Navy Team Report
INSIDE SLANT
The future is set for this Navy team. But that doesn’t mean the Midshipmen, who are off this week, don’t have a lot to play for the rest of the regular season.
Navy, which will play a Big 12 team in the Texas Bowl, is at Hawaii after the late-season bye and then, after another week off, goes to finish off another Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy with a win over Army.
Wins in both of those games and/or one in the bowl game would give Navy its first 10-win season since … 1905. Wins in the three games to close out the season means the first 11-win season in Navy history.
And it’s all been done without a week off to date.
“I think just being able to get away for a minute is going to make us miss it a little bit more,” said quarterback Ricky Dobbs. “I think that’s one of the reasons why I think he wants us to stay out of the locker room. It’s just going to help us, because we can continue to roll, but we’ll just be more well rested.”
Dobbs has been playing with a cracked kneecap that probably should have ended his season, but continues to lead the offense and is on the verge of adding even more impressive historical numbers to his special junior season.
“The kid is amazing,” says Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo. “For him to come back and play the way he’s played, I couldn’t be more proud of the young man. He’s a big reason why we’ve been successful.”
NOTES, QUOTES
• QB Ricky Dobbs has already scored a Navy-record 22 touchdowns and he is one shy of the all-time NCAA record for rushing TDs by a quarterback, 23, set by Chance Harridge of Air Force in 2002 and equaled by Florida’s Tim Tebow in 2007. His 22 rushing scores are more than 99 of the 120 1-A teams in the country. He is No. 1 in the country in scoring at 13.2 points per game and is No. 8 in points responsible for (15.6). His 30 career rushing TDs are fourth in Navy history and his six 100-yard games are tied for fourth in the history of the program. Remember, he missed almost two complete games with his knee injury.
• Navy has a chance at its second 10-win season in 129 years of playing football. The 1905 team went 10-1-1 and this team still has a chance for an all-time-best 11 victories.
• The Mids have won at least eight games seven straight seasons.
• Last week, Navy notched its seventh straight Senior Day win when it defeated 1-AA Delaware.
• Navy isn’t likely to win its fifth straight national rushing title, sitting at No. 3 (70 yards per game behind Nevada), but the Mids lead the nation in fewest penalties against (3.73 per game) and are second in the country in time of possession (33.38 minutes) and 23rd in turnover margin (plus-7).
• At 8-3, the Mids received 41 points in the Nov. 15 AP poll, good for 31st in the country.
Next Game: Navy at Hawaii, Nov. 28—A homecoming for Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo, who brings his 7-3 team to the Island after the bye week. The Mids have already made this a special season and there’s more work to be done.
This Week ‘S MISSION: Every day Ricky Dobbs doesn’t have to carry a football in anger is vital for a quarterback playing with a cracked kneecap. He and his teammates can use the late bye to get ready for a spaced-out schedule that is now out of back-to-back weekends.
November At A Glance: So far, the month has been a smash hit for the Mids, who won for the second straight time at Notre Dame to start the month and then fought through a predictable letdown and disposed of 1-AA Delaware. The visit to Hawaii rounds out the month.
Quote To Note: “They are banished. The only reason you got to be here is treatment, and Doc (Jeff Fair) tells you when to come. There’s no extra lifting, (so) go in the hall, go with your companies. Re-introduce yourself to people. You’ve been away for a while. It’s a great opportunity. We complained all year that we had a tough schedule without a break. This is our break now.”—Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo on his team’s late bye.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Looking Good: This Navy team has already won eight games and faces two teams with losing records to round o0ut the regular season before the Dec. 31 Texas Bowl. Quarterback Ricky Dobbs is one of the best players in the country and the talented Navy linebackers lead a strong defense that gives up yards but not big points. “We seem to be living by that bend-but-don’t-break philosophy a lot here lately,” said senior linebacker Ross Pospisil. “That’s both good and bad: Bad that we let them drive the field, but good that we were able to stop them in the red zone. It just goes to show that plays and series early can make a difference in the end.”
