The 2023 college football season kicked off with a tough blunder on Saturday when Navy took on Notre Dame in a matinee from Ireland.
With under five minutes to go in the first quarter and the Fighting Irish leading 7-0, the Midshipmen tried to convert on a fourth-down attempt from the opposing 37-yard line to get on the scoreboard in Dublin.
What started as a solid bootleg play with an open look down the far sideline ended as an incomplete pass as two of Navy’s players — Amin Hassan and Camari Williams — collided in an attempt to catch the long pass from quarterback Tai Lavatai on the first pass of the Midshipmen’s season.
The ball hung up in the air and both could’ve conceivably reeled in the the pass, but they ran into each other and the ball fell to the ground, and Notre Dame took over on downs.
Notre Dame took advantage of the slip-up without hesitation, charging down the field in a seven-play, 63-yard drive ending in a rushing touchdown for Jadarian Price.
After a few down years, Navy — under the new guide of head coach Brian Newberry — is looking to avoid a fourth straight season with fewer than five wins.
Navy’s last winning record came in 2019 when the Midshipmen went 11-2 and finished the year with a Liberty Bowl win over Kansas State.