No. 5 Notre Dame overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Navy 35-13 on Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, extending their winning streak in the series to nine games. The Fighting Irish (7-1) were led by quarterback CJ Carr, who threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Nolan James Jr. contributed two long touchdown runs of 52 and 23 yards. Notre Dame’s offense totaled 426 yards, marking their fifth game this season with at least 400 yards gained.

After trailing Navy 13-7 late in the first half, Notre Dame mounted a swift response, scoring on their final possession before the break with James’ 52-yard touchdown run. The Irish seized control in the third quarter, putting together successive scoring drives capped by a 3-yard touchdown run from Jonaz Walton and another rushing touchdown by James. Jerome Bettis Jr. also caught a 31-yard touchdown pass, further extending Notre Dame’s lead.

Navy (2-6) relied heavily on quarterback Jackson Gutierrez, who rushed 28 times for 110 yards and scored a 2-yard touchdown late in the second quarter to give the Midshipmen a brief lead. However, the Navy offense stalled in the second half, managing only 56 total yards as Notre Dame’s defense tightened its grip. Despite coming in as more than 29-point underdogs, Navy’s ground game initially controlled possession in the first half, limiting Notre Dame to just three offensive drives and 6:27 of possession time before halftime.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, who celebrated his 50th career win with this game, emphasized the importance of maintaining composure. He credited the team’s ability to stay calm and rely on fundamental execution as key to overcoming Navy’s varied option spread offense. Freeman noted that the defensive adjustments in the second half were critical to containing Navy’s attack.

The victory marked Notre Dame’s first game back after a bye week, which Carr said provided the chance to rest and mentally reset. Looking ahead, the Fighting Irish prepare for a challenging matchup against top-ranked Miami.

Navy, which has struggled to secure wins in the series since 2016, suffered its second neutral-site defeat this season, having lost to Army previously in Foxborough. The Midshipmen’s effort was highlighted by Gutierrez’s dual-threat performance, but they were ultimately unable to sustain offensive momentum against a resilient Notre Dame defense.