NAVY BEMOANS MISSED OPPORTUNITIES VS. MARSHALL
Offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper bemoans missed opportunities during season-opening 49-7 loss to Marshall
Shortly after Saturday’s season-opening loss to Marshall, Navy senior slotback and offensive co-captain Chance Warren shared an observation with position mate Tyger Goslin.
“I told Tyger that I feel a lot better with where we are after Game 1 this year than where we were at this time last year even though the results were pretty much the same,” Warren said. “We put up some numbers that are very in line with Navy football.”
Indeed, Navy’s offensive production was somewhat of an anomaly within a lopsided 49-7 loss. The Midshipmen amassed 398 yards of total offense and possessed the ball for more than 41 minutes.
Navy had its patented triple-option offense hitting on all cylinders at times in gaining 385 yards on the ground. However, the Midshipmen’s final rushing total was reduced to 337 because of negative yardage caused by eight sacks.
When all was said and done, Navy only had one touchdown to show for those impressive numbers because it went 1-for-5 in the red zone and was a combined 11-for-26 on third and fourth down conversions.
“It was definitely a disappointing day. When you possess the football and don’t score points, it’s not part of the plan. We shot ourselves in the foot in a lot of situations,” Navy offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper said Tuesday.
“Getting into the red zone five times and only coming away with one touchdown is not a way of life around here, so we’ve got to get that fixed.”
Navy advanced to the Marshall 14-yard line on its second possession then lost yards on three straight plays. Starting quarterback Tai Lavatai lost 9 yards on consecutive sacks then kicker Bijan Nichols had a 41-yard field goal attempt blocked after a high snap.
Backup quarterback Xavier Arline led a drive that reached the 5-yard line on the final possession of the first half.
It appeared the call was a naked bootleg and the Thundering Herd were not fooled as Arline was confronted by three defenders. Coach Ken Niumatalolo said the sophomore signal-caller should have thrown the ball out of the back of the end zone to stop the clock since Navy had no timeouts. Instead, Arline fell to the ground and the Midshipmen were unable to spike the ball before time expired.
Navy was driving in Marshall territory when Lavatai threw an ill-advised pass to a receiver who was well covered and wound up dropping the ball right into the hands of Marshall cornerback Steven Gilmore. That actually was not a red-zone opportunity although Lavatai was trying to go for the end zone with the throw.
One of the missed red-zone chances came at the end of the game as third-string quarterback Massai Maynor moved the Mids to the 20-yard line as time expired.
“Our emphasis this week has to be finishing. Finish plays, finish drives, and if we get in the red zone we have to finish with touchdowns,” Warren said. “It’s 100% a mindset.
When it’s time to finish, I’ve got to be the guy out front with more intensity and a grittier mentality.
“We have one goal this week: to put the feet of all 11 guys in the end zone,” Warren added.
A characteristic of Navy football throughout the triple-option era has been the ability to play complementary football. An offense that consistently dominates time of possession with long, methodical drives helps the defense. At times when the offense has struggled, the defense has risen to the occasion by shutting down opponents.
Navy’s defense forced three turnovers against Marshall and the offense wasn’t able to convert two of them into points. Jasper acknowledged the offense could have taken some pressure off the defense by scoring touchdowns to keep pace with the Thundering Herd.
“We didn’t do our part,” he said. Jasper said the plan going into the game was to play both Lavatai and Arline, both of whom made some good plays to go along with the aforementioned mistakes. Jasper said during August training camp the Midshipmen had two quarterbacks they could win with and nothing that happened in the opener changed that assessment.
“I thought Tai did some really good things. He made some really good reads and showed some physicality running the ball,” Jasper said. “I was excited about the way Tai played minus the turnover.”
Arline wound up playing more than Lavatai, who left the game early in the fourth quarter with a leg injury. Arline, who made three starts last season, executed the triple-option well and ripped off three double-digit gains in finishing with 76 rushing yards on 16 carries.
There were a few times when Arline carried the ball loosely with his left hand, an absolute no-no at Navy where ball carriers are taught to keep it high and tight. Jasper said that’s been an issue with Arline that was discussed during training camp and was addressed again this week.
“Xavier came in and sped up the game. He made some really good reads and checks and also showed his dynamic running ability,” Jasper said. “I think both guys showed they have the tools to run this offense.”
Navy did not have any center-quarterback exchange issues or problems with the quarterback-fullback mesh. Jasper was pleased the Mids did not put the ball on the ground at all during the opener.
Navy had a combined 143 rushing yards from fullbacks Isaac Ruoss and James Harris II. Harris led the Mids with 80 rushing yards on 11 carries, doing almost all his damage in the second half. He broke two long runs, including a career-best 27-yard scamper. Ruoss, the starter, finished with 63 yards on 15 totes.
“I think they ran hard and were very physical. James came in and gave us a big-time spark,” Jasper said of the fullbacks. “I think both of those guys showed up and did some good things.”
Navy’s revamped offensive line, featuring four first-year starters, paved the way for almost 400 yards of positive rushing yardage. Senior center Pierce Banbury left the game with a slight ankle injury that Jasper said he is going to “fight through.” The coaching staff is concerned about junior left guard Josh Pena, who was poked in the eye.
“I think the guys up front competed. They played hard and they played fast,” