The Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry is the longest running college football series between two teams not in the same conference.[2] The 2007 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team began the season with a 33–3 loss to Georgia Tech. It was the most lopsided loss Notre Dame had ever suffered in a season-opening game.[3] Notre Dame then lost to Penn State,[4]Michigan (tying Notre Dame's worst-ever loss at 38–0),[5]Michigan State,[6] and Purdue[7] It was the first time in school history for Notre Dame to open the season with five losses. Notre Dame's worst opening before 2007 was 0–3.[8]
The Fighting Irish snapped their losing streak with a win at UCLA but then lost to Boston College and USC to fall to 1–7. With only four regular season games remaining, Notre Dame was assured of a losing season and they were out of contention for a bowl game.
The 2007 Navy Midshipmen football team was off to a better start. They had achieved victories against Temple, Duke, Air Force, and Pittsburgh. Losses against Rutgers, Ball State, Wake Forest, and Delaware put them 4–4 on the season. With four games remaining in the season, Navy needed to win at least two in order to be invited to a bowl game. The Poinsettia Bowl had arranged for the Midshipmen to play in that bowl if they reached six wins.[9]
At the time, both teams played NCAADivision I FBS football as independent teams, unaffiliated with any conference. The game was televised nationally by NBC, which has the exclusive TV broadcast rights to Notre Dame home games.
Game summary
Notre Dame made the first score of the game, a 3-yard touchdown run by Robert Hughes. It was the only score of the first quarter. Each team scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter, to give the Irish a 21–14 lead at halftime.[10]
Navy scored a touchdown in the third quarter but they missed the potential game-tying extra point. It was the only score of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Navy's Chris Kuhar-Pitters collected a fumble at the Notre Dame 16 yard line and ran it in for a touchdown. Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada rushed for the two-point conversion to take a 28–21 lead – their first of the game. Notre Dame tied the score with a touchdown. The game eventually went to overtime,[10] with the aid of a questionable decision from Irish head coach Charlie Weis: With 45 seconds left in regulation, Notre Dame faced a fourth-and-8 on the Navy 24; instead of attempting a 41-yard field goal that could have won the game, Weis opted to go for the first down. The gamble backfired in spectacular fashion when Navy sacked quarterback Evan Sharpley, with Midshipmen linebacker Ram Vela literally leaping over a blocker to assist in the sack.[11]
In the first overtime, Notre Dame won the coin toss and elected to go on defense. Navy scored a touchdown and their extra point was good. The Irish replied with a touchdown and extra point to bring up the second overtime. This time, each team scored a field goal, necessitating a third overtime.[10]
NCAA rules stipulate that, beginning with the third overtime, teams may not kick an extra point after making a touchdown; instead, they must go for a two-point conversion. Navy went to the air; Reggie Campbell caught a 25-yard pass from Kaheaku-Enhada on their first play from scrimmage. Kaheaku-Enhada threw again to Campbell for the successful two-point conversion. Notre Dame also scored a touchdown on their possession. Their first attempt at the conversion ended in an incomplete pass, but Navy was called for pass interference on the play.[1] The Irish got a second chance at the conversion, this time from the 1+1⁄2-yard line instead of the 3. They opted for a running play, but Navy stuffed the attempt at the line of scrimmage.[10] That gave Navy the 46–44 win.[12]
Analysis
The game ended the longest streak for most consecutive wins by one team over another in college football. Prior to the game, Notre Dame had achieved 43 straight wins against Navy since the last loss in 1963, when Roger Staubach was quarterback for Navy.[13] The game was the fifth straight home loss for the Irish, establishing a new school record.[1]
After the game, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis was asked whether the game, following Notre Dame's 38–0 loss to USC, was a low point for the Fighting Irish. He said, "A low point is when you get beat 38–0. That's a low point. A low point is when the game is going OK and one team is pulling away from you and making plays when you're not making plays. The low point for me is we didn't win the game."[1]
Navy coach Paul Johnson said, "It's a big win for our program. It's a big win for the academy. I'm happy I don't have to answer anything else about the streak every time we play."[1] Weis, on the other-hand, was not bothered by being the coach of the team that allowed Navy to end the streak. He said the 43-year winning streak had no meaning to him or his team.[1]
ESPN reported, "For Notre Dame, it was its school-record fifth straight home loss, another low point in a season of lows."[1]
With this streak broken, the Kentucky Wildcats held the two longest active losing streaks to an annual opponent in Division I FBS. Their streak of 22 losses to Tennessee at that time[14] reached 26 before the Wildcats ended that streak on November 26, 2011.[15] The Wildcats' losing streak against Florida, which was 20 at the end of the 2006 season[14] and 21 by the time of this Navy–Notre Dame game,[16] ended in 2018 at 31 games. Temple had a 31-game losing streak to Penn State in a series played discontinuously since 1941, though it ended in 2015.
