Notre Dame Sinks Navy 41st Straight Time

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Posted 5:33PM on Saturday, October 16, 2004

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Notre Dame's size and speed took all the drama out of its 41st straight victory over Navy. Ryan Grant ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns for the Fighting Irish, who had little trouble extending their NCAA record winning streak against the Midshipmen with a 27-9 victory Saturday. Navy (5-1) came in unbeaten with hopes of finally ending four decades of futility against the Irish. Adding to the optimism for the Midshipmen was their performances against Notre Dame the past two season. The Irish needed late-game heroics in both to extend the streak. Grant, quarterback Brady Quinn and Notre Dame's dominant lines wrapped this one up early for the Irish. Notre Dame (5-2) needed two possessions to take a 14-0 lead and went into halftime up 17-0, having allowed Navy's triple-option attack to break midfield at Giants Stadium just once. The Midshipmen got their ground game going on the first drive of the second half, marching 81 yards without throwing a pass. But Navy stalled and settled for a field goal to make it 17-3. Kyle Eckel finished with 102 yards on 22 rushes for Navy, but playing from behind just doesn't suit the Midshipmen. Navy completed 3 of 6 passes for 44 yards. Navy came in averaging 267 yards rushing, but the Irish were too strong, too athletic and too disciplined. Led by defensive tackles Greg Pauly and Derek Landri, Notre Dame had six sacks and held the Midshipmen to 216 yards on 61 rushes. Navy's only touchdown came on a late 5-yard run by Frank Divis. Notre Dame showed off its version of power football on its first drive of the second half. The Irish went 73 yards on 13 plays throwing just two short passes. Grant, from nearby Nyack, N.Y., accounted for 64 yards on the drive - 55 on nine rushes. He skipped into the end zone from a yard out to make it 24-3 late in the third quarter. Navy fumbled the ball away on its next play from scrimmage to set up a 20-yard field goal by D.J. Fitzpatrick that made it 27-3. Roger Staubach directed the last Navy win over Notre Dame in 1963, his Heisman Trophy year. While there have been a few tight games since, this game was more indicative of the typical Notre Dame-Navy affair. During the streak, Notre Dame has won 34 times by double digits. The next longest active winning streak between two teams is Nebraska's 36 in a row over Kansas. Notre Dame opened the game with an 81-yard drive that couldn't have gone more smoothly. Quinn completed his first two throws for 37 yards and Marcus Wilson, a third-stringer from New York City, scored his first career touchdown on a 33-yard run through a huge opening on the left side. Notre Dame's second possession went much like the first, with Quinn hooking up with Matt Shelton for 30 yards to the Navy 20 and Grant handling the rest on the ground. The senior tailback went 19 yards off tackle, then bounced to the outside for a 1-yard run that made 14-0. Quinn finished 11-for-20 for 130 yards and Notre Dame didn't turn the ball over. Navy managed only 95 yards in the first half, all on the ground. Notre Dame balanced its attack with 110 on the ground and 116 through the air. The Fighting Irish added a 47-yard field goal by D.J. Fitzpatrick late in the second quarter for a 17-0 halftime lead and their annual win over Navy was all but secured.