There’s no questioning the abilities of Notre Dame’s defense, especially with a head coach who used to play on that side of the ball in college. If this unit can play at even a decent clip, everyone will know Marcus Freeman is doing his job.

While everyone is talking about Sam Hartman as the quarterback, some might be forgetting the defense continues to be the Irish’s hallmark. One season of Hartman will not change that.

Also not worth questioning is Navy’s run-heavy offense doesn’t operate like a college football offense from this century. It’s not uncommon for the Midshipmen to employ more than one quarterback in any given game. Somehow, the program remains respectable in spite of this, so there’s no urgency in having to fix anything.

Here’s a look at how the Irish’s defense and the Midshipmen’s offense match up according to their 2022 numbers:

Passing yards/game

Notre Dame ranked 23rd nationally with 198 passing yards allowed a game.

Navy ranked 128th nationally with 85.7 passing yards a game.

Passing yards/attempt

Notre Dame tied for 23rd nationally with 6.5 passing yards allowed an attempt.

Navy tied for 27th nationally with 8.2 passing yards an attempt.

Rushing yards/game

Notre Dame ranked 36th nationally with 131.3 allowed rushing yards a game.

Navy ranked fourth nationally with 241.2 rushing yards a game.

Rushing yards/carry

Notre Dame tied for 52nd nationally with 3.92 yards allowed a carry.

Navy tied for 71st nationally with 4.09 yards a carry.

Points/game

Notre Dame ranked 38th nationally with 23 points allowed a game.

Navy ranked 104th nationally with 21.9 points a game.

Story originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire