DUBLIN, Ireland. — Navy scored 24 points in the fourth quarter including the game-winning field goal to beat Notre Dame 45-42 in Dublin this weekend. The Midshipmen gained 461 rushing yards including a 45-yard sprint by the quarterback to set up the 22-yard kick. Coach LaPrince Frye was pleased with the offense in the last period.

“The defense had played really well up to that point, they just hadn’t been able to finish off drives. In the entire second half, really, we were able to play full series and get Notre Dame’s offense off the field. They only ran about 12 or 15 plays on the entire second half, which allowed our offense to get back on the field and come up with some big runs to get us within reach. Our halftime adjustments really came through big for us in this one.”

Down 35-21 in the third quarter, the Midshipmen never showed any signs of quitting and relied heavily on Coach Frye to keep them motivated.

“We were sending our offense back out there after an awful sequence where we’d given up a fumble 6, scored, and then gave up a back breaker of a TD. I told the offense to go score while I huddled with the defense and stressed to them the importance of closing out the next drive and playing hard for the next quarter and half to have a chance at winning.”

Navy’s kicker, Graham “Boot” McDonnell, was almost the lower-case goat, having missed a tackle on the previous kick return to allow Notre Dame to score and tie the game. Coach Frye spoke to Boot’s ability to rally from that tough break and focus for the final moments.

“…To be fair to Boot, I don’t ever expect my kicker to make a tackle. But he came off the field after that pretty heartbroken and I’ve got to give him and Fang, Aaron “Fang” Foley, my offensive coordinator, a lot of credit. Fang went right over to him when he came off the field and said “we’re going to give you a f***ing chance” and really built him back up for the kick.”

LaPrince wiped a few tears (or possibly Gatorade?) from his eyes as he praised his squad’s ability to stay in the game and keep fighting until the final whistle.

“I’m a very positive minded coach and I’m very proud of how my team showed the fire and kept their heads up in a situation where many players would have quit. Nothing seemed to be going right for the first 2.5 quarters, especially on defense, but they fought through it and ultimately triumphed. I’m incredibly proud of them.”

Notre Dame Head Coach Hingle McCringleberry was happy with the offensive production from his Irish today.

“In the past we’ve struggled to start strong on offense and today we did a really good job of getting consistent offense and hitting on some home run plays. The run game got consistent yards and helped the offense stay on the field.”

Coach McCringleberry is a veteran of Fake College Football and spoke about improvements that needed to be made on the defensive side of the ball.

“The defense just couldn’t get off the field in the 4th. They caused a few turnovers but unfortunately we didn’t play 4 whole quarters. That’s been the issue all year. We either start slow and just don’t have enough time to catch up or just can’t finish games. We’re close but just can’t finish.”

Notre Dame faces Army next week and McCringleberry was well aware of the criticism being thrown his way after the 0-4 start to the season.

“We’re the best 0-4 team in the country and all we have to go is play 4 quarters and I like our chances. They [Army] are a good team and it won’t be easy but these guys put in the work and deserve to get a win but the on-field play just hasn’t translated. It’s tough but we’re on to Army. Another chance to win. Another chance to prove that we belong on the field with any team.”

Navy improves to 3-1 on the year and will face Tulsa next week.