Navy Preview
The Gold Sheet
If the game-day programs hadn't told us otherwise, we would have sworn that Navy was still operating with HC Paul Johnson on the sidelines last fall. After all, the '08 Mids certainly resembled their previous several editions under Johnson, who took his brand of sorcery to Georgia Tech after the 2007 campaign. But the transfer of power in Annapolis to new HC Ken Niumatalolo was even smoother than between the Bush and Obama administrations. Niumatalolo, a long-time protege' of Johnson's from his days as a QB at the University of Hawaii to working as Johnson's o.c. at Navy, maintained the continuity, which was the primary reason AD Chet Gladchuck sought Niumatalolo as Johnson's successor in the first place. The clever Mid spread option that served Johnson so well in Annapolis (and at Georgia Tech last year) operated in much the same manner last fall under Niumatalolo, with Navy again among the nation's top rushing teams and qualifying for its sixth straight bowl game in the process. And, most importantly, a 7th straight win for the Annapolis bunch over Army, which succumbed meekly by a 34-0 count in Philadelphia, not to mention Navy's record sixth straight Commander-in-Chief's trophy.
The recipe will stay much the same this fall, although some of the ingredients in the mix have been changed. The assembly line of Midshipmen option QBs spits out a new model this year in jr. Ricky Dobbs, not a completely unfamiliar face to Navy fans after a handful of relief appearances last fall in place of the graduated Kaipo-Noa Keahaku-Enhada, who bravely battled a balky hamstring for much of '08. Dobbs, however, is bigger and faster than Kaipo, and gave Mid fans a taste of what might be to come in a rather incredible 42-carry, 224-yard, 4-TD performance in last October's 34-7 romp past SMU. It's worth noting that Navy didn't even bother to attempt a pass in that game (played mostly in a downpour) vs. the Mustangs, becoming the first college team to do so in 11 years, or since Ohio U. similarly shunned any aerial diversion in a 1997 win over Akron.
But don't take the quirky dynamics and stat box of that SMU game as an indicator of what the Navy option is likely to do with Dobbs at the tiller, because regional scouts remind us that Dobbs was actually a pass-first QB at Douglas County HS (Georgia), where he threw 28 TDs as a senior. And though we've heard the forecasts of improved Mid passing numbers (which rarely materialize) like a broken record in recent years, Dobbs indeed has the arm to stretch enemy defenses if need be, perfect to sneak a pass downfield when opposing stops units least expect it.
Dobbs, however, is only one of several new weapons in the Mid torpedo bay that was depleted following the graduations not only of Kaipo, but slamming FB Eric Kettani (982 YR LY) and homerun slot back Shun White (1092 YR and a whopping 8.3 ypc in '08). New FB Alex Teich is a bit undersized (200 lbs.) compared to preceding battering rams such as Kettani & Kyle Eckel, but hits the hole quickly on Navy's trademark FB-dive plays, while slot-back Bobby Doyle demonstrated big-play potential when gaining a whopping 10.6 ypc in limited action last season. Fleet WR Tyree Barnes also departed after catching almost half (20) of Navy's pass completions in '08, so another speed-burner, jr. Mario Washington, will be asked to fill that underutilized but often important role. As usual, expect another well-coordinated Mid OL that returns three starters to again effectively pave the way.
The real pleasant surprise last season was the improvement of the Navy stop unit that cut over 14 ppg from its '07 allowance. Shrewd, longtime Mid d.c. Buddy Green has plenty of scheming experience with his 3-4 alignments, and with more foot speed at his disposal was able to wreak a bit more havoc than usual in '08, helping Navy to a +15 TO margin. Though still a bit undersized, each level of the platoon features playmakers, including quick DE Jabanee Tuani & NT Nate Frazier up front, sr. LBs Ross Pospisil & Clint Sovie, & FS Wyatt Middleton.
Summary...The beat goes on at Navy, and given how the spread option has been able to consistently plug in different components with no dropoff in recent years, there's no reason to think this fall's new faces on offense (especially exciting QB Dobbs) won't deliver. And since the Mid "D" doesn't appear to be a liability any longer, another bowl bid beckons despite a challenging schedule that takes Navy halfway around the globe (at Ohio State, Pitt, Rice, SMU, Notre Dame...as well as a special trip for Niumatalolo to his native Hawaii in late November).