Still Needs Work: As long as the Mids can keep Dobbs and his cracked kneecap on the field and functioning, the biggest question should surround sharpness as a team that played 11 straight weeks is now done with back-to-back weekends.
Star Watch: QB Ricky Dobbs—It’s way beyond a watch. It’s a warning. This guy is lethal and has already run for 22 touchdowns in what amounts to nine games. The opposition ahead should allow for more, cracked kneecap and all that should have KOd him for the year.
Critical Decision: There really isn’t one at this point, although injuries and guys coming back from injuries give Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo decisions on who gets how much time in these last three games.
Roster Report:
• FB Vince Murray dressed for the win over Delaware but didn’t play because of a shoulder injury.
• SL Marcus Curry returned from a three-game absence (quadriceps) and got 11 carries against Delaware.
• QB Ricky Dobbs has a one-yard lead over FB Vince Murray for the team’s rushing lead. Dobbs, whose net is way below what he’s gained because of losses in the option, has netted 797 yards, Murray 796.
• LB Ross Pospisil leads Navy with 83 tackles, six for loss, including 2.5 sacks. He also has three pass breakups, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
• S Wyatt Middleton broke up three passes deep in his own territory to allow the Mids to hang on against Delaware.
17 Comments
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Thank you for an oasis-in-the-desert style reminder of the *quality* of this football team. I have also been angered by the lack of respect for Navy -- the press is all about the "service" of the athletes and so on, but there is always implied -- "Oh, what a tremendous effort of those slow, untalented midgets to beat Notre Dame." I'm a born football fan & fiercely loyal to my teams, but I also know one or two things about it. This game wasn't a shocker to me.
I like Navy football for the football. Nobody I know is in the Navy or died in a war. My girlfriend, as a Marine, says the typical sibling rivalry stuff that I'm sure the sailors give right back. Politically, I object to a standing armed forces except for nuclear defense, and I can pronounce "nuclear." I do respect a great deal what the academy students go through and the high academic achievement of everyone on the Navy team. But their game of football is truly something else. I can tell you honestly what I see as a football enthusiast, independent of the service or sacrifice of anybody.
Navy is different. This is an era of carbon-copy college programs, who believe there is only one way to skin a cat, though the history of the game might show them otherwise. They recruit big, slow linemen who resemble large inverted triangles. They recruit skinny, fast wide receivers and flashy little backs. The QB is a skinny, scatty guy with a big, inaccurate arm. They are in the shotgun, every play, every game. They shotgun a 1st & goal from the one inch line. If asked to snap from center, the QB walks blankly to the line and lifts his left knee, kicking the left guard in the butt. They run QB Wrap Left, Belly Lurch Right and Dinky Screen Middle. The DB's run like Carl Lewis and tackle like Peggy Hill. One of the wide receivers is a potential first-round pick. The coach is a Good Old Boy.
But is that the only way to win football games?
Navy has not only the best fundamentals of any FBS defense, but they put 11 guys on the field who can run, tackle, shed blocks, and strip or handle the football. Navy's linemen are smaller, but quicker than many of those in the SEC or Big 12. Navy's DB's are slower, but more physical and better at the point of contact than those in the WAC or Mountain West. Navy's offense is a thing of beauty, and they use the intelligence and mental training of the Academy kids to full advantage, but look how their fullbacks can run in space. Look how the QB's can break tackles. Look how the O-line can move. Look how the slotbacks can run, block, throw, catch, decoy, and yes, cut block (the service academies have a history of blocking schemes so effective that other coaches protest their legality -- would Corwin have his panties in a bunch if Notre Dame had actually shed a few Navy blocks on Saturday?) Maybe 22 student-athletes who can do many different things reasonably well can compete on equal footing with 22 specialist mercenaries, playing a mimicked and incomplete game of flag football. Just a thought.
Meanwhile, Ricky Dobbs is the best option QB in college football that I have seen since Tommie Frazier. I will admit that Navy's backup isn't so good -- one thing that the writers overlooked about the loss to Temple (apart from Temple being 7-0 lately) is the lack of Ricky Dobbs. Objectively, it is unlikely that Navy loses to Temple if Dobbs is playing, even at 80%.
