Senior corners bring array of personalities
Head coach Ken Niumatalolo and defensive coordinator Dale Pehrson made the momentous decision to play more man-to-man pass coverage this season. It marked a significant change for the Midshipmen, who had employed zone coverage almost exclusively for more than a decade.
Niumatalolo felt it was necessary in order to get more pressure on the quarterback when defending the high-powered passing attacks in the American Athletic Conference. Pehrson felt comfortable going ahead with that type of approach due largely to the fact Navy had two talented, experienced cornerbacks.
Tyris Wooten and Elijah Merchant were a pair of savvy veterans with plenty of playing time under their belts. Those two seniors possessed the mental strength to handle the pressure of playing one-on-one against a steady string of big-time wide receivers.
That change in defensive philosophy put considerable stress on the cornerbacks, whose performance suddenly became critical to the success or failure of the entire unit.
“I am of the opinion that if the cornerbacks play well, we have a chance to win. If the cornerbacks play great, we will win the game,” Navy cornerbacks coach Robert Green said. “It is our job to lock down the outside so Coach Pehrson can pull out his complete array of calls. We have proven time after time that if we come out and play well, we will give the team a chance to win.”
Green knows very well the amount of responsibility involved as he once played cornerback for Navy himself. The 1998 Naval Academy graduate remembers getting beaten by future NFL star Az-Zahir Hakim in a game against San Diego State as a senior, so he understands that every mistake made by a corner can be magnified.
“There is a great amount of pressure on our guys because they have to be perfect,” Green said. “You can play 90 great plays in a row, but if you screw something up on the ninety-first it could be a game-changer. We have to be dialed in on every snap.”
Wooten has routinely been asked to cover the opponent’s top wide receiver, which means matching up with professional prospects on an almost weekly basis. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder limited Tulsa standout Justin Hobbs to four catches for 55 yards and many American opponents did not test him too often.
“If you look back at a lot of the games, Tyris has pretty much shut down the best receiver on the other team. To be honest, Tyris doesn’t get a whole lot of work on his side because most teams did not go at him,” Green said. “We feel confident putting Tyris on any receiver in our conference. He’s just a tough, hard-nosed type of player.”
Wooten leads Navy in pass breakups for the second straight season with 11 and also has 29 tackles. Hobbs is among several AAC wide receivers rated as likely NFL Draft picks along with Anthony Miller of Memphis, Courtland Sutton and Trey Quinn of SMU.
“We have some great challenges in this conference and I love it. If you can lock these receivers down, you feel like you can lock anybody down,” Wooten said.
Unfortunately for Merchant, most opponents elected to throw a higher percentage of passes to his side of the field and that made for some trying times. The 5-foot-10, 196-pounder had a rough outing at Temple, allowing wide receiver Adonis Jennings to catch five passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
“It’s definitely been a big challenge. People saw my low moments like Temple, but there have also been some high moments,” Merchant said. “It comes with the territory. As a corner you have to have a short memory.”