Against All Enemies: All Posts by Gavin Jernigan

Previewing Navy vs. Notre Dame: Q&A with One Foot Down

2021-11-05T12:16:10-07:00

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Patrick Sullivan of SB Nation’s One Foot Down joins us for Q&A shenanigans ahead of Navy vs. Notre Dame.

Ahead of Navy rekindling its rivalry with Notre Dame this weekend, we asked some questions to Patrick Sullivan of SB Nation’s One Foot Down.

Oh, and read my answers to his questions here.

1. Notre Dame is one of the most successful programs in the history of college football. However, in the college football playoff era, the Irish have only made two appearances and have lost both games by a decent margin. When is Notre Dame’s next playoff showing? What is it going to take for a championship?

Really quickly to start, I’d like to challenge the word “only” in the second sentence of this question. In the 7 completed seasons in the CFP era, there have only been 11 teams who have made the College Football Playoff at all. Of those 11, only 5 have made it more than once — Notre Dame is one of them. So, of course I’d prefer if ND were on the same level as Alabama (6 appearances) or Clemson (6) or Ohio State (4) or Oklahoma (4) here, but to say they’ve “only” made 2 appearances is pretty unfair wording considering they’re in the top 4% there.

With that said, I will obviously grant you that the Irish have been completely, embarrassingly over-matched in both of their appearances in the CFP. Clemson absolutely crushed them 30-3 in 2018, and Alabama’s 31-14 victory last New Year’s Day may not have been a COMPLETE beatdown, but ND was never really in it. The Irish have yet to show up for one of their CFP appearances, so to answer your last question: I think it will take a new coach and some incremental elite recruiting at several key positions — QB, WR, and CB especially — for the Irish to have a chance to actually even win a semifinal game, let alone the title game. Brian Kelly has brought the program back to prominence, but appears unable to take them that last step or two in order to be the best team in college football.

ND’s next playoff appearance, though, will probably come in the next few years. Just based on how good the freshman class has looked this season and how recruiting is shaping up in the 2022 and 2023 classes, I would guess 2023 or 2024 will give us the next CFP bid for the Irish. The big question will be whether they actually can look like they belong when they get there.

2. The Navy-Notre Dame annual match was broken last year. COVID obviously played a large role in that. However, finding a way to play each other was possible. Thoughts? Maybe it strengthened the Irish schedule leading to a playoff appearance? I don’t think many Navy fans were happy about it.

So, is there still a desire to eliminate Navy completely from the Irish’s schedule?

I’m not sure it was really that possible. Everyone was doing conference-only schedules last season, including ND with their temporary membership in the ACC. I doubt the ACC and AAC would have allowed the two teams to schedule a match-up at all, considering all the risks and complexities associated with COVID last season.

With that said, it probably did slightly strengthen ND’s schedule that led to a playoff appearance. Navy was not good last year and even when they are good, a win over the Midshipmen doesn’t seem to matter much to the CFP committee or the national media — replacing them with some mediocre ACC team probably didn’t necessarily make it that much harder on ND to get a win, but it did add a P5 win to the resume instead of a win over Navy. That helps, unfortunately.

In terms of eliminating Navy from the schedule, my take is that I’d like it to stop being an annual game. I think the ties between these two schools are strong and traditional and cool and I don’t want to remove that completely from the equation, but just like other traditional opponents (Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State, etc.), I think ND can afford to schedule periodic two-year series against the Midshipmen and that will suffice. Obviously, ND owed the Navy for their help during WWII with the V-7 program, etc., but that debt has absolutely since been paid, and at this point all the Irish get is a lose-lose game on the schedule that involves a completely unique offense to prepare for and lots of cut-blocking Midshipmen diving at ND defenders’ legs. I don’t want to completely eliminate the series, but count me as someone who thinks it can be played a lot less often and still honor the long standing relationship between the two schools.

3. The Irish team is stacked with talent. Who are the future NFL Hall of Famers? What is the true opinion of/faith in Jack Coan?

Kyle Hamilton, if he stays healthy, is the clear No. 1 answer here. I truly believe he can be one of the best safeties the NFL has ever seen — he’s the total package, and I’m sad he’s missed the last couple games and will also miss this one.

Aside from him, there are plenty of other guys who will have solid NFL careers, but I’m not sure if any of them are future HOFers or not. If I had to pick a few with the best chance to do so, though, I’d go with TE Michael Mayer, RB Kyren “Bellyman” Williams, DE Isaiah Foskey, and then maybe a couple linemen like DT Jayson Ademilola and C Jarrett Patterson. I will add that there are some true freshmen that I think could be great NFLers someday based on what they’ve already shown, including OTs Joe Alt and Blake Fisher and WR Lorenzo Styles Jr.

RE: Jack Coan: I like him. He’s nowhere close to being the best player on the offense and has some key flaws that hindered the team early in the season in conjunction with some horrible offensive line play, but he’s a tough, resilient QB who, when given good protection, is very good at accurately finding his receivers and driving the team down the field for points, no matter the game situation (he seems to thrive in the final 2 minutes of close games). I don’t have faith in him to win any games on his own, but at this point I trust him with this offense (assuming he gets protection) and think he’s proven he can lead this team under most circumstances. He’s a nice bridge between Ian Book and the likely 2022 and 2023 starter, current freshman Tyler Buchner.

4. Rough loss against a Group of 5, AAC opponent in Cincinnati… Is the Notre Dame season already considered a failure? Under-performance? Can we write-off a playoff spot?

