No. 12 Notre Dame (6-1) vs. No. 24 Navy (6-0) at East Rutherford, New Jersey, Saturday, 12 p.m. ET (ABC)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Notre Dame by 12 1/2.
Series record: Notre Dame leads 82-13-1.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Notre Dame comes into the most recent version of the longtime rivalry with the higher ranking but, unusually, one more loss than the Midshipmen. The Fighting Irish realize another loss, even to a ranked opponent, could derail their playoff hopes before November. Navy is trying to snap a six-game losing streak in the series and celebrate its first 7-0 start since 1978. And a win, perhaps, could get the Midshipmen into the playoff discussion.
KEY MATCHUP
Navy ground game vs. Notre Dame defensive line. The Fighting Irish have been winning largely on the strength of a defense that had three preseason All-Americans. But injuries have decimated the Irish, who have lost two playmaking defensive ends to season-ending injuries. Navy's surprising start has been built primarily on a ground game that averages 274.8 yards. Whoever wins this battle likely wins the game. As always, turnovers can be a factor.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Navy: QB Blake Horvath. Though the Midshipmen rely on a run-heavy system, the junior has given Navy a different look. He threw for three TDs in last week's victory over Charlotte and is Navy's second-leading rusher. What else? Horvath and Jalen Milroe of Alabama are the only FBS quarterbacks who have at least 10 TD passes and 10 TD runs.
Notre Dame: DT Howard Cross III. If this name sounds familiar to New Jersey fans, it should. Cross' father earned a Super Bowl 25 ring with the New York Giants as a tight end. But the younger Cross has cut his own path. As one of the best run defenders in the FBS, the preseason All-American's skill will face a stiff challenge Saturday.
FACTS & FIGURES
These schools met every season from 1927 until the COVID-19 pandemic cancellation in 2020. Notre Dame won 43 straight from 1963-2006. ... Navy is 2-0 against all-time at MetLife Stadium. It beat the Irish there in 2010 and Army there in 2021. ... Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard ranks second among all active FBS quarterbacks with 29 TD runs. He has 10 this season. ... The bowl-eligible Midshipmen enter this weekend as one of 10 remaining unbeaten FBS teams and one of three FBS teams that has won every game this season by at least 10 points (Army, Indiana). ... Notre Dame's defense allows 11.9 points per game (fifth in FBS) and ranks in the top 15 in seven other defensive categories. ... Navy has four all-time wins against Notre Dame when the Irish are ranked — 2009, 1957, 1944 and 1936. ... Navy is tied with Kansas for the best red zone offense in the country.
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Navy fullback Alex Tecza (46) celebrates his touchdown against Charlotte during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Annapolis, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Notre Dame wide receiver Beaux Collins (5) runs against Georgia Tech linebacker Jackson Hamilton (17) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Notre Dame safety Adon Shuler (8) celebrates his touchdown after an interception against Georgia Tech during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard (13) runs out of the pocket against Georgia Tech during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is holding steadier on Thursday, thanks in part to a surge for Tesla’s stock.
The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher in early trading and on track to break its first three-day losing streak since early September. The Nasdaq composite was up 0.6%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was lagging the rest of the market with a drop of 110 points, or 0.3%.
Tesla led the way with a gain of 16.1% after the electric-vehicle maker reported better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. An optimistic CEO Elon Musk also predicted 20% to 30% sales growth next year, though its revenue for the latest quarter fell short of analysts’ forecasts.
UPS jumped 9.7% after likewise topping analysts’ forecasts for profit. The package-delivery company’s finances can offer a window into the strength of the economy because of how many different types of customers it serves, and its revenue edged past expectations.
Lam Research, a supplier to the semiconductor industry, was another winner and rose 5.8% after delivering stronger profit than expected.
Helping to keep indexes in check was IBM fell 6.2% after reporting revenue for the latest quarter that fell just short of analysts’ expectations. It was the single biggest reason the Dow was lagging behind other indexes.
Boeing sank 2.4% after its machinists voted to continue their strike, which has crippled aircraft production. More than 60% of union members who voted on the proposed contract rejected it, keeping them on the picket lines six weeks into their strike.
Stocks have broadly regressed this week after the S&P 500 and Dow both set records at the end of last week. They’ve been hit by rising Treasury yields in the bond market, which can make investors less willing to pay high prices for stocks. Critics say stocks already look too expensive given how much faster their prices have risen than corporate profits.
Yields have climbed as report after report has shown the U.S. economy remains stronger than expected. That’s good news for Wall Street, because it bolsters hopes that the economy can escape from the worst inflation in generations without the painful recession that many had worried was inevitable.
But it’s also forcing traders to ratchet back their forecasts for how deeply the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates, now that it’s just as focused on keeping the economy humming as getting inflation lower. With bets diminishing on how deeply the Fed will ultimately cut its overnight interest rate, Treasury yields have also been giving up some of their earlier declines.
A report on unemployment claims Thursday offered a mixed picture on the job market. It said fewer workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, which can be a signal of relatively low layoffs. But it also said the total number of those collecting benefits rose to its highest level in almost three years.
Altogether, the numbers show a slowing economy, “but there is no sign of a crash in employment or a surge of layoffs in these data,” according to Carl Weinberg and Rubeela Farooqi at High Frequency Economics.
Treasury yields, which had eased overnight, pared their losses after the release of the unemployment claims report. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was at 4.22%, down from 4.25% late Wednesday. It’s still well above its 4.08% level from late last week.
In stock markets abroad, indexes were modestly higher in Europe after finishing mixed in Asia.
AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.
FILE - The Fearless Girl statue, with a flower draped on the shoulder, stands outside the New York Stock Exchange on Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
A train arrives at the Wall Street subway station in New York's Financial District on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)
An electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm is seen near a pedestrian crossing Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person stands near an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
