High Marks for Hinish

Every year when Notre Dame faces Navy, Irish fans moan and groan about Navy’s preference for using the triple option. This offensive scheme has given Irish defensive coordinators fits and starts in the past, but not so much this year. ND’s DC, Marcus Freeman faced Navy quite often when he coached at Cincinnati so he put in a slightly different lineup with Jack Kiser in the safety position which kept the Navy offense pretty much under control. Besides a great game for Kiser, a big part of that containment came from the highly dependable, 5th year defensive lineman, Kurt Hinish. Against Navy, Hinish led the defense with a total of 10 tackles, 8 solos and 2 assists with 1 quarterback sack. Throughout his career at Notre Dame, Kurt Hinish has played in almost every game, and for his efforts on Saturday, he was rewarded with the game ball.

The game got off to a very slow start for the Irish offense. It was the first time this season that they were held scoreless in the 1st quarter. Jonathan Doerer finally got the Irish on the scoreboard with a field goal in the 2nd quarter. Jack Coan had a solid day at quarterback going 23-29 for 269 yards and 1 touchdown. On the receiving end of 6 of those passes was Kevin Austin, Jr. who made an amazing 70-yard TD reception from Coan at the very end of the 2nd quarter. Tyler Buchner only had a total of 20 yards passing and rushing but was able to lead the Irish down the field to set up the first touchdown for the Irish on a one yard run by Kyren Williams.

The second half belonged to the Irish who scored another 17 points in the 4th quarter including a safety. Unfortunately, Avery Davis tore his left ACL in the 4th quarter and will be lost to the Irish for the remainder of the season. Notre Dame was able to finish off the game with a 34-6 win over the Midshipmen.

Of course, the most impressive part of this annual meeting is the respect these two outstanding academic institutions display for one another by standing shoulder to shoulder as they sing each school’s alma mater at the conclusion of the game. It is truly an impressive sight. Next year, the Irish will travel to Baltimore to take on the Naval Academy, but in 2023 both schools will return to Dublin, Ireland! Start saving your pennies now!

Next Saturday, 11-13, the Irish will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia to take on the Cavaliers of UVA. The game will be broadcast on ABC at 7:30 PM.