I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a failure, but “under-performance” seems fair considering Cincinnati was clearly the only actually-good opponent on the schedule, and the Irish lost somewhat convincingly at home. There’s no shame in losing to the Bearcats right now, but the manner in which it happened was disappointing, and the fact there are no other opportunities for redemptive wins makes the rest of the season quite “mehhh” in terms of excitement.

And yes, we can write off a playoff spot for the Irish. I’m sure there’s some wild, chaotic scenario that gets them in, but I don’t believe that will happen and also don’t think this ND team deserves that kind of divine providence anyway. They’re destined to finish as an decent ND team that could maybe break the program’s NY6 bowl game losing streak, which would be a nice little consolation prize. I would be pretty happy with 12-1 and a NY6 win, assuming it’s setting up the team for better things in the next couple seasons.

5. Do Notre Dame fans like the idea of playing Navy in Ireland? Or is that just a travel headache to support the team?

There might be some people who think it’s not worth the travel or jet lag before coming back and playing a week two opponent, but I would say I’m very much FOR it and so are most Notre Dame fans.

If we’re going to play Navy, playing them in the season opener in Ireland is an awesome way to do it — cool location, it’s fun to have a game starting early in the morning if you’re in the U.S. watching it, and it’s a super fun excuse to travel to Ireland. A bunch of my college friends and I had planned to go see the game in 2020 and then travel around Ireland and Scotland for like 10 days, so it was a major bummer when that fell through. I love the destination matchup for these two teams, especially if it only happens every 8-10 years.

6. Did you know: the Notre Dame fight song is the same as the Milton High School fight song? Funny story: *pause* this isn’t really a question, just my side bar that any Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard aviator would understand. Paul Levins is a former Army survivalist and now teaches survival training during a very early phase of flight school. Pretty much every Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard aviator has encountered Paul Levins and remember his colorful and unique comments. He can be hilarious, yet very politically incorrect and offensive. Ultimately, he’s unforgettable. After Paul’s career in the Army, he moved back to his hometown in Milton, Florida (just Google that place… crazy). Milton is a city over from Pensacola, Florida, where the initial phases of flight school are conducted. Paul is an alumni of Milton High School. Part of survival training is becoming CPR certified. When Paul grades the CPR tests as they are turned in, he sings the Milton HS fight song when students received 100% on the test. About halfway through grading, one student asked “Sir, what song do you keeping singing?” Paul answers, “The Milton High School fight song!” And I said, from the back of the classroom, “I’ve personally been scored on by Notre Dame enough to know that’s the Notre Dame fight song”. Naturally, he told me Milton High School had it first.

LOL that’s awesome, and I had no idea about any of it.

I’m gonna go ahead and challenge Levins on his timeline here, though — Wikipedia tells me the Notre Dame Victory March was written in 1908 and first performed at ND in 1909. Milton High School wasn’t founded until 1915.

Of course, ND revised the lyrics in 1920 and didn’t copyright the song until 1928, so I suppose there’s time in there for Milton to have taken the tune and made it into their own fight song prior to the copyright kicking in — so maybe Milton officially had it first but ND then legalese-d it away from them (similar to my alma mater, Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, having the Leprechaun logo before ND but then later having to give it up because ND copyrighted it first).

7. Festive Question: It’s officially November, which means it’s officially time for the time-honored tradition of the way-too-early playing of Christmas/holiday MOVIES. What are your five favorite Christmas/holiday movies? Feel free to explain.

Let me just preface these rankings by saying I have weird taste in movies, my preferences very much skew toward comedies, and when it comes to holiday movies, hokey/cheesy oftentimes beats true quality. So don’t be expecting It’s A Wonderful Life here, folks.

My rankings:

5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: I’m a big Yukon Cornelius fan.

4. Elf: it’s overplayed and overquoted, but for a very good reason — that’s an excellent holiday film with parts that still make me chuckle out loud to myself.

3. Home Alone: very cool how they made this prequel/origin story for Jigsaw from the Saw franchise.

2. The Santa Clause: classic Christmas movie vibes but with Tim Allen sarcasm/humor. Making fun of Neil’s sweaters never gets old.

1. Jingle All the Way: Arnold, Sinbad, Phil Hartman, Rita Wilson, the kid from Phantom Menace. Need I say more? This is the perfect Christmas movie.

8. Final score? Game predictions?

I think this one will go somewhat similar to 2018 and 2019, where the Irish pretty much handle their business and use their superior size/speed to string together some big plays, get some stops, and end up winning by a few scores. I’m a little worried about the ND defense tackling well enough to get the Midshipmen offense off the field at times, and could see that keeping the Midshipmen in it for a half or so, but overall I think the Irish will bring their A-game down the stretch and pull away in the second half.

I’ll say Notre Dame 38, Navy 16

Preview, How to Watch: Navy Midshipmen visit the Houston Cougars

2021-09-24T09:36:01-07:00

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Navy Midshipmen look to capture their first win of the 2021 season against the Houston Cougars.

Well, 0-2 definitely is not the ideal way to start off the season. The Navy Midshipmen are coming off a bye week, which was preceded by a pair of *bad* losses. In Week One, Navy was blown out by Marshall, 49-7, on their home turf. That was followed up by a 23-3 loss to one of their rival Service Academies, Air Force. These two losses bring Navy’s losing streak to seven games, which dates back to late-October of 2020.

That’s not great.

But!

