THE HOLE PLAN
Navy uses creative blocking schemes, deep playbook to keep fullbacks chugging along
Fullback Nelson Smith repeatedly found running room on the right side during Saturday’s game against East Carolina. Smith would take the handoff and make a beeline for the backside of right guard Peter Nestrowitz. The 5-foot-9, 213-pound senior would tuck up between Nestrowitz and right tackle Billy Honaker, then explode through the sizable hole those two created to gain big yardage.
That is how Smith broke loose for a 29-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter, and he had several other big gains off the right side during Navy’s 27-23 victory. Afterward, coach Ken Niumatalolo said “we go into each game and test people. We’re probing the defense to find out where we might have a little
honey hole.”
Navy has been riding Smith and fellow fullback Jamale Carothers so far this season. Through five games, those two have combined for 653 of the team’s 952 rushing yards, which is almost 70%.
The Midshipmen have found consistent success running the fullbacks between the tackles, even though opponents know it’s coming. That’s because Navy’s patented triple-option system features a slew of variations for how to get the fullback loose.
“We have all kinds of runs,” Niumatalolo said. “It might look to people that we’re just handing the ball off to the fullback, but we’ve got so many different tracks of where he’s hitting and different schematics for how we’re blocking.”
In Navy’s playbook, there is the straight dive, a predetermined handoff to the fullback that usually goes straight up the middle between the center and the guards, and there is the fullback trap, the aforementioned off-tackle play and the counter trap.
“All those various plays have different blocking schemes,” Navy running game coordinator Ashley Ingram said. “There’s a lot of nuance to our fullback run game. It may all look like same play to the casual observer, but there are a lot of little subtle details. We try to attack different fronts in different ways.”
How the offensive line blocks and where the fullback runs is usually determined by the defense. Opponents employ different tactics in attempting to take away the fullback element of the triple option.
Step No. 1 for Niumatalolo, Ingram and offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper is to figure out what the defense is doing whenever the fullback runs between the tackles.
“There were quite a few fullback runs that went off-tackle and that’s because of how East Carolina was playing it,” Ingram said. “There are plays designed to hit the A gap that bounce to the B or C gap depending on what the defense is doing.”
In football X’s and O’s, the A gap is between the center and guard, while the B
gap is between the guard and tackle. Anything outside the tackle is the C gap. Navy often brings a wide receiver in tight to the formation to serve as an extra blocker, much like a tight end in a conventional offense.
“On almost every play the ball is intended to go to a certain place, but the fullback often picks up blocks based off what the defense is giving,” Ingram said.
Smith, a senior with 43 games under his belt, thoroughly understands the system. The Louisiana native has displayed superb vision and cutback ability in averaging 6.2 yards per carry this season. Niumatalolo said Smith’s experience has made a difference.
“He’s running to the right spots,” Niumatalolo said. “Just understanding the blocking schemes and knowing where your help is coming from, knowing pre-snap where the soft spot could be [is huge].
“Nelson has been the spark plug this season. He’s running physical and getting a lot of yards after contact.”
Smith has surpassed 100 yards rushing in consecutive contests for the first time in his career.
He established a career high by rumbling for 120 yards against Temple, then bettered that by breaking loose for 157 yards versus East Carolina.
Following Saturday’s game, Smith acknowledged he loves running behind the veteran tandem of Nestrowitz and Honaker. They have started 18 straight games together and developed great chemistry, becoming something of a security blanket for the fullbacks.
“Those two really are playing at a high level,” Ingram said. “Billy has played a lot of snaps and seen it all and plays super, super hard on every snap. Peter is playing the best ball of his career.
“You’re talking about two experienced guys that are super tough and understand the offense at a really high level.”
While the right side duo of Nestrowitz and Honaker is clearly the team’s strength, Niumatalolo made it clear Navy is not going to get predictable.