^ abcdefg"Notre Dame's NCAA-record 43-game win streak over Navy ends". ESPN. November 3, 2007. from the original on November 5, 2007. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
^. und.cstv.com. November 10, 2005. Archived from the original on September 10, 2007. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
^"Yellow Jackets shut down, nearly shut out Irish". ESPN. September 1, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2007.
^"Nittany Lions' defense punishes Clausen in Notre Dame debut". ESPN. September 8, 2007. Retrieved September 11, 2007.
^"Michigan has Hart, much more in rout of winless ND". ESPN. September 15, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
^"Notre Dame goes 0–4 for the first time in school history". ESPN. September 22, 2007. from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
^"Notre Dame scores first passing TD but remains winless". ESPN. September 29, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
^. MSNBC. MSNBC. September 29, 2007. Archived from the original on October 29, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
^"Bowl Eligible Navy to Play in 2007 SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl". PoinsettiaBowl.net. San Diego County Credit Union. March 4, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2007.[permanent dead link]
^ abcd"Navy 46, Notre Dame 44 – Play by Play". ESPN. November 3, 2007. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
^Forde, Pat (November 6, 2007). "Forde-Yard Dash: Pac-10 vs. SEC debate continues to shape 2007 season". ESPN. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
^"Navy 46, Notre Dame 44 – Play by Play". ESPN. November 3, 2007. from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
^. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on September 18, 2009. Retrieved October 29, 2009.
^ ab(PDF). Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book. NCAA. 2007. p. 112. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 30, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
^Associated Press (November 26, 2011). "Kentucky ends 26-game skid vs. Tennessee, which will miss bowl". ESPN. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
^(PDF). GatorZone.com. August 10, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
March 12, 2023
2007, navy, notre, dame, football, game, ended, longest, time, college, football, consecutive, wins, streak, team, over, another, november, 2007, navy, midshipmen, defeated, notre, dame, fighting, irish, triple, overtime, notre, dame, home, field, notre, dame,. The 2007 Navy vs Notre Dame football game ended the longest all time college football consecutive wins streak by one team over another On November 3 2007 the Navy Midshipmen defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 46 44 in triple overtime at Notre Dame s home field Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend Indiana Notre Dame came into this annual game with 43 straight wins against Navy since the last loss against Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach in 1963 1 With the win Navy improved to 5 4 and Notre Dame fell to 1 8 on the season Navy snaps 43 year losing streakNon conference gameNavy Midshipmen Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4 4 1 7 46 44Head coach Paul Johnson Head coach Charlie Weis1234OT2OT3OT TotalNavy 01468738 46Notre Dame 71407736 44DateNovember 3 2007Season2007StadiumNotre Dame StadiumLocationSouth Bend Indiana U S National anthemBand of the Fighting IrishHalftime showBand of the Fighting IrishAttendance80 795United States TV coverageNetworkNBCAnnouncersTom Hammond Pat Haden and Alex Flanagan sideline Pre game warmups Contents 1 Leading into the game 2 Game summary 3 Analysis 4 See also 5 ReferencesLeading into the game EditThe Navy Notre Dame football rivalry is the longest running college football series between two teams not in the same conference 2 The 2007 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team began the season with a 33 3 loss to Georgia Tech It was the most lopsided loss Notre Dame had ever suffered in a season opening game 3 Notre Dame then lost to Penn State 4 Michigan tying Notre Dame s worst ever loss at 38 0 5 Michigan State 6 and Purdue 7 It was the first time in school history for Notre Dame to open the season with five losses Notre Dame s worst opening before 2007 was 0 3 8 The Fighting Irish snapped their losing streak with a win at UCLA but then lost to Boston College and USC to fall to 1 7 With only four regular season games remaining Notre Dame was assured of a losing season and they were out of contention for a bowl game The 2007 Navy Midshipmen football team was off to a better start They had achieved victories against Temple Duke Air Force and Pittsburgh Losses against Rutgers Ball State Wake Forest and Delaware put them 4 4 on the season With four games remaining in the season Navy needed to win at least two in order to be invited to a bowl game The Poinsettia Bowl had arranged for the Midshipmen to play in that bowl if they reached six wins 9 At the time both teams played NCAA Division I FBS football as independent teams unaffiliated with any conference The game was televised nationally by NBC which has the exclusive TV broadcast rights to Notre Dame home games Game summary EditNotre Dame made the first score of the game a 3 yard touchdown run by Robert Hughes It was the only score of the first quarter Each team scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to give the Irish a 21 14 lead at halftime 10 Navy scored a touchdown in the third quarter but they missed the potential game tying extra point It was the only score of the third quarter In the fourth quarter Navy s Chris Kuhar Pitters collected a fumble at the Notre Dame 16 yard line and ran it in for a touchdown Kaipo Noa Kaheaku Enhada rushed for the two point conversion to take a 28 21 lead their first of the game Notre Dame tied the score with a touchdown The game eventually went to overtime 10 with the aid of a questionable decision from Irish head coach Charlie Weis With 45 seconds left in regulation Notre Dame faced a fourth and 8 on the Navy 24 instead of attempting a 41 yard field goal that could have won the game Weis opted to go for the first down The gamble backfired in spectacular fashion when Navy sacked quarterback Evan Sharpley with Midshipmen linebacker Ram Vela literally leaping over a blocker to assist in the sack 11 In the first overtime Notre Dame won the coin toss and elected to go on defense Navy scored a touchdown and their extra point was good The Irish replied with a touchdown and extra point to bring up the second overtime This time each team scored a field goal necessitating a third overtime 10 NCAA rules stipulate that beginning with the third overtime teams may not kick an extra point after making a touchdown instead they must go for a two point conversion Navy went to the air Reggie Campbell caught a 25 yard pass from Kaheaku Enhada on their first play from scrimmage Kaheaku Enhada threw again to Campbell for the successful two point conversion Notre Dame also scored a touchdown on their possession Their first attempt at the conversion ended in an incomplete pass but Navy was called for pass interference on the play 1 The Irish got a second chance at the conversion this time from the 1 1 2 yard line instead of the 3 They opted for a running play but Navy stuffed the attempt at the line of scrimmage 10 That gave Navy the 46 44 win 12 Analysis EditThe game ended the longest streak for most consecutive wins by one team over another in college football Prior to the game Notre Dame had achieved 43 straight wins against Navy since the last loss in 1963 when Roger Staubach was quarterback for Navy 13 The game was the fifth straight home loss for the Irish establishing a new school record 1 After the game Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis was asked whether the game following Notre Dame s 38 0 loss to USC was a low point for the Fighting Irish He said A low point is when you get beat 38 0 That s a low point A low point is when the game is going OK and one team is pulling away from you and making plays when you re not making plays The low point for me is we didn t win the game 1 Navy coach Paul Johnson said It s a big win for our program It s a big win for the academy I m happy I don t have to answer anything else about the streak every time we play 1 Weis on the other hand was not bothered by being the coach of the team that allowed Navy to end the streak He said the 43 year winning streak had no meaning to him or his team 1 ESPN reported For Notre Dame it was its school record fifth straight home loss another low point in a season of lows 1 With this streak broken the Kentucky Wildcats held the two longest active losing streaks to an annual opponent in Division I FBS Their streak of 22 losses to Tennessee at that time 14 reached 26 before the Wildcats ended that streak on November 26 2011 15 The Wildcats losing streak against Florida which was 20 at the end of the 2006 season 14 and 21 by the time of this Navy Notre Dame game 16 ended in 2018 at 31 games Temple had a 31 game losing streak to Penn State in a series played discontinuously since 1941 though it ended in 2015 See also EditCollege football rules American football strategy Glossary of American football Most consecutive wins over one opponent NCAA football References Edit a b c d e f g Notre Dame s NCAA record 43 game win streak over Navy ends ESPN November 3 2007 Archived from the original on November 5 2007 Retrieved November 3 2007 Notre Dame And Navy Extend Series 10 More Years und cstv com November 10 2005 Archived from the original on September 10 2007 Retrieved May 5 2008 Yellow Jackets shut down nearly shut out Irish ESPN September 1 2007 Retrieved September 3 2007 Nittany Lions defense punishes Clausen in Notre Dame debut ESPN September 8 2007 Retrieved September 11 2007 Michigan has Hart much more in rout of winless ND ESPN September 15 2007 Retrieved September 15 2007 Notre Dame goes 0 4 for the first time in school history ESPN September 22 2007 Archived from the original on October 14 2007 Retrieved September 30 2007 Notre Dame scores first passing TD but remains winless ESPN September 29 2007 Retrieved September 30 2007 Irish drop to 0 5 after defeat to Purdue MSNBC MSNBC September 29 2007 Archived from the original on October 29 2007 Retrieved September 30 2007 Bowl Eligible Navy to Play in 2007 SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl PoinsettiaBowl net San Diego County Credit Union March 4 2007 Retrieved November 4 2007 permanent dead link a b c d Navy 46 Notre Dame 44 Play by Play ESPN November 3 2007 Retrieved November 3 2007 Forde Pat November 6 2007 Forde Yard Dash Pac 10 vs SEC debate continues to shape 2007 season ESPN Retrieved November 7 2007 Navy 46 Notre Dame 44 Play by Play ESPN November 3 2007 Archived from the original on November 6 2007 Retrieved November 3 2007 Navy stuns Notre Dame snaps 43 game skid NBC Sports Archived from the original on September 18 2009 Retrieved October 29 2009 a b Most Consecutive Wins Over a Major Opponent in an Uninterrupted Series PDF Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book NCAA 2007 p 112 Archived from the original PDF on September 30 2007 Retrieved November 7 2007 Associated Press November 26 2011 Kentucky ends 26 game skid vs Tennessee which will miss bowl ESPN Retrieved November 26 2011 History of Opponents PDF GatorZone com August 10 2007 Archived from the original PDF on September 27 2007 Retrieved August 10 2007 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2007 Navy vs Notre Dame football game amp oldid 1129891246, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