All hope is not lost. While in years past I have been criticized for being too pessimistic regarding Navy football, this year might be the opposite. The Midshipmen are still looking to find their identity and find their key personnel (mostly at the quarterback position). However, the defense improved against Air Force. And, at times, the offense does put a play or two together to develop some semblance of a drive. Finishing drives and capitalizing on opponents mistakes — and penalties and turnovers — are really what separates this year’s team from teams in the past. Realistically, we can expect the penalties and turnovers to be rapidly reduced due to the discipline of the program. And, there appears to be a new offensive play-caller on the sidelines, which may lead to more offensive production.

We’re back! Houston week⏳#GoNavy | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/oC4cce7v3W
— Navy Football (@NavyFB) September 20, 2021

Houston Preview

Frankly, the Navy offense is the biggest question mark heading into their contest against the Cougars. After the firing then re-hiring (as only Quarterbacks Coach) of former offensive coordinator Ivan Jasper, there remains grave uncertainty as to how the offense will perform. Against Air Force, Navy only managed a total of 68 yards on offense. It should be expected that head coach Ken Niumatalolo will significantly be more involved in the offensive play calling this week — if not completely in control.

from the ❤️ https://t.co/SMpk0vR06C
— Ivin Jasper (@CoachIvinJasper) September 15, 2021

The Houston defense allowed 38 points to Texas Tech in Week One, but has since held their opponents to an average of 3.5 points per game. While these last two games were not necessarily against the toughest opponents (Rice and Gambling State), the Navy Midshipmen have not proven they are a threatening offense either. We would normally expect that Navy will be able to find the end-zone a few times against this caliber of defense. But, once again, there are tons of uncertainty.

From a defensive perspective, Navy will have its hands full, just as they always do when taking on Houston. The Cougars have averaged just over 36 points per game in their first three weeks. Houston is led by junior quarterback Clayton Tune, who remains questionable for this weekend for undisclosed reasons. However, his backup Ike Ogbogu, is more than capable of running this dynamic offense. The primary receiving targets are Nathaniel Dell and Christian Trahan.

The Navy defense will need to overcome the challenges of playing against this high-functioning offense on their home field. Stopping the run will be key. Once that happens, the defensive ends and blitzing linebackers will need to get pressure on whichever quarterback in under center in order to minimize the potential for big plays. There is no doubt Navy is facing the toughest team its encountered all season. This game won’t be an easy one.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

How To Watch

When: Saturday, Sept. 25 — 7 p.m. EST
Where: Houston, Texas — TDECU Stadium
TV: Tiffany Green and Hutson Mason will have the call on ESPNU. WATCH HERE
Odds: Most books have Houston favored by 19.5 points with the over-under set around 48.5 points.

#CollegeFootball #ForTheTroops

Here's the schedule of games airing this weekend on the American Forces Network. pic.twitter.com/HIDJhshQI9
— American Forces Network (@AFNtelevision) September 23, 2021

On the anniversary of 9/11, Navy football looks to bounce back vs. Air Force

2021-09-09T16:35:06-07:00

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

A lot of eyes will be on this game. If Navy wants to win at home, it will need to correct several mistakes it made vs. Marshall.

Well, I think we can all agree that the Navy Midshipmen got off to a less-than-ideal start to their 2021 season.

After a 49-7 loss to Marshall, many fans may be seriously concerned about Navy’s upcoming game against the Air Force Falcons. However, I would contest that the scoreboard of Navy’s first game suggests a significantly different picture than the quality of this team. Here are a few statistics from the game that are unrelated to the final score.

Time of Possession

Navy: 41:19
Marshall: 18:41

First Downs

Navy: 24
Marshall: 23

Turnovers

Navy: 2
Marshall: 3

Total Yards

Navy: 398
Marshall: 464

Penalties

Navy: 4-22
Marshall: 5-27

Navy also averaged 4.4 yards per carry despite rotating multiple quarterbacks in throughout the game.

BUT, let’s be honest — 49-7 is a brutal loss, especially at home. Navy had some serious issues on special teams and a handful of silly mistakes, which can both be explained by inexperienced players on offense and early season hiccups.

Let’s take a look at how the Midshipmen match up against a Service Academy rival.

Air Force Offense

During the Falcons’ 35-14 win in their season opener against Lafayette, the offense performed quite well. Air Force rushed for 420 yards, with junior running back Brad Roberts accounting for 111 yards. The team also converted 100% of their fourth down attempts, a key statistic for these Service Academy bouts.

Despite Roberts’ strong performance, Air Force junior quarterback Haazig Daniels stole the show with his three touchdowns. Daniels and Roberts will be the key personnel Navy’s offense will look to slow this coming Saturday. Turnovers will be crucial. Yet, these may be hard to come by given the Falcons’ disciplined nature.

Air Force Defense

Much like their offense, Air Force came out strong early in their match against Lafayette. The Falcons really only showed susceptibility in their secondary, while their run defense held Lafayette to a mere 1.8 yards per-carry. This is not at all a good sign for Navy’s rushing attack. It’s still uncertain who will be leading the Midshipmen from under-center come Saturday. But whoever it is, they will facing a capable front seven who are well-acquainted with the triple-option offense.

20th Anniversary of 9/11

This Saturday’s game will take place on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks on the United States. To call it an anniversary is moderately unsettling, because we often think of anniversaries as happy and positive times. Service members, including those who have graduated from Navy and Air Force, have made tremendous sacrifices since September 11, 2001.

