Mids face uncertainty ahead of Tulane game
BYU loss, practice changes means some question marks
Navy faces numerous questions going into the second game of this strange football season. Coach Ken Niumatalolo is hopeful some answers will come Saturday at Tulane.
The Midshipmen were shellshocked by what happened in the opener, suffering the most lopsided loss of Niumatalolo’s 13-year tenure.
BYU was ready to play tackle football while Navy was not, and the result was a 55-3 beatdown on Labor Day. It was a nationally televised embarrassment for a proud program and Niumatalolo put all the blame on his shoulders, saying his decision to avoid contact practices was the sole reason.
“I’ve never, ever seen a Navy football team play like that. We just weren’t ready,” Niumatalolo reiterated this week. “To me, the biggest thing was physicality. We’ve never gotten pushed around like that.”
Niumatalolo announced two days later the Midshipmen would begin conducting full-contact practices. Navy had a bye last weekend due to cancellation of the Lafayette home game, which gave the coaching staff extra time to get the players “pad ready.”
Which begs the most important question: Is a week and a half of padded practices enough to improve the blocking and tackling that was so clearly subpar in the season opener?
“We took off the training wheels the last two weeks. So, you’re hoping that you’re better because of it,” Niumatalolo said. “Obviously, we have to improve a ton from the last game.”
Navy is attempting to make up a lot of lost time after spending all of August training camp blocking bags and tackling doughnuts. Niumatalolo elected to avoid contact practices due to concerns about the coronavirus.
Usually, the Midshipmen would stop having contact practices once the season started because the players had already been physically toughened.
“We had some physical practices and had great interaction. We pushed the envelope to speed up the process,” Niumatalolo said. “We went against each other more than we normally would but felt like we needed to do that. I definitely feel much better going into this game knowing that we practiced normally.”
Full-contact scrimmage situations between the starting offense and defense
sparked the competitive spirit and Niumatalolo noted there was “a lot of smacktalking, a lot of after-play scuffles.” That emotion and intensity was missing during training camp because bags don’t hit back.
“This was much needed. Players have a different look in their eyes now,” Navy defensive coordinator Brian Newberry said of padded practices. “The improvement every day we go live is extremely evident. There’s no substitute for going live and good-on-good. We’re better already, but we’re not where we need to be.”
Navy’s coaching staff felt the team was properly conditioned going into the opener but found out quickly that wasn’t the case. Offensive and defensive linemen reported being worn down during the first quarter because they were unaccustomed to the strain caused by pushing and pulling against another body.
Navy fans should expect some depth chart changes because player evaluations began anew along with the live contact. Navy offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper liked the way his unit responded to competition with the front-line defense.
“We were able to see what guys can really do. Full-speed reps and trying to block a moving target … a lot of things get exposed,” he said. “Some guys can process things really fast and some can’t.”
Newberry hinted at one potential change, mentioning that John Marshall has moved from safety to the outside linebacker position known as “striker.” The 6-foot-2, 197-pound sophomore saw significant action in Navy’s dime package against BYU and responded with five tackles.
“You’re always trying to get your best 11 on the field. That [BYU game] was the first time I saw Marshall tackle,” Newberry said. “To see him throw his body around, make some tackles and be productive — I was impressed.”
Standout linebacker Diego Fagot, who led Navy with 13 tackles against BYU, is a returning starter who said he was not quite
prepared for regular season football.
“To be completely honest, the first two or three drives I was still trying to get adjusted to the speed of the game,” said Fagot, adding the full-contact practices held over the past two weeks have been beneficial. “Seeing the speed of the game and going against a more physical opponent has definitely made a difference.”
Navy’s other big question mark comes at quarterback with Saturday’s starter still unknown. That position became an unexpected problem after starter Dalen Morris and backup Perry Olsen both struggled in the opener.
Olsen is no longer part of the program, having announced his intention to transfer on Sept. 11. Meanwhile, Morris was forced to fight to remain the starter as the Midshipmen held an open competition in practice the past two weeks.
Jasper, who coaches the quarterbacks, said freshman Xavier Arline and sophomore Massai Maynor were battling Morris. During a virtual news conference Wednesday afternoon, Niumatalolo declined to identify a starter, stating “we’re not there yet.”