Reaching for history yesterday at Ravens Stadium, Navy's football team found heartbreak instead.

Leading No. 9 Notre Dame by eight points late in the fourth quarter, the Midshipmen appeared to be on the verge of ending 38 years of frustration and futility against the Irish. One more defensive stand, or one more clock-killing drive, and 70,260 fans would witness the biggest upset of the college football season.

But calm and composed Notre Dame quarterback Carlyle Holiday led his team to two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including one on a 67-yard pass to Omar Jenkins, which helped the Irish escape town with a 30-23 victory.

"We came out sloppy and struggled early," Holiday said. "It was all about having pride in yourself. I just tried to take the leadership role and make some plays with the ball in my hands."

It was Notre Dame's 39th consecutive win over Navy, and the eighth straight loss this season for the Midshipmen (1-8).

"There are no moral victories," Navy coach Paul Johnson said. "I'm disappointed for our team. They laid it out on the field today. I'll get another shot at Notre Dame, but our seniors won't. They deserved a better fate."

Improbable as it sounds, Navy was the better football team for most of the day. Even though starting quarterback Craig Candeto injured his ankle on the fourth play of the game and didn't return, the Mids played with an emotional intensity they had not shown all season. Backup quarterback Aaron Polanco came on to direct the Navy offense, which rushed for 216 yards against an Irish defense that was giving up only 84.6 yards a game on the ground.

Notre Dame (9-1), which turned the ball over five times in a 14-7 loss to Boston College last week, lost three fumbles against Navy, and struggled to move the ball much of the day against a defense that statistically has been one of the worst in the country.

"I felt like we didn't wake up until there were three or four minutes left," Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham said. "You can't turn on your emotions like a light switch. We were lucky today to get the switch flipped at the right time. In most cases, that doesn't happen."

Johnson figured if Navy could keep the game close, the pressure would begin to mount on the Irish sideline, and that's exactly what happened. In the first quarter, Navy fell behind 2-0 after a bad snap on a punt resulted in a safety, but the Mids responded with a defensive stop, then followed it up with a 12-play, 95-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown run by Polanco.

The Irish answered on the ensuing possession, going up 9-7 on a 1-yard run by fullback Tom Lopienski, but both teams would do little else offensively the rest of the first half. Navy cornerback Vaughn Kelley blocked a 53-yard field-goal attempt by Irish kicker Nick Setta with eight seconds left before the half, giving Navy an added emotional lift going into the locker room.

"We just got it into our heads they weren't going to move the ball," said Navy's Eddie Carthan.

If not for a 92-yard touchdown on a kickoff return by Notre Dame's Vontez Duff, Navy might have put the game away in the third quarter when it outgained the Irish, 126-1, in yardage. Polanco helped Navy march down the field on two touchdown drives and one that ended in a field goal.

Navy's offense had Notre Dame guessing wrong all quarter, as pitches by Polanco to slot backs Tony Lane and Eric Roberts picked up big chunks of yardage. Late in the third quarter, Roberts scored on a 10-yard run to put Navy up 20-15. Eric Rolfs added a 36-yard field goal with 1:07 left in the third quarter for a 23-15 margin.

"Everyone was feeling great," Polanco said. "We felt like we had them."

"Not only did we think we had them, but I think they thought we had them, too," said Mids defensive lineman Andy Zetts.

However, playing with a lead is not something Navy has done often this season, and it showed. On three straight fourth-quarter possessions, the Mids gained a total of nine yards, most on handoffs to the fullback up the middle for little or no gain.

"I'm not sure why they went away from [running the ball outside]," Willingham said.

Johnson bristled at the suggestion that Navy got conservative in his play-calling.

"We couldn't pitch it unless the defensive end takes the quarterback," Johnson said. "If that doesn't happen, there is no one to pitch to. The read was to give it to the fullback, and we couldn't bust the fullback. They're a great defensive team."

Notre Dame took advantage, moving the ball effectively for the first time all day. Rashon Powers-Neal scored on a 1-yard run to make it 23-21, and Holiday hit wide receiver Arnaz Battle on the 2-point conversion to tie the game at 23.

Notre Dame went ahead for good on the first play of its next possession, when Holiday and Jenkins hooked up for a score.

"I think we can take this game and use it as a foundation to turn around our program," Johnson said. "I challenged our guys to carry the emotion over and build on it. I saw guys in the locker room just crushed and sobbing. It makes me think we can turn this around."

Navy heartbreak

Three of Navy's past six losses to Notre Dame have been by seven points or fewer. The breakdown:

Year Site Score The key

1997 South Bend, Ind. 21-17 Mids' Hail Mary play falls short by 2 yards

1999 South Bend, Ind. 28-24 Controversial measurement keeps winning drive alive

2002 Baltimore 30-23 Irish score 15 points in late 2:20 span