While this day will continue to live on in infamy, it is important that we remember those who have defended our country and our way of life, and celebrate their bravery and selfless dedication.

All I want for Christmas: Army-Navy

2020-12-12T03:55:00-08:00

Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Healthy teams, good football and excellent coaching is what Gavin Jernigan wants from the Army-Navy game. Oh, and a Navy win.

The year of 2020 hasn’t been great for really any of us. As the year winds down, and we reflect on the past few months, it can be hard to find much positivity or uplifting thoughts.

For that reason alone, I’m wishing especially hard for my Christmas wishes this year.

1. Healthy Teams

These days, who knows who is going to be feeling sick, what test results will be, and how accurately/appropriately “contact” will be traced. I wish for players to be healthy in the hours leading up to the game, during the game and after the game.

Additionally, Midshipmen and Cadets will be in attendance as well as coaches and other support staff. As difficult as this year has been, executing a good ol’ fashioned rivalry football game without virus, sickness or injury would bring joy to my heart.

Photo by Edward Diller/Getty Images

2. High Quality Service Academy Football

The inconsistencies with this college football season has resulted in a dramatic drop in the quality of football played by both Army and Navy. Although Navy has been victim to a significantly higher number of penalties and turnovers than years past.

For this game, I am wishing for a low number of flags on the field, and some good ol’ fashioned triple-option offense. Long drives and no turnovers is how this game is going to be won. There’s no place for sloppy execution with Army and Navy, so I don’t want to see any of it.

Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

3. Legendary Coaching Showdown

As rumors spread rapidly for the fulfillment of coaching vacancies, we enter the time of the year where the idea floats that Coach Ken Niumatalolo and Coach Jeff Monken could be leaving their respective schools for a Power 5 program.

While it doesn’t appear that Coach Niumatalolo will be leaving Navy for much less than an extremely attractive offer, Coach Monken appears to be a leading candidate for a handful of jobs. I am wishing for a legendary coaching showdown this year, because it may be the last one we ever get from these two coaches on this stage.

Both coaches are likely the best each school has ever seen and we should be grateful for the years we continue to have them.

4. A Navy Win

All I want for Christmas is a Navy win.

It’s been a rough year for Navy fans. Quarterback changes. Injuries. Cancelled games. And more losses than we hoped. This year can be called a win by Navy fans everywhere if the Midshipmen can finish off the year on a good note.

Sing Second. Go Navy. Beat Army.

Maybe we’ll even get another moment like this?

(Mitchell Northam / Against All Enemies)

Takeaways: Navy falls on the road to SMU

2020-11-01T08:40:28-08:00

Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The best players are on the field. But, like for many of us, 2020 is not Navy’s year.

The Navy Midshipmen entered Saturday’s matchup as heavy underdogs against the SMU Mustangs. Navy, being 3-3 on the season, had struggled in nearly every game this year, even in their wins. SMU, on the contrary, entered the match comfortably at 5-1 and ranked No. 22. The Mustangs’ only loss came last week to the undefeated, No. 7 Cincinnati.

Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

First Quarter Spark

The first quarter consisted of two possession for SMU and only one for the Navy Midshipmen. The Mustangs received the ball to start the game but quickly punted the ball back the Navy. Despite a few inefficient plays and a painful dropped pass, the Midshipmen found the endzone with a 3-yard rush by Nelson Smith. The Mustangs responded with a solid drive of their own, resulting in a rushing touchdown by star running back, Ulysses Bentley IV.

The offensive battle continued as Dalen Morris led Navy on a quick, 6-play drive culminating with a Chance Warren rushing score. While Navy would have liked to take more time off the clock, they were not complaining with their 14-7 lead over the No. 22 SMU Mustangs. Unfortunately, Navy’s defense, withered by injury, was unable to hold off Bentley IV and the Mustang offense from easily finding the endzone once more.

After a 3-and-out by Navy, SMU took just over a minute to score once again, taking the lead, 21-14. With the help of an SMU defensive holding penalty, and a couple of completions by Dalen Morris, the Midshipmen found themselves inside the redzone. However, the offensive line false started on a 3rd-and-3 and forced Navy to settle with a field goal attempt. Despite missing a few kicks last week, Bijan Nichols found his grove and crushed a 46-yard attempt with ease. This allowed Navy to pull within four points with 1:18 left in the quarter.

Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

From Bad to Ugly

With little time left in the half, SMU veteran quarterback, Shane Beuchele, had no issue leading the Mustangs right back down the field. Where trailing 28-17 at half would have been bad enough for Navy, it actually got worse. The Midshipmen were set to receive the ball to start the second half. So, it was expect that, with seven seconds left in the second quartef, Morris would simply take a knee. Instead, the offense ran a play which resulted in a fumble and was recovered by SMU with a single second left on the clock. Naturally, the Mustangs kicked a field goal to go up 31-17 at the half.

Every point SMU scored in the first half came in the second quarter...all 31.

The third quarter was more of the same. Navy’s offense was unsuccessful while their defense failed to slow the Mustangs. It didn’t help that defensive captain, Diego Fagot, got injured and was forced out for the game due to an lower body injury. The Midshipmen defense were now missing their three best defensive players. Michael McMorris did not play due to concussion and Evan Fochtman announced his retirement from football earlier in the week due to head injuries.

Navy’s bleeding continued throughout the second half and any momentum they retained from their early game lead dwindled away to nothing.

