be removed per the schedule noted nearby. We also met up with Bill’s son Stephen who received his master’s degree here and Bill’s two grandchildren. As traditionally provided by Bill at the tailgates or Polar Bear Plunges for Special Olympics, he brought Jameson for the pregame party.
First time for all of us in Goshen, Indiana: convenient to visit Notre Dame
Les’s brother, Al, traveled up joining us from North Carolina where he’s retired. He stays busy training and keeping horses, mules and donkeys. However, he was very confused. He thought the Navy mascot was a mule. He had to be straightened out. First time here for Al, who subscribes and follows Notre Dame Blue and Gold religiously. Mike, another friend of Bill’s, enjoyed his experience in the land of the Irish as well. Frank Rafferty who coached our sons and other kids with me for many years in baseball in Byram Twp. NJ, came along for the first time. In the past, I’d have to send him pictures or video of the Notre Dame band. That’s his favorite. He also got to come up with his brother earlier this season for his first time at the Purdue game.
The first time we all got together, we met at The Linebacker Lounge, adjacent to the ND campus. A visit there became a tradition there many years ago when we first went. All had a great time at our VRBO in Goshen about 40 minutes from South Bend. We enjoyed favorite foods, snacks, a pretty good Mexican restaurant nearby (El Zocado), a coffee shop-bakery (Chocolatte) and watching pro and college games in the evenings. Some heard loud train freight horns not far from us overnight – but not all of us. Good time with a great bunch of guys, many meeting for the first time, for a memorable football weekend at Notre Dame.
Coming up in WEEK Twelve
Notre Dame visits No. 24 Pitt (7-2, 5-1) for a noon start Saturday. Only two more ACC foes await the Fighting Irish after – Syracuse (3-7, 1-6) and Stanford (2-5, 1-6). We plan to get to a few College Football Playoff (CFP) games. The Irish have a good shot. We may see them again.
Navy returns for a tough home match against No. 25 South Florida (7-2. 4-1). The Bulls and then a road trip to play Memphis (8-2, 4-2) on Thanksgiving Day evening lie ahead for the Mids. If Horvath returns healthy, they will welcome the senior back for a shot at the American Conference Championship. Two wins by Navy here may get them into the AAC title game, but other teams with one conference loss each – Tulane, North Texas and East Carolina – will all have some influence regarding that title game. We may go depending on travel options for Friday, December 5. We will definitely see the Mids again when they clash with Archrival Army in Baltimore on December 13 in Baltimore for their 126th meeting.
Oh, on to Wake Forest!!
We head to Wake Forest to our annual event with our Demon Deacon friend, Jim “Bugaluga” Harton. With he and his fellow Demon Deacon Alum, we’ll be cheering against the UNC Tar Heels against first-year HC Bill Belichick. He’s mainly the reason we requested to attend this one. In our long history, the Deacs stand at 12-2 in our presence. They stood undefeated in our presence up until a late 62-59 loss in 2019 to Louisville and Lamar Jackson.
At that game, my Wake Forest nickname changed from “10 and Oh Koreivo” to “10 and almost Oh.” When I first met these Deacon fanatics, all with designated nicknames since their college days over 40 years ago, they could not believe anyone had seen their alma mater play eight games and win them all! “Nobody has ever done that,” they all insisted. Thus, my WFU moniker bestowed upon me became “Eight and Oh Koreivo.” They are still impressed with the record despite the two recent losses.
In 2023, Florida State finally dominated them to stall my record at 11-2. Seeing a win over NC A&T last year provided win No. 12 (hey, all the Power Fives do it!). With Belichick, a win here would be more rewarding as “13 and almost Oh” for this celebrated part of our history. Go Deacs!
Speaking of things no one else has ever done before! Read all about it!!
Click on the title about this life-long adventure: Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun, and the Ugly on Amazon.com. Among 729 college games attended to date, we’ve seen all 136 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams play in person at least once. This tells our story! Read the reviews on the book page and get your copy today. If you’re trying to follow NILs and transfer portals, read what we predicted in 2023 and more. You’ll see we know what we’re talking about.
In addition, we offered solutions to issues occurring that we anticipated when we wrote this book. Based on our game story above, this fun, unique life-long Journey continues. Catch up on the last 45 years, and then please submit a review. We hope you will get a “kick” out of our great adventure over the years! Who else can say that? Continue to come back and follow our current and future adventures. Bowls and play-off games lie ahead for the rest of this season. Thanks for checking this out!
