Notre Dame Pauses Epic Freefall to Beat Army

Let's all have a moment of silence for the 2016 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team.

There. All done.

The autopsy for this miserable season is going to be gruesome.

The Irish were a pre-season Top 10 team, a notion that seems absurd in hindsight.

Our Jesuit heroes now sit at a wretched 3-6 after losing to Navy this past Saturday.

Yep, Navy.

Granted, the Middies aren't exactly scrubs, currently sporting a 6-2 mark.

But honestly.

Navy took it, 28-27, rushing for a robust 320 yards in the process.

Ken Niumatalolo and his crew have been doing that to everyone this season, but don't shed any tears for Brian Kelly.

Here's a fun fact from yet another Irish setback.

Notre Dame had six total possessions against Navy. Four in the first half, two in the second half. — Brian Fremeau (@bcfremeau) November 5, 2016

That's hard to do, even if you are trying.

Here's another tidbit:

Is there anything Notre Dame has not done on special teams this year? 12-men on the field, reviewed, now Navy gets 4th-and-1. — Irish Illustrated (@PeteSampson_) November 5, 2016

This speaks to discipline and leadership, two attributes the Irish appear to be sorely lacking. 

And one more.

This is sort of hard to get your head around, but Brian Kelly is 14-13 in his last 27 games at Notre Dame. — Irish Illustrated (@PeteSampson_) November 6, 2016

Good times.

The game was played at a neutral site in Jacksonville and apparently generated quite a bit of revenue for the local economy.

Well, there you go.

The last time Notre Dame lost to two service acadamies in the same season, everyone played in black-&-white.

In the era of living color, though, Army just isn't Army anymore.

So the Irish now join Buffalo and North Texas as victors over those Black Knights of the Hudson.

Someone should really wake up the echoes.