After the Mustangs comfortably extended their lead, they let off the gas in the fourth quarter and cruised to a 51-37 victory. Shane Buechele finished the game with 300 passing yards and three touchdowns. Bentley IV totaled 149 yards on 25 carries.

Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Way Ahead

There isn’t any doubt that the SMU Mustangs are a talented team. And, as we know, this isn’t Navy’s finest hour. But, you can’t help but think there’s something missing when watching the Midshipmen. For us who have spent years following Ken Niumatalolo’s teams, we are used to close, competitive games. Yet, this year’s team is simply lifeless. Where grit and determination is normally ever-present, we see apparent complacency and apathy. The Navy coaches are calling the right plays. The best players are on the field. But, like for many of us, 2020 is not Navy’s year.

Tyger Goslin replaced Dalen Morris at quarterback at the start of the fourth quarter and looked much more comfortable than he did during his start at Air Force. We could see Golsin get more playing time as this season winds down due to him likely being the future of the position for the Midshipmen.

Next week, the Midshipmen host Tulsa in another conference game. Navy will have a fair shot at winning, but not if they can’t find some more energy in every aspect of the game. Offense, defense, and special teams all have tons of room for improvement and it rests with the players directly.

Preview, How to Watch: Navy visits East Carolina

2020-10-16T12:43:44-07:00

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Navy looks to improve to 3-0 in American Athletic Conference play this weekend at East Carolina.

After an exciting win over the Temple Owls a week ago, the Navy Midshipmen hit the road to take on East Carolina in Greenville. The Midshipmen enter the conference matchup with a 2-2 overall record and 2-0 in AAC play. The ECU Pirates got off to a slow start this season, losing their first two games. But, after a strong 44-24 win over South Florida, the Pirates have battled back to a 1-2 record.

ECU is led on offense by junior quarterback Holton Ahlers. Over the first three games of the year, Ahlers has thrown for 673 yards for six touchdowns. However, he has also thrown four interceptions. As a team, the Pirates have turned over the ball six times this year.

Ahlers’ favorite targets include junior Blake Proehl — son of former NFL wide reciever and two-time Super Bowl champ Ricky Proehl — and sophomore Tyler Snead. Although Proehl and Snead account for the heavy majority of receptions, CJ Johnson is ECU’s big-play receiver. Johnson is averaging 25.2 yards per reception and caught three of the Ahlers’ six touchdowns.

On defense, ECU has struggled, allowing an average of 41.3 points per game. Although, their offense turning over the ball often has given their opponents great field position. Without having faced a triple option opponent this year, the Pirates may have their hands full this week.

The last component to explain ECU’s struggles this year is the amount of penalties and penalty yardage they have to their name. The Pirates average over eight penalties per game for 86 yards per game. Any team with that lack of discipline will struggle to win football games.

The Navy Midshipmen will hope to continue their streamlined option offense with Dalen Morris at the helm. We will also likely see a healthy combination of Jamale Carothers and Nelson Smith at the fullback position, given Smith’s stellar performance against Temple.

On defense, Navy will be looking to have a healthy squad, with defensive captain Diego Fagot possibly returning from injury. The key to success for the defense will be to avoid giving up the big play and force ECU to put together complete drives. Fortunately, this week they will not have to face a talented, fifth year senior like Temple’s Anthony Russo.

Prediction: In a tough battle, the Navy Midshipmen steal an away victory, 42-35.

How to Watch

Kickoff: Noon EST
Where: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium — Greenville, North Carolina
Watch: ESPN2 | Lincoln Rose and Keith Moreland will have the call.
Spread: ECU is a 2.5-point home underdog. The over/under is 55.5 points.

. @AFNtelevision sked for @NavyFB vs. ECU:

Sunday, 9:00 a.m. CET (for troops in Western Europe)

Sunday, 10:00 a.m. AST (for troops in the Middle East

Sunday, 11:30 a.m. AFT (for troops in Afghanistan

Sunday, 4:00 p.m. JST (for troops in Japan / South Korea
— Navy Athletics (@NavyAthletics) October 15, 2020

Navy holds off Temple for exciting victory at home

2020-10-11T09:22:53-07:00

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Ken Niumatalolo earned his 100th win at Navy, and the Midshipmen improve to a record of 2-2 with a win over the Temple Owls.

After an abysmal performance in Colorado Springs against the Air Force Falcons, the Navy Midshipmen needed a strong rebound the next time they took the field. Navy hosted the Temple for the Owls’ first game of the season on Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis and came away with an impressive 31-29 victory.

While Navy is now 2-2 on the season with a pair of embarrassing non-conference defeats, they are 2-0 in American Athletic Conference play.

The win also marked Ken Niumatalolo’s 100th career victory, making him just the sixth active FBS coach to win that many games at one school. 4,400 members of the Brigade were there to celebrate Coach Ken.

“I’m just speechless. So happy for our players to come back after a devastating loss last week,” Niumatalolo said after the game. “We had our two starting inside linebackers out, our starting safeties out, but our guys battled and the defense found a way to make enough plays to win.”

mood: pic.twitter.com/FePK7DKEuF
— dmo. (@OchoDMO) October 11, 2020

The Midshipmen opted to receive the opening kickoff — a rare desire by Niumatalolo — and it paid off. Navy marched straight down the field and capped off an impressive 17-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Jamale Carothers‘ rushing touchdown. As always, the Midshipmen like to possess the ball for as long as possible. They did just that by taking 9:38 off the clock on that first drive.

