Navy kicker Joe Buckley missed a 30-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the first half against Notre Dame. That snapped a streak of seven straight successful field goals for Buckley, who booted a career-long 50-yarder versus Wake Forest and an equally impressive 47-yarder against Air Force.

   Buckley, who is 30-for-30 on point after touchdowns, was in the zone as they say. However, one has to wonder if the miss on Saturday has affected the place-kicker's focus. At the end of practice on Tuesday, Buckley missed all three of his field goal attempts. Head coach Ken Niumatalolo was asked if he was getting worried about Buckley.

    "I’m just going to leave him alone. He’s kicked enough in games that I’ve still got confidence in him. He just had a bad day," said Niumatalolo, who vowed once again that there would be "no more kick-offs" between Buckley and Jon Teague.

    Meanwhile, Niumatalolo expressed delight with the season-long performance of punter Kyle Delahooke, who has legitimized himself as a candidate for the Ray Guy Award by averaging 43.6 yards on 37 punts. Delahooke has boomed eight punts 50 yards or longer and has had 12 downed inside the 20-yard line.

    Delahooke had another big game against Notre Dame, averaging 46.2 yards on five punts. Late in the fourth quarter, he drilled a 55-yard punt that pinned the Fighting Irish back on their own 13-yard line. Consecutive sacks by Jabaree Tuani and Craig Schaefer resulted in a safety that wound up providing the margin of victory.

    "Kyle has done a great job of changing field position. He has been solid and consistent this whole year. Hopefully, he keeps it going," Niumatalolo said.