Navy football falls to Notre Dame 35-13 at Gillette Stadium

Navy led early and trailed by only a point at halftime, but Notre Dame pulled away with three second-half touchdowns and beat the Midshipmen 35-13 on Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Navy dropped to 2-6.

A competitive first half

Nolan Bartley's 38-yard field goal with 6:43 left in the first quarter gave Navy a 3-0 lead. Notre Dame answered on CJ Carr's 11-yard touchdown pass to Micah Gilbert with 1:47 left in the quarter to go up 7-3.

Bartley kicked a 26-yard field goal with 8:04 left in the second quarter to make it 7-6. Navy then went ahead 13-7 when Jackson Gutierrez ran in from 2 yards out with 1:52 left in the half. The drive covered 63 yards in 11 plays and took 5:38.

Notre Dame needed only five plays and 50 seconds to respond. Nolan James Jr. broke a 52-yard touchdown run with 55 seconds left before the break, and the Fighting Irish took a 14-13 lead into halftime.

Notre Dame pulls away

The second half belonged to the Fighting Irish. Jonaz Walton ran for a 3-yard touchdown with 9:15 left in the third quarter to make it 21-13, capping an 11-play, 78-yard drive. James added a 23-yard touchdown run with 3:09 left in the quarter, and Notre Dame led 28-13.

Carr threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jerome Bettis Jr. at 14:55 of the fourth quarter for the final margin. Navy did not score after halftime.

James finished with 107 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. Carr was 19 of 29 for 210 yards and two touchdowns, and Bettis had six catches for 78 yards and a score. Notre Dame outgained Navy 426 yards to 245 and did not turn the ball over.

Navy's day

Gutierrez led the Midshipmen with 110 rushing yards and a touchdown on 28 carries, and Michael Barrow added 65 yards on 11 carries. Navy rushed for 212 yards on 48 attempts and held the ball for 32:40, but it passed for only 33 yards, completing 5 of 9 attempts. Navy was 4 of 12 on third down and 2 of 3 on fourth down.

Penalties hurt the Midshipmen, who were flagged eight times for 86 yards. Two of them came on one fourth-quarter possession, a 15-yard personal foul and an 11-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That drive ended in a punt from deep in Navy territory.

Navy's defense was led by Giuseppe Sessi and MarcAnthony Parker with eight tackles apiece. Parker also had a tackle for loss and a pass breakup, and Sessi had a quarterback hurry. Bartley made both of his field goals and his lone extra point.

Navy's defense did come up with a stop in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame turned the ball over on downs at the Navy 23 with 5:58 left after a 13-play, 65-yard drive.

Next up

Navy returns home to face Temple on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. ET.