The Temple Owls had a response to the dominant drive. Anthony Russo, Temple’s fifth-year senior quarterback, comfortably led his offense down the field. Fortunately for the Midshipmen, the Temple drive stalled and resulted in only a field goal.

Navy and Temple exchanged touchdowns on each of their subsequent drives, bringing the score to 14-10 with the Midshipmen in the lead.

First Half, Fourth Down Conversions

The Navy Midshipmen converted both of their fourth down attempts in the first half. The first attempt resulted in a touchdown. Another conversion was especially important on a gutsy fourth-and-six play from Temple’s 45-yard-line that allowed Navy to extend their drive. Just one play later, senior fullback Nelson Smith exploded for a 26-yard touchdown run and extended Navy’s lead to 21-10.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Grit

The Midshipmen didn’t force Temple to punt the ball at all during the first half. Additionally, Navy’s defense gave up 199 yards and allowed 5.85 yards per play. And yet, the Owls went into their locker room at halftime with only 10 points and trailed the Mids by 11 points.

With the Owls driving down the field at the end of the half, Russo was intercepted by John Marshall. The turnover was huge in preventing a shift in momentum, especially since Temple would be receiving the ball to start the second half. Navy’s defensive grit, paired with their offense’s incredible job winning the time of possession, was the story of the first half.

The beginning of the second half wasn’t as fruitful as the first for either team. Temple and Navy had short drives that resulted in punts on their initial possessions. When the Owls got the ball back, Russo took command and led his team to the end zone after 10 plays and 70 yards. However, he got some help from some missed assignments and a costly 15-yard penalty by the Navy defense.

Nelson Smith Shines

As a sophomore two years ago, Smith looked like the future of the position for Navy. He was splitting time with a senior at the time and actually started seven of the games that season. Last year, his performance subsided and was overshadowed by Carothers, a breakout star. Smith regained his status during Navy’s second drive of the third quarter when he carried the ball for 5-of-9 offensive plays, totaling 59 yards, and scoring his second touchdown.

In all, Smith had a tremendous day rushing the ball, covering 120 yards on 20 carries and scoring twice.

Nelson Smith. Up the middle. Touchdown No. 2. @NavyFB answers RIGHT BACK! pic.twitter.com/ACfkzWBo4N
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) October 11, 2020

Temple responded with a rushing touchdown by Russo, but failed to convert the two-point conversion, reducing the Navy lead and bringing the score to 28-23.

After a steady drive, and two big fourth down conversion, Navy found themselves in an undesired fourth-and-20 situation on Temple’s 33-yard-line. Niumatalolo sent out the reliable, Bijan Nichols to attempt a 50-yard field goal into the wind. Naturally, Nichols crushed the ball through the uprights on a kick that would have been good from near 60 yards.

Nichols was also four-for-four on extra point attempts Saturday and has missed just one kick through four games this season.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about that drive that ended with Nichols kick was how much clock it ate up. Navy only covered 26 yards, but used 15 plays to do so and grinded off more than nine minutes off the clock.

With 4:56 left in the fourth quarter, Russo was given the ball on his own 25-yard line, down 31-23. On 10 plays, the Temple Owls drove the distance of the field and scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown with 1:02 left in the game.

Down two points, Temple had to go for a two point conversion, which was emphatically denied by sophomore linebacker Terrell Adams, who broke up Russo’s final pass attempt.

Adams had a strong outing with a total of nine tackles on the night. Notably, he was one of the linebackers who stepped up in the absence of star linebacker Diego Fagot, who was out due to an injury.

Temple’s onside kick attempt was unsuccessful and Navy finished the game in victory formation.

wins today for this guy. ⚓️ pic.twitter.com/fuGRW8rlx0
— Against All Enemies (@AAE_SBN) October 11, 2020

A note on the broadcasting crew

John Sadak and Randy Cross often serve as the commentators for Navy games on CBS Sports. While many fans are normally critical of those covering the games, this was time was exceptionally bad. Comments like nobody valuing “timeouts less than Navy” and referring to head coach Niumatalolo as “Riverboat Ken” or “Casino Ken” were unprofessional. They even continued to mock Niumatalolo about his coaching decisions, suggesting he should be wearing sunglasses as if he were gambling at a casino poker table (of course, the game was at night). Coming from an organization such as CBS, and from two announcers who have been assigned to Navy games for so long, one would expect better.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Takeaways: Navy was blown out by Air Force. What’s wrong with the Mids?

2020-10-07T06:40:00-07:00

Photo by Mat Gdowski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Is it the inconsistencies caused by the pandemic, or are the departures and transfers catching up with Navy? Are the Mids experiencing a drought in talent?

The third game of the season didn’t go as planned for the Navy Midshipmen. Actually, it wasn’t even close.

The Air Force Falcons dominated the Midshipmen, 40-7, in the biggest margin of victory within the rivalry since 2002. Many felt Navy had the advantage heading into the game considering they had two games under their belt and a “full team” (or in other words, hadn’t lost players to “turnbacks”). Even Las Vegas had the Midshipmen winning by a touchdown or so.

So, why were we so, so wrong?

First, the way in which Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun prepares his team — releasing almost no information to the public regarding the status of players, or even who is on the team — gives them a small leg up on the competition. Until the first offensive play of the game, nobody had any clue who was going to start at quarterback for the Falcons. Conversely, the Midshipmen played two games prior to their meeting with Air Force, allowing the Falcons to study and identify weaknesses in the Navy squad.

