Navy Just Shy of a Miracle at South Bend

SOUTH BEND, Ind. —  Notre Dame barely escaped a miraculous last-second finish by Navy Saturday and extended its NCAA record winning streak over the Midshipmen to 34 games, but this 21-17 victory before a breathless crowd of 80,225 deserved several asterisks.

A Hail Mary pass with three seconds remaining by Navy quarterback Chris McCoy bounced off the fingertips of safety Deke Cooper near the Irish 25. Slotback Pat McGrew grabbed the ball before it hit the ground and made a mad dash for the end zone.

Said McGrew: “I just did exactly what I’m supposed to do on that play--get behind everybody and look for a tip. After I caught it, I tried to dive the last two yards into the end zone and thought I knocked down the pylon.”

But instant replays showed that McGrew juggled the ball out of bounds on the two after being nudged by cornerback Allen Rossum.

“I thought it was still Halloween because that’s the strangest play I’ve ever seen,” said Notre Dame Coach Bob Davie, whose Irish (4-5) kept their faint bowl hopes alive.

The near-miss on the 69-yard completion only added to the frustration of Navy (3-4), which outplayed heavily favored Notre Dame for almost the entire game, save for a time-consuming 17-play, 93-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter that provided the margin of victory.

Gervy Alota, who led an inspired Navy defense with 10 tackles and also picked up a first down on a fake punt, summed up his team’s bitter emotions.

“This is the worst feeling I’ve ever had,” said the senior safety. “We not only lost our chance to end the Notre Dame streak, but this also ended our bowl hopes. It’s heartbreaking because we dominated the statistics, but the scoreboard says we lost.”

McCoy gained 147 yards in 23 carries and scored on a nine- and two-yard runs. But McCoy had three passes intercepted, and the Irish ultimately converted two into touchdowns.

After the near-stunning comeback by Navy left the fans in semi-shock, Navy players were berated by Irish supporters for walking through the Notre Dame band.

“We sing the ‘Navy Blue and Gold’ and say a prayer at midfield after every game,” Navy Coach Charlie Weatherbie said. “This is the first time we’ve been booed for praying.”