Navy needs to refocus, target SMU
There is only one thing for Navy to do in the wake of Saturday’s lopsided loss to Notre Dame.
Flush that disappointing performance down the toilet and start preparing for Southern Methodist University.
Navy could not capitalize on a tremendous opportunity on a sunny afternoon in South Bend. Defeating Notre Dame would have validated Navy’s newly acquired national ranking and propelled the program into a stronger position within the College Football Playoff poll.
Instead, the Midshipmen absorbed a beatdown so severe it will most likely knock them out of the rankings altogether. Navy already dropped out of the Associated Press Top 25 and will likely fall from the College Football Rankings as well.
It doesn’t really matter. Navy (7-2, 5-1) can gain all the national respect it wants by beating SMU (9-1, 5-1) on Saturday in Annapolis. The Mustangs have been one of the top teams in the American Athletic Conference all season and this is a chance for the Midshipmen to make a strong statement.
A victory would keep Navy in contention for the West Division crown, while a loss would end any hope of appearing in the AAC championship game. SMU and Navy both lost to Memphis (9-1, 5-1) and a second loss for either would make it almost impossible to win the
West at this late juncture in the season.
In fact, the winner of Saturday’s showdown at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium must still hope Memphis loses. It is possible, as the Tigers still must play at South Florida and home against East Division leader Cincinnati.
Getting routed by Notre Dame was a blow to the pride of everyone involved with the Navy football program. The Midshipmen were on a roll, having won five in a row, and were playing with a lot of confidence.
Quarterback Malcolm Perry was directing an offense that had been running wild on all opponents, leading the nation in rushing by a long shot. Inside linebacker Diego Fagot was anchoring a defense that had been very disruptive and extremely stingy, ranking top 20 nationally in every key statistical category.
Notre Dame exposed Navy on both sides of the ball on the way to an impressive and convincing 50-20 victory.
The Fighting Irish flashed tremendous speed at the skill positions, repeatedly running right past the Midshipmen in the open field. The Irish were big, strong and talented along the offensive line and dominated at the point of attack.
Defensive coordinator Brian Newberry said the Mids got “swallowed up” and simply could not get off blocks. Navy wasn’t much better in coverage, taking poor angles that made the speed disparity appear even worse than it was.
Most concerning to Newberry was the mentality the Midshipmen showed on Saturday. Navy’s defense has played with a hard edge all season, bringing a high level of toughness and aggression.
Being able to execute the chaotic and unpredictable system Newberry has installed and shutting down several highpowered offenses had given the Mids some serious swagger.
“I didn’t think we came out of the gate swinging. I thought we were a little timid. Early on, I think we played to not make mistakes instead of cutting it loose,” Newberry said afterward. “I would never have guessed we would get handled like that. It’s disappointing.”
Offensively, the Midshipmen doomed themselves with four fumbles, all of which led to points for the Fighting Irish. Navy’s starting offense didn’t have much success moving the ball otherwise, amassing just 171 total yards in just under three quarters of work.
“This one hurts. They kicked us in the teeth, kicked us in the gut. They got after us in all phases,” Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said.
It seems silly to suggest there were pivotal plays in a game Navy trailed 45-3 at one point. However, I think what happened on the opening possessions for each team set the tone.
Notre Dame faced a third-and-16 situation from the Navy 38-yard line. A stop right there may well have forced a punt. Instead, quarterback Ian Book scrambled 15 yards with tailback Tony Jones taking out three Midshipmen with one devastating block. The Irish subsequently converted on fourth down.
Navy came into the contest ranked No. 24 nationally in third down conversion defense. In seasons past, it was commonplace for opponents to convert on thirdand-long. It has rarely happened this season as Newberry preaches a “third down is the only down” mantra.
Needless to say, it was demoralizing for the defense to allow a first down after putting Notre Dame into third-and-16.
It looked like Navy would answer on its first possession with Perry directing a drive deep into enemy territory. However, on first-and-10 from the Notre Dame 24,
Perry was stripped from behind by defensive end Khalid Kareem.
Had Navy scored a touchdown to immediately tie the score, things might not have snowballed as badly as they did.
Navy’s coaching staff must watch the film, but there’s no reason for the players to spend too much time dissecting it. Jut forget about Notre Dame and start thinking about SMU.
“We have to find a way to bounce back next week. We have a big game at home, and we’re back in conference. Lick our wounds right now and move on,” Niumatalolo said.
“We’ve got to come back in conference against SMU, a really good team. It’s our Senior Day and that’s a really special day for us. When you have kind of a nightmare game like this you want to put it away as quickly as you can.”
The Navy team that showed up on Saturday in South Bend did not resemble the one I’ve been watching all season. I think that dismal performance was an aberration for the Midshipmen, and I don’t anticipate seeing something similar the rest of this season.
Senior center Ford Higgins, one of four Navy captains, was already looking ahead to SMU while standing at the podium for the postgame press conference deep inside the bowels of Notre Dame Stadium.
“The beautiful thing about this sport and the beautiful thing about life is there are always new opportunities,” Higgins said. “This one’s over with and we’re blessed to have another one next week. Excited to move on and roll on.”
All of Navy’s goals are still attainable. Defeat SMU on Saturday and Navy is still very much alive to win the West. Beat Army on the second Saturday of December and Navy reclaims the Commanderin-Chief’s Trophy for the first time since 2015. Win the final three games of the regular season along with a bowl and the Midshipmen equal the school record for total victories in a season (11 set in 2015).
“This game is in the past now. Take the positives, learn from the mistakes and move on,” Perry said. “It’s over now. We’ve got SMU up next on Senior Night. We know what we have to do.”