On a blustery November day of -4 degrees wind chill, Notre Dame stopped Navy … Stone Cold

By Amanda Clinton

1991 Scholastic Football Review

Despite miserable weather, snow, wind and below normal temperatures, Homecoming Weekend continued. The parade with floats from every dorm still filed down Notre Dame Avenue and the pep rally, originally scheduled to be in the stadium was switched, with the appreciation of all, to the Joyce Athletic Center. Nevertheless; the spirit of Notre Dame was in the air at the Irish went head-to-head with the Navy Midshipmen

And the Irish, favored by 41 points, showed that the predictions were right on mark with decisive win of 38-0.

It seemed everyone knew it would be a blowout. Some people never even made it to the game because of the bitter weather. It was, after all, just Navy. It seemed the greatest challenge the fans had was not cheering on the team, but rather, staying warm.

However, to the players, there were different priorities in mind.

“People ask, ‘Was it hard to play Navy because they are not having a good season?”‘ said Irish defensive tackle Troy Ridgely. “The answer is ‘No,’ because Navy is one of our obstacles to overcome to reach our goals. And that is how we approached it.”

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises the team dished out was the lack of the running game and the domination of the passing game. Rick Mirer was able to gain more experience with the pass and showed the fans that he can have a consistent passing game.

“Notre Dame certainly has their share of big play makers. I admired their quarterback a lot before the game and I admire him more now that I saw what he did,” said Navy’s coach George Chaump. “He didn’t care about the wind, he didn’t care about the elements, he just went out their and did it when he had to do it He made some great completions at timely points in the game. And I think that was the difference.

“I think without Rick Mirer we could have been able to hang with them,” concluded Chaump.

In addition to displaying consistency with his throws, Mirer broke Notre Dame’s single-season touchdown passing record with 17. He leaped ahead of Joe Theismann’s 1970 season, John Huarte in 1964 and Bob Williams in 1949. Not only did Mirer break the Notre Dame single-season touchdown passing record, but he also set a personal high with 17 completions and 303 yards.

Other standout record breakers in the game were JeromeBettis, Tony Brooks, and Tony Smith. Bettis, for the sixth consecutive game, scored two touchdowns. Brooks, with 2064 career yards, moved up to seventh place on the Notre Dame all-time rushing list. Finally, Tony Smith, with 100 yards receiving, set a career high.

Another record was set by Reggie Brooks. At the end of the fourth quarter, sophomore Kevin McDougal checked in at quarterback. He pitched it to Brooks who took the ball right and charged up the right sidelines before stepping out at the 3-yard line. His 65-yard run was the longest by a Notre Dame player in 1991.

This game also marked the eleventh consecutive game Notre Dame had not given up a touchdown in the first period dating back to the Penn State game in 1990.

Navy took credit for the Notre Dame tendency to throw more than run. By pressuring the line, the opportunity opened up for the Irish to test the passing game.

“We were able to put a lot of pressure on their front line today, and I think that was a key to stopping their run,” said Navy linebacker Chris Beck. “We did an outstanding job stopping their backs and you can see that by them gaining only 60 yards in the first half. I think this shows that this Navy team can be a good one and that this one is really going to turn things around.”

Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz credited the passing success to a combination of factors rather than just the skill of Mirer.

“I thought that Rick Mirer did a nice job, but we protected the passer well,” said Holtz. “Our receivers caught the ball well for the most part. I thought our football team responded well.”

Despite Navy’s loss, the team kept a positive outlook regarding their devastating beating they received. One of the deciding factors in Navy’s loss was their inability to come through when they got close to the end zone.

“I felt we did a good job out there offensively today. We weren’t able to get outside as much as we did last year, because they did a good job adjusting their game,” said Navy quarterback Jason Van Matre. “They put their linebackers out wide and that pretty much stopped our option. We had some success when we went inside and we started to move, but it comes down to the fact that you have to score when you get inside the 20, and we weren’t able to do that.”

Although Navy was dismantled, the team and coach were proud of the pressure they put on the run. Navy felt that they forced the Irish to limit the game to throwing the ball in order to come up with the win.

“Our defensive line really reacted on the ball well,” said Beck. “We tied up their line which freed up the linebackers and enabled us to make the plays to stop the run.”

The brutal weather made it difficult for both teams. However, Notre Dame never let on that it was a problem. Despite high winds the Irish implemented the passing game and proved to be unstoppable to the Midshipmen.

“Days like this you just have to concentrate more,” said Tony Smith. “The adjustments come after the ball is in the air. You just have to see where the ball is headed, but you run your routes the same. The quarterback is the one who has to make the adjustments, but Rick didn’t seem to mind the conditions at all.”

It would have been bad enough to jog into any football stadium with snow falling and a wind whipping to create a windchill of -4. But to set foot in Notre Dame Stadium, with the crowd cheering for the other team and knowing the opponent is favored by 11 points had to be demoralizing. Navy faced this as they ran onto the field. However, the Midshipmen felt that the awful weather would work to their advantage, although the Irish proved that it would take a lot more than a few snowflakes or gusting winds to crumble under the clenches of the Midshipmen.

“Quite honestly, I was hoping for worse weather than it was, I was hoping that the wind would go up to about 60 mph,” said Chaump, who must have grown up in the Arctic Circle. “I was hoping that there would be a lot of snow and rain. I smiled all day when I saw the weather but it wasn’t enough to stop Notre Dame and Mirer … it wasn’t enough.”

Although the Notre Dame players seemed surprised at the emphasis on throwing the ball, so uncharacteristic of Notre Dame, the team adjusted well to the situation, even in the bad weather.

“I didn’t have any indication during the week how much we were going to run and how much we were going to pass,” said Tony Smith. ”The coaches are the ones calling the plays.”

The Navy game, although a blowout, proved to be more than any of the fans had bargained for. With the cold temperatures, many trickled out as early as the first quarter. However, there were those few devoted Notre Dame fans who showed their undying support by bearing the cold and sticking it out to the end.

“We knew the crowd wouldn’t really get into the ball game – they would be more concerned about keeping warm,” said a bemused Holtz. “But I’ll tell you what, the people who stayed until the end – now I don’t know who those people are – but there are a lot of people with dog sleds who would like them to run in the Iditarod for them. That impressed me as much as anything.”

The Irish showed that in the face of adversity, powerful winds, extreme temperatures and snow falling, the passing game can be just as successful as the running game. But a little snow and rain would prove to be an easier challenge than the other obstacles to come on the Irish schedule.