Although Navy’s starting quarterback, Dalen Morris, was unable to play due to injury, that in itself was not the reason the Midshipmen only scored seven points. The Navy offensive line this season is simply subpar. Tyger Goslin, who started under-center for the Midshipmen, had almost the same exact experience as Air Force quarterback Haaziq Daniels. And yet, Daniels has no issue finding open holes and leading his offense to a 40-point outing.

Photo by Mat Gdowski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

I could go on-and-on about the theoretical unfairness of Air Force not having the “same season” as Navy and that they had two games worth of film on Navy. But, let’s be honest, the Falcons were the better team and they deserved the win.

Naturally, many Navy fans are extremely frustrated with the seemingly random levels of performance by the team over the last few years. Since the Keenan Reynolds era, the Navy Midshipmen have been incredibly inconsistent. After an amazing year in 2019 that resulted in an 11-2 record and a win over Kansas State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Navy is 1-2 so far with two ugly, blowout losses.

So... what is going on?

The Navy football program is being used as a stepping-stool. A stop on the road trip. A place where talent can gain some experience and move on to bigger and better things. For many years, Navy had very little turnover in their coaching and support staff. But since 2015, Navy has lost a handful of coaches to the NFL or Power 5 schools. Additionally, more and more talented players are leaving Navy, some in hopes of finding their way to the NFL.

It started with Alohi Gilman, who left Navy for Notre Dame, and is now with the Los Angeles Chargers. This past off-season, Jacob Springer, a star on last year’s defensive squad, transferred and landed at Ole Miss. Chalen Garnes, another defensive player who was likely to start, left Navy and found his way to Wake Forest. Even support staff, like those focused on improving the social media presence of the team, left during this past off-season. These losses were recoverable. But, when Perry Olsen, who many believed was a better fit at quarterback then Dalen Morris, announced his transfer after not being named starter following the BYU game, it made things look quite grim for this year’s team.

The problem with the Navy football program is the same with the American Athletic Conference (and other Group of 5 conferences) — they are seen as a temporary solution. And once one is proven at the intermediate level, they gain the confidence to continue to climb the ladder.

Ken Niumatalolo has built a phenomenal program. But sometimes, players, coaches and support staff shine, unlock their potentials and then jump at the chance to go to the Power 5. Occasionally, his own program finds itself in a talent drought. That might be what we’re seeing this season, and it’s being amplified by the pandemic. If this season turns out to be anything like 2018, the Navy football team and its fans are in for a bumpy ride.

Asterisks and uncertainty aside, Navy should be favored against Air Force in the first C.I.C. meeting of 2020

2020-09-24T14:57:33-07:00

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Any notion suggesting the Navy Midshipmen are at a disadvantage heading into their game against Air Force is entirely false.

For many months, all we hoped for was any sort of college football. We begged and pleaded for there to be something, anything! Well, we have football, and it appears that it will continue through the fall.

However, some teams are having different types of seasons than others. For example, the SEC have yet to play any games, but that will change this weekend. And the Big Ten will begin play in mid-October.

Additionally, the Mountain West Conference — of which Air Force is a member of — has not yet announced plans to play football this fall (though that could change soon). Despite this decision made by the conference, the Falcons will still host the Navy Midshipmen on Oct. 3 and will travel to play Army on Nov. 7. These two games are the only contests on Air Force’s fall schedule.

The Capital Gazette’s Bill Wagner argued that the Commander-in-Chief competition between Army, Navy and Air Force will have an asterisk attached to it this year because of the vast differences between the schedules being played by Air Force and the two other Service Academies:

“No other sport — collegiate or professional — would proceed with a championship series that did not place all participants on a level playing field. In that regard, this year’s Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy series has been compromised.”

Wagner is entirely correct in the sense that the series has been compromised. Many, including Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo, questioned the fairness of Air Force getting to play their first game against the Midshipmen a month into the season. The Falcons have two games worth of film to use in their preparation and are fully rested and healthy. Conversely, Navy has no film of Air Force and are physically and emotionally beat-up from two extremely different games against BYU and Tulane.

Regardless, any notion suggesting the Navy Midshipmen are at a disadvantage heading into their game against Air Force is entirely false.

As I say — every single year — 90% of college football teams make their biggest improvements between Week 1 and Week 2. We saw this be especially true when we saw Navy go from losing at home against BYU, 55-3, to travelling to New Orleans and defeating Tulane, 27-24.

Week 1 games are often sloppy, full of penalties and just generally slow for the vast majority of teams. Pair that with the difficulties and limitations that come with trying to play a football game in The Age of COVID, things are going to get weird and uncertain.

Well, fortunately for the Midshipmen, they have worked through these pains and are onto their third game of the year. On the other hand, Air Force is still in the dark.

The Falcons have no rhythm, haven’t worked through the Week 1 growing pains and have no momentum whatsoever. They haven’t faced any adversity. They haven’t been crushed on their home turf and lost by over 50 points and they haven’t come back from being down 24-0 at halftime on someone else’s turf. Their quarterback — whoever that may be, but I’ll get to that in a second — hasn’t been intercepted or taken a hit by an opposing linebacker. No Falcon defender has been cut blocked at full speed and had to get back up and play the next play. Air Force hasn’t played a full, 60-minute game to its end. Navy has an overwhelming advantage flying into Colorado Springs next Friday.

