Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson accounted for 348 yards and six touchdowns Saturday night as the Irish fended off Navy 49-39.
The Irish -- ranked No. 6 in the CFB 24/7 Top 25 Power Rankings -- debuted at No. 10 in the first-ever College Football Playoff rankings.
Golson threw for 315 yards and three scores and also ran for 33 yards and three touchdowns to help the Irish escape the Midshipmen's upset bid. It's the first time in Notre Dame history that a quarterback both threw and ran for three TDs.
Golson accounted for five TDs in Notre Dame's season-opening win over Rice.
Notre Dame rolled up 537 total yards and 25 first downs, punted just once and was 7-of-10 on third-down conversions. But Navy's triple-option offense caused problems for the Irish defense, which surrendered 454 yards, including 336 on the ground.
Golson has thrown three TD passes in three consecutive games; he also has done it five times this season. The yardage total was his second-highest of the season and third-highest of his career. It also was his fourth 300-yard game this season, including his third in a row. The rushing touchdowns were his first since Sept. 13 against Purdue and doubled his season total.
Golson now has accounted for 31 TDs this season, 13 more than he did in all of 2012, when he led the Irish to the BCS national championship game. Golson had been 12th nationally in total offense, at 319.7 yards per game.
Golson has drawn comparisons to Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, and made some plays with his legs -- most notably the Irish's last TD of the game -- reminiscent of the kind of plays Wilson can make when he is outside the pocket.
Golson will have to be sharp next week when the Irish play at Arizona State. Notre Dame remains in the hunt for a College Football Playoff spot, but a loss ends any playoff hope.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
