October 22, 1994
By John Schoenig, The Scholastic 1994 Football Review
There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Even the longest of journeys starts with a single step.” If this is true, then Notre Dame took its first steps in the journey back to excellence against the Navy.
The game could not have come at a more critical point in the season. After disappointing losses to Boston College and Brigham Young, the Irish needed a good effort to boost their confidence. The result of the game was supposed to be lopsided and Notre Dame did not disappoint.
By beating the Midshipmen, Notre Dame extended its win streak in the annual match-up to 31, the longest current winning streak by one team over another in college football. In a series that has lasted through more than 10 presidencies and survived a World War, the Irish have held all of the artillery for the last three decades. In last year’s game the Irish actually trailed the midshipmen 24-17 at halftime. But there was no nail-biting this year, as Notre Dame shelled its way to 38-7 victory at intermission, and cruised the rest of the way.
Rebounding from two shocking losses, the Irish sought to use the Navy game for offensive target practice. The game, though expected to be an easy victory, was not insignificant for the Irish. Notre Dame needed a successful campaign to boost its prospects for the rest of the season in which it would face three formidable opponents.
Greater significance aside, the game itself could not have gone better for the Irish, as they used a mixed attack to blast their way for 477 total yards. The game’s quarterback arsenal included Tom Krug and freshmen Leon Blunt and Gus Ornstein. All four quarter backs threw for 210 yards on 22 attempts. But the real offensive story of the day was Emmett Mosley, who had a career-high 84 yards and four touchdowns. The four scores were the most since Anthony Johnson scored four times against none other than Navy in 1987. But Mosley did a lot more than score touchdowns and carry the ball. The speedster caught a pass, returned six punts and a kickoff, all for big yardage.
But while Mosley took the spotlight, Powlus was a story once again. Often labeled as fragile and afraid to get hit, the young phenom was hobbled by a first-half ankle injury, not to mention a groin injury that bothered him earlier in the week. He missed two series with the sprained ankle, but returned with a fire about him, and he drove the Irish to three touchdowns and a field goal before he departed. When the smoke had cleared, Notre Dame had scored 51 unanswered points and had earned its fifth and arguably most crucial victory of the season. ‘
‘The game was basically over at halftime,” Holtz said.
On the defensive side, the Irish held the Midshipmen to 24 yards on the ground and only 186 total yards. Notre Dame even managed to post its first points on defense this year, after a second quarter interception by Alton Maiden was returned for a touchdown.
”The quarterback didn’t have anybody to throw to.” said Maiden, “He threw it up for grabs, and I took it I had ahead start to the end zone, and I was just praying to God not to get caught. All I thought was this could be my only chance for a touchdown, don’t blow it.”
Although the Irish showcased their talent throughout the game, it was necessary for Holtz to keep the game in perspective. He said, “I thought we played well offensively and defensively. Navy started out very strong. We just had too many athletes for them.” Indeed, Navy was not expected to give the Irish much of a challenge, as they were ranked last in rushing offense and had given up an average of 44 points per game coming into the match-up. Overall, however, the Irish effort against Navy exhibited the potential that everyone had expected to see.
When Holtz looked at the progress of the team, hesitated,”I don’t think you can give an evaluation. I do think we are a better team offensively. I know we are a better team now than we were two weeks ago. I know we’ve got to get better.” The climb back through the polls had to start somewhere, and the game against Navy was as good a place to start as anywhere else.