Ian Book Throws 5 TDs as No. 16 Notre Dame Dominates Navy 52-20

Quarterback Ian Book and wide receiver Chase Claypool led the No. 16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish to a dominant 52-20 win over the No. 23 Navy Midshipmen on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.

The Fighting Irish improved to 8-2 with their third straight win, while the Midshipmen fell to 7-2 and saw their five-game winning streak snapped.

In addition to Book and Claypool taking advantage of the overmatched Navy secondary, the Notre Dame defense largely shut down Navy's triple-option offense by allowing just 360 total yards and forcing four turnovers.

Saturday marked the 93rd all-time meeting between Notre Dame and Navy, and the Irish hold the edge 77-13-1 (two Notre Dame wins were officially vacated), having won three in a row and five of the past six.

Notable Stats

Ian Book, QB, ND: 14-of-20 for 284 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT; 5 rushes for 31 yards

Tony Jones Jr., RB, ND: 9 rushes for 26 yards and 1 TD

Chase Claypool, WR, ND: 7 receptions for 117 yards and 4 TD

Braden Lenzy, WR, ND: 2 receptions for 87 yards and 1 TD

Malcolm Perry, QB, Navy: 3-of-7 for 36 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT; 25 rushes for 117 yards

Perry Olsen, QB, Navy: 1-of-5 for 43 yards, 1 TD

Jamale Carothers, RB, Navy: 11 rushes for 41 yards

Mychal Cooper, WR, Navy: 3 receptions for 73 yards and 1 TD

Book, Claypool Put an End to Talk of Notre Dame's Struggles

While last week's 38-7 win over Duke seemed like a get-right game for Notre Dame, there was some concern among pundits that the Irish could be ripe for an upset Saturday against Navy.

Just three games earlier, Notre Dame was crushed 45-14 by Michigan, and the Irish needed to come from behind and score in the closing seconds to beat Virginia Tech 21-20 at home the following week.

Saturday's win was never in doubt, though, as Notre Dame scored on each of its first seven possessions, including six touchdowns.

The Book-to-Claypool connection has been Notre Dame's biggest offensive weapon this season, and that was on full display Saturday, as they combined for the Irish's first three scores:

With Notre Dame leading 38-3 early in the third quarter, Book and Claypool hooked up again on a 20-yard corner route for the fourth touchdown connection between them on the day:

According to Notre Dame's PR team, Claypool's fourth touchdown grab of the day allowed him to tie the school record for most touchdown catches in a single game:

Given Claypool's big-time performance and the fact that he has been a force all season long, John Walters of HappyMedium.com expressed his belief that Claypool deserves some national recognition:

In addition to his four passing touchdowns to Claypool, Book threw another to speedy receiver Braden Lenzy in the second quarter.

The 70-yard scoring strike was a perfect pass from Book, and it was arguably the prettiest play of the season for Notre Dame:

While Book has had his fair share of detractors this season, he has enjoyed one of the best statistical seasons ever for a Notre Dame quarterback.

In Saturday's contest, he set the single-season Notre Dame record for the most four- and five-touchdown games by a quarterback in a single season:

That prompted Ralph D. Russo of The Associated Press to crack a joke regarding the narrative that Book has taken a step back this season:

If not for the fact that Book was taken out of the game in the middle of the third quarter since it was well in hand, he and Claypool might have put up even bigger numbers.

As it stands, all appears to be well in the realm of Notre Dame football after Saturday's win, and with games against a pair of middling teams in Boston College and Stanford remaining, the Irish appear to be in good shape to qualify for a significant bowl game even though their College Football Playoff hopes are no longer intact.

What's Next?

Next week, the Irish will look to take another step toward potentially clinching a spot in a New Year's Six Bowl when they host the 5-5 Boston College Eagles.

The Midshipmen will look to bounce back next week when they host a 9-1 SMU team that is tied atop the American Athletic Conference West standings with Navy at 5-1.