Notre Dame offense faces questions about rotations, execution ahead of Navy matchup

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame enters Week 8 ranked sixth nationally in scoring offense, but its loss to BYU exposed lingering questions about how the Irish are utilizing their talent.

As Notre Dame prepares to face Navy, three areas remain under scrutiny: wide receiver rotations, running back touches and third-down execution. Against BYU, Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse played 79 snaps each, while Micah Gilbert played 78. Meanwhile, Mylan Graham saw just two snaps.

Wide receivers coach Mike Brown defended the rotation, explaining that experience plays a significant role in deciding who takes the field in critical moments.

“Those guys have made plays over and over and over again, so you tend to lean on the guys that have done it time and time again,” Brown said.

Head coach Marcus Freeman has called for more involvement from younger receivers, while Greathouse emphasized the importance of mastering the playbook to earn opportunities.

The backfield presents another challenge. Freshman Jonaz Walton leads Notre Dame with 426 rushing yards but received just five carries against BYU. Despite the competition for touches, running back Nolan James Jr. said he wants everyone in the room to contribute.

“I want to see everybody in the room eat. I want to see everybody win,” James said.

However, sustaining drives remains a bigger concern. Notre Dame converted just eight of 19 third downs against BYU and settled for two second-half field goals. James acknowledged that repeated three-and-outs made establishing the running game difficult.

Those struggles have also raised questions about offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s play calling, but Brown believes execution is the bigger issue.

“We gotta throw, we gotta catch, we gotta break tackles, we gotta make contested catches, and we gotta make the most of those opportunities,” Brown said. “I think the play calling’s been fine.”

With Navy up next and Miami looming, Notre Dame will look to prove its offensive production can translate into better execution in competitive games.