FinalNeutral site · Gillette Stadium

Notre Dame 35, Navy 13

October 31, 2026 · Foxborough, Massachusetts · Notre Dame improves to 7–1

Notre Dame

Fighting Irish

7–1

Final—Final

Navy

Midshipmen

2–6

Final verified: October 31, 2026 · 4:47 PM ET. The score, statistics, leaders, and chronology were checked against Notre Dame’s official recap and cross-checked with independent AP coverage.

Official Notre Dame recap ↗Independent recap ↗

The story in Foxborough

Four straight touchdown drives turned a scare into a statement.

Navy led 13–7 late in the first half, but Nolan James Jr. broke a 52-yard touchdown run before halftime and Notre Dame controlled the second half to win 35–13 at Gillette Stadium.

Navy made the first half uncomfortable. The Midshipmen scored first, regained the lead with 1:52 remaining before halftime, and used their ground game to keep Notre Dame from establishing an easy rhythm.

The response came immediately. James broke through for 52 yards only 57 seconds after Navy’s touchdown, sending the Irish to halftime ahead 14–13. Notre Dame then opened the second half with three more consecutive touchdown possessions: Jonaz Walton from three yards, James from 23, and CJ Carr to Jerome Bettis Jr. for 31.

The defense finished the work. Navy was held to 56 yards after halftime, failed on all four second-half third downs, and never scored again.

Score by quarter

Navy led twice in the first half. Notre Dame took the lead before halftime and scored 21 unanswered points after the break.

Team statistics

Notre Dame’s passing advantage and clean football helped overcome Navy’s productive rushing total.

Category	Notre Dame	Navy

How the game unfolded

The afternoon moved from a one-possession first-half test to four consecutive Notre Dame touchdown drives.

Stat leaders

James supplied the explosive turn, Carr threw two touchdowns without an interception, and Bettis recorded his first Notre Dame touchdown catch.

What decided it

The score changed before halftime. The game changed after it.

Four straight possessions

The Irish offense found a finishing rhythm

James’s 52-yard run started a stretch in which Notre Dame scored touchdowns on four consecutive possessions.

56 second-half yards

The defense eliminated Navy’s momentum

After 189 first-half yards, Navy managed only 56 after halftime and went 0-for-4 on third down.

Zero turnovers

Notre Dame stayed patient

The Irish did not hand Navy a short field or an extra possession while the game was still tight.

A rivalry larger than one result

The 99th meeting carried the history of a series built on competition, friendship, and Notre Dame’s lasting gratitude to the Naval Academy.

Series

Notre Dame and Navy met for the 99th time.

Gillette Stadium became the newest neutral stage for one of college football’s most meaningful annual traditions.

Respect

The relationship remains the foundation.

Navy’s role in helping Notre Dame remain open during World War II gives the series a meaning that extends far beyond the scoreboard.

Result

Notre Dame moves to 7–1.

The Irish rebounded from the BYU loss and now return home for a rivalry game under the national spotlight.

Next: Miami and a national spotlight

Miami visits Notre Dame Stadium on November 7. Kickoff is 7:30 PM ET on NBC and Peacock—and ESPN College GameDay will begin its show from South Bend at 9:00 AM ET.

GameDay details are still developing.

The show is confirmed for South Bend. ESPN had not yet announced the exact campus set location or fan-access details when this page was updated.

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Read the source reports

Official and independent postgame reporting, the rivalry background, and next-game information remain available at their original sources.

About this game story

Score, statistics, leaders, and chronology come from Notre Dame’s official recap and were cross-checked with independent AP coverage. The postgame assessment is a fact-based editorial interpretation. For later corrections, use the official Notre Dame recap.

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