Most of the talk revolving around the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this week has been related to last week's loss to the USC Trojans, but they're presumably focusing on this Saturday's match-up against the Navy Midshipmen. The Irish had a four-game winning streak snapped in Southern California last Saturday, as the Trojans handed them a rough 31-17 defeat.
The Irish hope to bounce back this week against a far less intimidating Navy team, one that doesn't boast a potentially NFL-caliber quarterback/wide receiver combination like the one they saw last week in Matt Barkley and Robert Woods. This week presents an entirely different challenge for the Irish, though, as the Midshipmen actually boast the nation's No. 3 running offense.
Led by running quarterback Kriss Proctor and a variety of running backs, mainly Alexander Teich, Gee Gee Greene, John Howell and Delvin Diggs, Navy is currently averaging about 325 yards per game on the ground. They're also one of the nation's weakest passing offenses and they give up more than 30 points per game, which explains how you can get 325 rushing yards per game and win just twice in seven games.
It's worth noting that Proctor is expected to miss the game, though, so the Midshipmen will presumably be led by his back-up, Trey Miller. Miller appeared in last week's game against East Carolina, throwing two touchdowns but averaging less than three yards per carry on the ground.
For more on this match-up, check out One Foot Down, SB Nation's Notre Dame football blog.