6 turnovers dashed Navy's hopes

Notre Dame defeated Navy in its own game on Saturday by playing clean football and keeping mistakes to a minimum, a constant key to victory over Navy and usually a strength of the Midshipmen. What was most impressive to me was the way Notre Dame started this game in the first two series.

The Irish scored an offensive touchdown on the first series of the game, recovered a Navy fumble on their first offensive attempt, and scored another touchdown shortly thereafter to take a 14-0 lead. From this point on, the Navy was put under pressure as they had lost control of the game after just a few minutes.

Rejection of the general post-game narrative

Much of the immediate reaction after the game focused on Navy's “unforced errors” on all of its turnover errors. I'm not sure I agree with this. Doesn’t Notre Dame deserve credit for in some way leading to these turnovers?

Notre Dame is by far the most athletic, talented and deep roster Navy has faced this year, and I believe that had something to do with their mistakes.

Irish players were able to make plays and wreak havoc that the Midshipmen's first six opponents were physically unable to do.

It seemed to me like Navy was a little upset that Notre Dame's defenders were quicker and more athletic than they were used to, and that caused some hesitation. This hesitation, even just a millisecond, is enough to cause disaster on a football field. Sure, the Navy made mistakes, but the Irish led the midshipmen to them.

For more Irish news and notes, follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on YouTube and/or your favorite audio podcast provider.

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