This is all true with the assumption that Air Force is ready to field a full team of starters, with their best athletes healthy and ready to play. Yet, this assumption likely isn’t the case. Brent Briggeman of the The Colorado Springs Gazette reported this regarding the Air Force football team:

“Multiple sources have informed The Gazette that many sophomores, juniors and seniors on the football team — a number as high as 40 — have applied for administrative turnbacks. The turnbacks were created to give cadets facing personal hardships an opportunity to separate from the academy for a semester, putting them on a track to graduate in nine semesters instead of eight. In the case of football players, this would mean leaving for this semester, returning in the spring and gaining an extra season of eligibility.”

Additionally, its been reported that starting quarterback, Donald Hammond III, has lost good standing with the academy and, therefore, will not likely be under center next week. Hammond is a pretty darn good quarterback; he was named to the preseason watch list for the Davey O’Brien Award and accounted for 26 of Air Force’s touchdowns last season.

Because Falcons’ coach Troy Calhoun keeps things extremely quiet with regard to his players, their depth chart and pretty much every thing else about the program, there’s tons of uncertainty about the football team that will face Navy on Oct. 3.

And perhaps uncertainty is somewhat of a disadvantage. And maybe there’s a case to be made about Air Force being well-rested.

But ultimately, the Midshipmen should be the overwhelming favorite on Oct. 3 in Colorado Springs. They’ve played two games at full speed. They’ve been tested. Navy should have no reservations about Air Force having an unfair advantage.

Navy erases 24-point deficit to beat Tulane in a thriller

2020-09-19T13:42:45-07:00

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

With Dalen Morris leading the way, the Midshipmen engineered an incredible second half comeback in New Orleans. Time expired as Bijan Nichols kicked 33-yard field goal.

After a 55-3 loss to the BYU Cougars, Navy football had some serious introspection on its agenda.

Additionally, when Perry Olsen — who many expected to start at quarterback heading into their game against Tulane — entered the transfer portal, that doubt deepened and more questions surfaced.

And even after going down by 24 points early, the Midshipmen put it all behind them. The Men of Ken engineered a terrific second-half comeback to win 27-24 on Saturday, on a rain-soaked field in New Orleans.

Here’s how it all went down:

First Half Struggles

To the surprise of many, freshman Xavier Arline was given the start at quarterback. Arline, who was a top lacrosse recruit out of high school (and initially committed to UNC to play both sports), looked uncomfortable but not completely lost after the first few drives. Regardless, the Navy offense got off to a terrible start. The Midshipmen accumulated only 49 yards in the first half. Ultimately, Arline was pulled in the middle of the second quarter and senior Dalen Morris, who started the first game of the year, was back under center.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Conversely, the Green Wave attack had little stopping them from moving the ball down field. Tulane’s Tyjae Spears rushed for 119 yards on the day with most of them coming in the first half.

By halftime, the Green Wave led Navy, 24-0 and almost all hope seemed to be lost for the Midshipmen.

Turning Point

Offensive woes seemed to subside on Navy’s initial offensive drive after halftime, but they were unable to convert a few first downs into points when Bijan Nichols missed a 57-yard field goal. Ken Niumatalolo’s decision to take such a long field goal, in a game where rain never stopped, seemed desperate to say the least.

Although this drive didn’t result in points on the board, many would agree it was the turning point in the game.

How do you lose this game? Kudos to Navy. Sorry for the in-game loser on here. Thought it was really good at halftime. pic.twitter.com/UD6QTeZi5w
— Brad Powers (@BradPowers7) September 19, 2020

Navy’s defense improved too after halftime and began to dominate Tulane, stopping all the momentum the Green Wave had in the first half. On the subsequent offensive possession, Dalen Morris completed two big passes to Mychal Cooper and Mark Walker that quickly led to a Nelson Smith touchdown run.

The Midshipmen defense got another three-and-out to give the ball back to the offense.

Navy scored on a 61-yard drive that could be accredited to Jamale Carothers’ 48-yard up the middle to the Tulane two-yard line. Nelson Smith punched the ball in on his second score of the game and put Navy within 10 points, 24-14.

In all, Smith had six carries for 22 yards and two scores.

Navy failed to get a first down on their next possession, but Daniel Davies’ 63-yard punt was downed on the one-yard line and put Tulane’s offense on their heels.

Navy defensive coordinator Brian Newberry opted to send the house with the Green Wave backed up into their own end-zone, and his risk was rewarded. The Midshipmen team-tackled Tulane’s Cameron Carroll for a safety, bringing the game within one possession, 24-16.

Fourth Quarter Comeback

Mark Walker got a solid 34-yard return on the kick after the safety, which put the Midshipmen in decent field possession. The exceptional play-calling on this drive allowed Morris to connect with Cooper on a 32-yard pass for a touchdown. Navy converted the two-point conversion, tying the score.

With about 13 minutes to play, the Navy defense bent, but it did not break. Both of Tulane’s fourth quarter drives failed to end in scores.

After a turnover-on-downs, Morris and his offensive crew were given the ball back on their own 48-yard line with just 4:41 seconds to go. After 10 plays, including huge runs by Jamale Carothers, the Midshipmen set up Bijan Nichols to attempt a 33-yard field goal as time expired.

LOOK FAMILIAR?!?? #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/gCxoZ5Nm17
— Navy Football (@NavyFB) September 19, 2020

Just as Nichols did last year against the Green Wave, he crushed the kick between the uprights and won the game for the Mids.

Navy bounced back from a bad loss against BYU with a huge team win away from home. They are now set to take on the Air Force Falcons in two weeks in the first of this year’s games in the C.I.C. series.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports