Houston All-American Oliver is next challenge
Defensive tackle arrives with Mids struggling on offense
If you have a team that is struggling on offense and has some uncertainty at quarterback, Ed Oliver is probably the last player you want to see.
That is the reality of the situation confronting Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo, who must choose a starting quarterback this week and continue to work on improving an offense that has been very inconsistent.
Navy’s triple-option offense will need to perform at a high level to move the ball this Saturday against Houston, which features a formidable defense anchored by one of the best players in all of college football.
Oliver is a dominant force and can be a one-man wrecking crew, as shown by his performance last Saturday against East Carolina. The 6-foot-3, 292-pound defensive tackle tied an American Athletic Conference single-game record by recording five tackles for loss and also registered two sacks and a quarterback hurry in completing disrupting the Pirates offense.
With Oliver leading the way, Houston held East Carolina to just 41 rushing yards during a 42-20 rout. That victory leaves the Cougars (5-1, 2-0) alone in first place atop the West Division standings within the American.
Navy coaches certainly did not need to watch the East Carolina tape to know that Oliver can almost single-handedly destroy an offense. All offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper and company need to do is put on the tape of the 2016 and 2017 games against Houston.
Oliver had a typically monstrous outing last season in helping Houston beat Navy, 24-14. The returning consensus All-American racked up 14 tackles (nine solo), 3½ tackles for loss and two sacks. As a freshman, the Houston native made 11 tackles against the Mids with 1½ going for losses.
Niumatalolo said Oliver is one of two defensive linemen for which the Navy coaching staff has needed to prepare a special gameplan. Aaron Donald, the 2013 Outland Trophy winner at Pittsburgh, was the other. Donald is a four-time Pro Bowl selection with the Los Angeles Rams and was named 2017 NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press.
Most analysts are predicting similar stardom at the next level for Oliver, who some project to become the No. 1 overall selection in the 2019 NFL draft. Speaking during the AAC weekly teleconference on Monday, Niumatalolo said the Midshipmen must design blocking schemes specifically for Oliver when figuring out how to attack the Houston defense.
“We’ve had to spend time preparing for Ed Oliver and Aaron Donald is the only other defender we’ve had to do that for,” Niumatalolo said. “You have to think of ways to account for this guy because he’s that dynamic and that disruptive.”
Niumatalolo marvels at the motor of Oliver, who he has seen on tape run past multiple defenders on his own team in order to make tackles. The 2017 Outland Trophy winner, who will no doubt turn professional following this his junior year, has amassed 184 career tackles and a whopping 50 of them have been tackles for losses.
“What Oliver did against us a couple years ago … I’d never seen anybody play like that. I’ve never seen a nose guard play with his energy,” Niumatalolo said. “His cardio is amazing. He’s relentless and doesn’t seem to get tired. He chases the ball from beginning to end. He’s always running to the ball. He plays with great energy and that has to be super infectious for the rest of the team.”
Navy must settle on a starting quarterback at some point this week. Senior Garret Lewis made Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver is projected by some analysts to be the No. 1 overall selection in the 2019 NFL draft. his second career start Saturday and performed adequately during a 24-17 loss to Temple. Lewis rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown while directing three scoring drives.
The Mids mustered two touchdowns and a field goal over their first five possessions of the game. However, things fell apart in the second half and Navy managed just 67 total yards and was shutout over its final five possessions of the contest.
“I thought Garret did some good things. He got us in the right plays and made some good decisions, but he definitely can play better,” said Niumatalolo, noting that Lewis missed some crucial checks at the line of scrimmage down the stretch.
Malcolm Perry was the team’s starting quarterback through five games, but was moved to slotback last Saturday. Niumatalolo said afterward that decision had more to do with how thin the Mids were at slotback going into the Temple game with starter CJ Williams and top backup Keoni- Kordell Makekau both sitting out with injuries.
Senior Zach Abey, who started nine games at quarterback in 2017 and posted the second-highest single-season rushing total in program history, is also in the discussion to start at quarterback.
Niumatalolo said a big factor in determining the starting quarterback for Saturday’s home game against Houston comes down to the physical status of Abey (leg), Williams (upper body) and Makekau (leg).
“We’re going to look at where we’re at. We’re still early in the week. Guys are still coming off treatment and trying to recover,” Niumatalolo said. “I think a big part of the discussion is seeing where we are health-wise, both at quarterback and slotback.”
Houston head coach Major Applewhite was asked during the AAC teleconference how it prepares for an opponent that could start any of three quarterbacks and possibly use them all in the same game. Applewhite, in his second season at the helm, said it was a similar situation when Houston played Tulsa and East Carolina.
“The more I do this the more I realize this is a discussion almost every week. It was a discussion going into Tulsa and East Carolina. You have to be prepared for anybody a team could possibly play at quarterback,” Applewhite said. “Defensively, we have to prepare certain packages for whether it’s Abey, Perry or Lewis. We know all those guys can operate their system and have done so this season. We need to have a great plan for all three.”
Navy ranks 100th out of 129 Football Bowl Subdivision schools and 11th out of 12 teams in the AAC in total offense with an average of 365 yards per game. The Mids stand No. 74 nationally in scoring offense (28 points per game) and that figure gets much worse if you subtract the Hawaii loss and the Lehigh win.
During regulation of its last four games (Memphis, SMU, Air Force, Temple), Navy is averaging fewer than 17 points. Applewhite said the Cougars must expect the Midshipmen to operate the triple-option offense with the precision they have shown in past seasons.
“We know what they’re capable of. I don’t spend a whole lot of time worrying about previous seasons or previous games. Wefocus on our opponent this week,” he said. “You always get ready for someone’s best. That’s a very good football team that plays with tremendous effort and is sound in all phases. They have playmakers that can create issues for you on offense.”