The performances against top-10 teams this year and wins over A-list programs should earn Navy football a lot more respect in the media. Should. But like small-market NFL teams, they don't fit the hype, they don't fit the plan, and ex-jocks and spread-offense coaches pretending to be journalists are not going to question their limited & flawed ideas about football. They are not going to watch film of Ricky Dobbs, they're going to assume that everyone Navy beats is a cupcake, and they're going to rank their buddies ahead of everyone else. This happens independently of what goes on in the games, so at least you & I have the actual SCORES to hang our hats on.
It's time for Navy to be respected as a contending program in the BCS, or whatever arbitrary system is currently used by the politicians and liars. Yes, their athletes have significant disadvantages, but they have advantages too. This season is not a miracle or a fluke, the results against Ohio State or Notre Dame or Pitt or Wake Forest not a product of horrible games by every team Navy plays, but a product of a terrific, innovative football team.
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Go Navy! Beat Army (and Delaware and Hawaii and the Big 12 team, too!)
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Now I don't mean to seem like I'm bashing Notre Dame, but I'm surprised, and a bit disappointed, that so many sports writers seemed shocked that the Midshipmen beat the Irish. Sure, I know the history of this rivalry, but the facts are that Notre Dame football is not the same dominant program it was in decades past, and Navy, although constrained by Ivy League admissions and academic standards and the recruiting challenges unique to the service academies, has an excellent football team and an impressive football program.
Let's review. Navy has lost only three games this season, all to very good teams:
- The first loss was a near upset of #6 ranked Ohio State which is currently ranked ranked #10 and is 8-2 on the season.
- The second loss was a competitive game against then unranked Pitt; Pitt is currently ranked #6 and is 8-1 on the season.
- The third was by three points to the best Temple football team we've seen in 20 years. The Owls are currently leading their conference and are at #35 and climbing in the AP poll.
Navy beat solid teams with winning records from Air Force (now bowl eligible, congrats Falcons) and SMU. Navy also soundly defeated the same LA Tech team that gave #5 Boise State a competitive game and Navy beat the Wake Forest team that nearly upset #7 Georgia Tech.
Navy is currently third in the nation in rushing yards per game and in the hunt for its sixth consecutive national rushing title. They are the least penalized team in NCAAF. Ricky Dobbs leads the nation in overall rushing points scored (102) and rushing TDs (17) plus he has four passing TDs for a total of 21 TDs despite a two game hiatus due to an injury.
Speaking of which, when will we hear Dobbs' name mentioned as a Heisman contender? Notre Dame has two top Heisman contenders: Jimmy Clausen who has 20 passing TDs and 1 rushing TD for a total of 21 (same as Dobbs), and Golden Tate who has 10 receiving TDs. If I were a betting man, I'd bet that at the end of the season Dobbs will have more TDs that Clausen and Tate combined. And, unfortunately, I'd be willing to bet that Dobbs still won't be listed in the top 20 on any of the major Heisman watch lists.
I think most sports writers and commentators now recognize that ND simply has not fielded a top 20 program this year. But as much as they over-valued the over-hyped ND program, they are making the opposite mistake of under-valuing a very good Navy team. While Navy has crawled to #30 in the AP poll, Rivals.com still lists Navy down at #37 behind, you guessed it, ND at #34. How about a little respect? Navy might never again have a top 10 team, but this team has the potential to end their season in the top 20. And despite facing an opponent with star players with first round draft potential like Clausen and Tate, Navy's team of under-sized and under-appreciated citizen-soldiers played with enough heart to deserve a little more respect than many given them.
I guess in the final analysis the men and women at Annapolis, West Point and the Air Force Academy, understand that they won't be playing for a school reknowned for churning out professional athletes. Rather, they aspire to be different kind of professional. Nor do they volunteer to serve their country with the hope of attaining the fleeting glory of a top 25 ranking. Rather, they devote their lives and willingly put themselves in Harm's Way for something much more meaningful, and through their lives of service and sacrifice, hopefully much more lasting.
Go Navy!
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and almost tied them. This is going to be a great season. Go Mid's Go!
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