Notre Dame was dominant on Saturday, winning 50-10 and never trailing against Navy as the teams faced off in Dublin Ireland.
The raucous crowd of almost 50,000 people cheered on the teams, who were playing the first game in Ireland since 1996, when the same two teams faced off in the Emerald Isle Classic.
Quarterback Everett Golson made his first career start and threw for 144 yards while running back Theo Riddick ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns. George Atkinson also ran for two touchdowns and had 99 yards rushing on just nine carries.
"I think I was comfortable," said Golson according to the Associated Press. "You're going to make mistakes but you just have to relax. You're going to make mistakes, but make them going full speed."
The Fighting Irish had hoped to get off to a fast start this season and the team never slowed down after starting the game with an 11-play opening drive that resulted in a touchdown from Atkinson.
Irish coach Brian Kelly praised Golson's performance in his first game. "I was. He made some good decisions and moved our offense," Kelly said to the Associated Press. "We put 50 points on the board, so that's a pretty good start."
Navy couldn't string anything together against the Irish defense, who made big plays on both sides of the ball. Defensive end Stephon Tuitt scored a touchdown on a 77-yard fumble recovery, which was one of three turnovers forced by the team. The last time Notre Dame had a fumble recovery that long was back in the 1985 season.
Inside linebacker Manti Te'o also had a fumble recovery and interception on the day.
According to the Associated Press, Te'o said the pick "felt good. I almost got a 15-yard penalty on the play too. That wouldn't have felt so good."
But not everything was perfect for the Irish. Golson also had one interception and the team missed two extra points.
Navy's usually potent running attack only gained 149 yards on 40 carries. Quarterback Trey Miller was efficient, completing 14 of 19 passes, but only racked up 192 yards. He also fumbled four times, losing two of them to Notre Dame.
Notre Dame will next play the the Purdue Boilermakers on Sept. 8 at home, while Navy will take on Penn State on the road on Sept. 15.
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