Happy, but not yet satisfied
Newberry expects Mids ‘D’ to continue making strides
NAVY FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
Navy defensive coordinator Brian Newberry could have spent this week basking in the glow of his unit’s second-half performance that keyed Saturday’s epic comeback against Tulane.
Inside linebacker Diego Fagot led the way as the Midshipmen shut out the Green Wave in the second half, limiting them to 82 total yards. Navy forced Tulane to go three-andout on four straight possessions to start the second half, setting the stage for the Mids offense to score 27 unanswered points.
While proud of the defense during the second half, Newberry was more concerned with the reasons why the Green Wave were able to build a 24-0 halftime lead. Many of the same issues that arose during the season opener against BYU resurfaced at Tulane. Navy defenders couldn’t get off blocks, failed to execute assignments and missed tackles.
The Green Wave piled up 291 total yards, with tailbacks Tyjae Spears and Cam Carroll both breaking off multiple long runs. It started on the first play as Spears shot through a huge hole, then bounced outside and raced 42 yards into Navy territory. Carroll scored Tulane’s third touchdown on a 24-yard scamper, racing into the end zone untouched.
Outside containment was a repeated problem and contributed to quarterback Keon Howard picking up 19 yards off a scramble.
“We had a lot of misfits, more so than missed tackles,” said Newberry, using a term that refers to filling holes and plugging gaps.
Newberry, in his second season as coordinator, cited the lack of live scrimmaging during August training camp as the main culprit. Navy implemented fullcontact practices in the wake of the 55-3 blowout by BYU, but the pad level and physicality still was not where it needed to be in the first half against Tulane.
“We are not fitting things in our base defense the way we should be at this point,” Newberry said. “That goes back to the lack of live work during camp and not having spring ball.
“At this time last season, we were really greased up and could fit just about anything in our base defense. It was second nature. This season, it’s not at this point.”
As was the case versus BYU, Navy had some of its best defenders — notably Fagot and safety Kevin Brennan — attempting to fix all the problems themselves. Newberry addressed the entire unit Monday and reminded defenders to trust the men next to them, espousing the Bill Belichick manta of “do your job.”
“We still have guys overcompensating and trying to do too much, especially when things break down,” Newberry said. “When you get your eyes in the wrong place and get out of your gaps, that’s when breakdowns occur.”
Newberry and the rest of the defensive staff made some minor adjustments at halftime and talked about winning the third quarter. Navy’s defense did that and then some, basically stonewalling Tulane throughout the second half.
Fagot said there were no fiery speeches or other motivational ploys used by the coaching staff at halftime. Rather, it was the three senior captains and other team leaders who took charge during intermission, which led to the greatest comeback in Navy football history.
“There was no special formula. We kept emphasizing: Do your job,” Fagot said. “Coach Newberry had some good things drawn up schematically and we just executed what he asked us to do.”
Fagot said the string of three-and-out defensive stops buoyed a unit that had allowed 79 points and 871 total yards through three halves.
“It gave us that much-needed confidence on the sideline,” he said. “We kind of got our mojo back.”
It started with stopping the run and forcing the host team into third-and-long situations. That enabled Newberry to use blitzes to put pressure on Howard, who completed just one pass in the second half.
“I think our effort level was really good,” Newberry said. “We had a lot of guys around the football in that second half. At the same time, if we’re being really honest with ourselves, Tulane helped us a little bit in the second half.”
Newberry must change gears and get the defense ready for a triple-option opponent as Navy travels to Colorado Springs to take on Air Force next Saturday. Normally, after scrimmaging during spring practice and August training camp, the unit would have considerable experience going against the option.
That is not the case this season and the Midshipmen were fortunate to have an unexpected bye week to make up for lost time. Navy was slated to play Temple on Saturday, but that game was postponed because of a coronavirus spike on the campus of the Philadelphia school.
“We’re going to come out this week with renewed purpose and get ready for Air Force,” Newberry said. “We still have a long, long way to go.
“It’s not even close to where we need to be to win football games. Our guys know that.”
Stats don’t determine value
Fagot was named American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Tulane. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound junior recorded nine tackles, six of which were solo and two of which went for a loss.
Fagot notched a big sack and also had two pass breakups and was clearly the catalyst behind the big turnaround.
However, he was not named Defensive Player of the Game by the Navy coaching staff. That honor sent to defensive lineman Jackson Perkins, who was credited with three tackles and a quarterback hurry.
When Newberry grades defensive linemen, he gives credit for absorbing a block or taking on a double-team so trailing linebackers can make tackles.
“That’s an assist and just as important to making [a] play yourself,” he said. “If we had 11 guys playing the game the way Perkins does in terms of effort level and attention to detail, we’d be pretty dang good.”
Senior safety Evan Fochtman earned the “Blue Collar” award from the coaching staff after making three tackles (one for a loss) against Tulane. The Archbishop Spalding product was recognized for consistency with executing assignments.
Fagot, cornerback Michael McMorris (four tackles, one pass breakup) and outside linebacker John Marshall earned honorable mention notice from the coaching staff.
Marshall was making his debut at the striker position after moving there from safety following the season opener. Newberry liked what he saw out of the 6-2, 197-pound sophomore, who did not see any varsity action last season.
“[Marshall] played all but one snap and really threw his body around,” Newberry said. “He’s not afraid to mix it up. I was proud of the way Marshall played considering we moved him there two weeks ago. His effort level was outstanding.”
Newberry described Marshall as being, in essence, like a redshirt freshman. He believes the Gonzaga College graduate, who grew up in Highland, Maryland, will make dramatic improvement with each game.
Newberry would like to see Marshall add 10 to 15 pounds of muscle during the offseason now that he’s playing on the second level.