Navy Football Takes On Notre Dame at FedExField on Saturday

Oct 25, 2014; Annapolis, MD, USA; Navy Midshipmen quarterback Keenan Reynolds (19) runs with the ball during the third quarter against the San Jose State Spartans at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Navy defeated San Jose State, 41-31. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The often maligned FedExField in Landover, Maryland will be the venue for Saturday’s matchup between #6 Notre Dame and the Midshipmen of the Naval Academy. The game will also be televised nationally on CBS at 8pm.

The stadium is the home of the Washington Redskins. With a capacity of 85,000, it is the largest venue in the NFL in terms of regular capacity. AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, technically seats less than FedExField but can be temporarily expanded to 105,121 seats.

FedExField was opened in 1997. It doesn’t get a large amount of other events besides the Redskins games. The 112th Army-Navy Game and the 2014 International Champions Cup match between Manchester United versus Inter Milan are some recent exceptions.

Coach Ken Niumatalolo of Navy will have a difficult task of holding back a surging Fighting Irish team. Last year they lost a close game 38 to 34. The Midshipmen are the nation’s second-best rushing offense and are led by their effective quarterback Keenan Reynolds. Running Back Noah Copeland is also quite strong and is averaging 8.7 yards per carry. It is always fun to see Navy run their triple option offense.

Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame squad is led by quarterback Everett Golson. The Irish are much faster than anything that Navy has experienced yet this year. Expect to see a Notre Dame win, but the rivalry of the game makes this contest sometimes play out unexpectedly.

This will be the first meeting between the two schools at FedExField since 1998. Navy last played at FedExField on Dec. 10, 2011 when Navy beat Army in the 112th Army-Navy Game.