Mids are fully stocked at fullback
Carothers-Smith duo ran for 1,305 yards from there in ’19
Navy football has been blessed with a few terrific fullback combinations during the current triple-option era.
Adam Ballard and Eric Kettani shared the position for two seasons (2006, 2007), while Noah Copeland and Chris Swain formed a dangerous duo from 2012 through 2014.
The Midshipmen enter the 2020 campaign with a pairing that could prove quite productive. Jamale Carothers and Nelson Smith split time at fullback last season and rushed for a combined 1,305 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Fullbacks coach Jason MacDonald thinks both Carothers and Smith will be even better based off experience and a better understanding of Navy’s system. MacDonald smiled broadly when asked how much time he’s spent thinking about the best way to utilize the one-two punch.
“More than I would have liked,” he said. “Things like that consume your mind and you tend to overthink more than you should. With the balance they’ve had in practice, I think we’re headed right where we want to be.”
Smith began last season as the starter after emerging as a sophomore. He started seven games and was the team’s thirdleading rusher with 411 yards in 2018.
Smith was solid through seven games, gaining 96 yards and scoring three touchdowns in the opener versus Holy Cross. The 5-foot-9, 213-pounder played a prominent role in Navy’s 34-25 victory over Air Force, rushing for 82 yards and two touchdowns.
Carothers was not even in the picture at the start of last season, having been relegated to the scout team and appearing in a junior varsity game. A converted slotback, it seemed the youngster needed more seasoning at fullback.
However, Carothers caught the eye of the coaching staff. MacDonald added the precocious sophomore to the travel roster for the Tulsa contest (Oct. 12) and he made a sensational debut, catching a 26-yard pass from slotback C.J. Williams off a trick play and then breaking a 16-yard run on his first career carry.
Carothers came off the bench to rush for 154 yards and three touchdowns to lead a 41-38 defeat of Tulane. He also scored on a 31-yard reception.
That performance propelled Carothers to the top of the depth chart, and he exploded for a career-high 188 rushing yards against Houston, setting a Navy record for a non-quarterback with five touchdowns. That output was highlighted by a career-best 75-yard scoring run.
Carothers proved particularly dangerous on the fullback trap play, showing burst in exploding through holes and past the second level in the blink of an eye. Most of his 14 touchdown runs came off that scheme, which the offensive line executed to perfection.
MacDonald was cautious when asked if the Mids will give opponents a heavy dose of the same this season.
“[Jamale] hit the trap like no other, we saw that last year. That said, we can’t run the trap the whole game,” said MacDonald, knowing opposing defensive coordinators spent time diagnosing that play during the offseason.
Carothers concluded the breakout campaign as Navy’s second-leading rusher with 743 yards, with most of that damage being done in eight games.
“You always get nervous when someone is coming off a great year … just the pressure to perform and expectations,” offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper said of the 5-9, 203-pound junior. “We just want Jamale to come out and be himself, just relax and play.”
Jasper characterized Carothers, a tailback at Bowling Green High where he was 2016 Gatorade Player of the Year for Kentucky, as a runner who “can take it to the house at any time” and said he will get plenty of opportunities.
MacDonald has been impressed with Carothers, who put on weight during the offseason to better handle the pounding a Navy fullback absorbs, during preseason training camp,
Carothers averaged 26 yards and scored two touchdowns on four receptions a year ago, and MacDonald hinted he might be utilized more often in that role.
“Jamale has really soft hands and we can put him on short, medium and long routes out of the backfield,” MacDonald said. “Any time we can get the ball in his hands, we’re a better football team.”
Carothers knows he is undersized compared to Navy fullbacks of the past. He’s added about nine pounds and gotten stronger since last season in hopes of becoming a better blocker and more capable of getting the tough yards inside.
“I just feel like I’m coming in with a different type of confidence this season, just knowing that I’m being counted on and need to produce,” Carothers said. “Now that I’ve had a year under my belt to focus on this position, I have a better handle of the offense from the fullback perspective.”
With spring football camp canceled and the midshipmen stranded at home for the second half of that semester, MacDonald emphasized instruction for his position group.