Here is what we take away from Notre Dame's 38-34 win over Navy.
1. Depth further tested. Ben Councell's left knee was wrapped as he was carted off the field at the end of the game. Sheldon Day and Kona Schwenke both left with undisclosed injuries. We should know more when coach Brian Kelly holds his day-after-game teleconference this afternoon, but for a defense that has been ravaged by injuries up front, this was the last thing the Irish needed to deal with.
2. Forget about this one and move on. Frankly, there's not much to take from a football perspective after two option-games since the Irish won't see anything like them again. They escaped with a win, albeit an ugly win, and their BCS goals are still in front of them with three games left to play. All of the defensive players sounded relieved to not have to face Air Force or Navy again, happy to have two more wins under their belts as they head to Pitt.
3. Tight end play improving. Ben Koyack caught two passes for 34 yards and scored a touchdown for the third time in four games. Troy Niklas had two catches for 44 yards and looks -- shall we say? -- more spirited as a blocker. Koyack's improvement, in particular, has been big, and he had a nice block on Cam McDaniel's touchdown as well.
