Irish feeling Navy blues

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Charlie Weis said history didn't matter.

It doesn't anymore after Navy's shocking triple overtime victory over Notre Dame.

The 46-44 roller coaster finally ended when the Midshipmen dropped running back Travis Thomas well short of the goal line on a tying 2-point conversion attempt. The historic stop set Navy free from its NCAA-record 43-game losing streak to Notre Dame and earned the Midshipmen a day off.

The academy's commandant canceled Monday classes after the game.

"This is the best feeling in the world," said Navy slotback Shun White while taking in a surreal on-field scene inside Notre Dame Stadium.

Not only did Notre Dame suffer the indignity of such a crushing defeat, it was then forced to stand at attention as the Midshipmen sang the school song.

Weis started that tradition two years ago but probably never thought he'd watch Navy celebrate something that hasn't happened since 1963, when Roger Staubach was under center.

That history's weight seemed to add baggage to an already draining week.

On Tuesday running back Robert Hughes' brother was shot and killed in Chicago. Most of the Irish roster attended the Friday funeral, and Weis drove the freshman home Thursday night. Weis let Hughes finish off Notre Dame's opening drive with a 3-yard scoring run.

The stadium observed a moment of silence before kickoff for Hughes' brother as well as for Ryan Shay, a 28-year old former national champion distance runner at Notre Dame who died Saturday morning during the running of the 2008 Olympic marathon trials in New York City.

"The low point for me is the fact that we didn't win the game and I wanted Robert Hughes to be standing up on that chair singing the fight song in the locker room," Weis said. "You want to know what's really important to me? That's what's really important to me.

"What you look at as important is different than me."

But the ashen looks on Irish faces told a different story.

"Seeing them rush out there, your heart kind of sinks," offensive tackle Sam Young said. "Whatever the streak was, I've got to tip my hat to Navy."

The loss dropped Notre Dame to 1-8, tying the mark for most defeats in a season. The fifth straight home loss is another a wrong-way record, as is the program's 1-10 stretch in the last 11 games.

But the Irish gave themselves plenty of chances to avoid those dubious distinctions with no shot better than a fourth-and-8 play at the Navy 24-yard line with less than a minute remaining in regulation.

Instead of calling on freshman kicker Brandon Walker, who already had missed a 40-yard attempt, Weis put the game in the hands of quarterback Evan Sharpley.

Navy sacked Sharpley, 1 of 4 quarterback takedowns in the game. The Midshipmen entered the weekend with 5 quarterback sacks all season.

Weis said wind forced his hand.

"It was going against the wind, and in practice he couldn't make it from there," Weis said. "That's why we didn't kick it from there. That was a pretty simple one."

The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime and field goals in the second, when the Irish missed another chance to put the Midshipmen away.

Linebacker Maurice Crum tipped a Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada pass on third down that David Bruton nearly intercepted. Instead, kicker Joey Bullen banged home a 32-yard field goal a play later.

Navy wasted no time keeping the pressure on in the third overtime when Kaheaku-Enhada hit Reggie Campbell for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play.

Midshipmen coach Paul Johnson watched Notre Dame send its cornerbacks late in the game, opening the door for Campbell to streak through Irish secondary on a wheel route.

"They fired the corner," Johnson said. "And if you're going to do that you can't fire the corner and cover the wheel."

The Irish needed 6 plays to match the Navy touchdown, with Thomas spinning into the end zone on fourth-and-1 from the Midshipmen 5-yard line. Notre Dame attempted to pass its way to 2 points, but Sharpley's incomplete pass to Rob Parris was wiped out by a pass-interference call.

Then came the stop of Thomas, although any kind of play-action pass probably would have worked.

"We know they are going to run it full out," Johnson said. "Come on, all of you, corners, safeties, everybody come get them. You know, we crashed and made the guy bounce and we had some guys coming over, and they kept him out."

And kept history from repeating.

"It is a big win for the Academy," Johnson said, "and I'm happy that I don't have to answer anything else about a streak every time we play."

Weis won't either.