East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) – Ricky Dobbs rushed for three touchdowns to lead the Navy Midshipmen to an impressive, 35-17 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a non-conference matchup at New Meadowlands Stadium.
Dobbs, who also threw a touchdown pass for Navy (5-2), finished with 90 rushing yards and another 71 yards through the air. The biggest threat out of the backfield other than Dobbs was Alexander Teich, who rushed for 210 yards on 26 carries, and also hauled in Dobbs’ touchdown pass.
Dayne Crist had a rough outing for Notre Dame (4-4), as the quarterback was intercepted twice. Crist did finish with 178 yards and one touchdown in the losing effort.
The Midshipmen went 99 yards on just six plays to take a 7-0 advantage over Notre Dame midway through the opening stanza. The touchdown came from Dobbs, who connected with Teich for a 31-yard score.
The Fighting Irish got on the scoreboard late in the first quarter with a 45- yard field goal by David Ruffer.
Dobbs put the Midshipmen up 14-3 when he scored on a three-yard run early in the second frame.
Notre Dame continued to fight however, and with just over six minutes remaining in the first half Crist connected with T.J. Jones for a 16-yard touchdown.
However, in the final seconds of the second quarter, Gee Gee Greene scored on a nine-yard run to give Navy a 21-10 lead heading into the break.
The Midshipmen pushed their lead to 18 points on the their first possession of the second half when Dobbs capped off a seven-play, 77-yard drive with a nine- yard touchdown scamper.
The Midshipmen capitalized off of Crist’s second interception of the contest, by using their ground attack 10 consecutive plays. The final run was a one- yard score by Dobbs, which pushed Navy’s lead to 35-10.
Cierre Wood’s one-yard touchdown run midway through the final frame cut Notre Dame’s deficit to 35-17, but that would be the final score for the Fighting Irish, as their three-game winning streak was brought to an end.