No. 5 Notre Dame Pulls Away From Navy 35-13 After Trailing Late in the First Half

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — No. 5 Notre Dame beat Navy 35-13 on Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, after trailing late in the first half and then scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half.

CJ Carr completed 19 of 29 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns, according to the Associated Press. Nolan James Jr. carried nine times for 107 yards and two touchdowns, and Notre Dame finished with 426 yards of offense.

Navy led 13-7 with 1:52 left in the first half after quarterback Jackson Gutierrez scored on a 2-yard run. James answered with a 52-yard touchdown run with 55 seconds left before halftime, putting Notre Dame ahead 14-13.

Navy held the ball for 23 minutes and 33 seconds in the first half, according to Sports Michiana, and Notre Dame had only three possessions before halftime, holding the ball for 6 minutes and 27 seconds, according to the Associated Press.

Three straight scores after halftime

Notre Dame took the second-half kickoff and drove 78 yards, with freshman Jonaz Walton scoring on a 3-yard run to make it 21-13. After a Navy punt, James scored on a 23-yard run for a 28-13 lead.

Jerome Bettis Jr. caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Carr five seconds into the fourth quarter. It was his first career touchdown catch, and he finished with six catches for 78 yards.

Gutierrez rushed 28 times for 110 yards for Navy (2-6), which has not beaten Notre Dame since 2016. The win moved Notre Dame to 7-1 and was its ninth straight win in the series, in the 99th meeting between the teams.

Miami visits South Bend next

Notre Dame returns home to face No. 1 Miami next Saturday night in South Bend. Navy hosts Temple next Saturday.

Reporting based on coverage by the Associated Press and Sports Michiana.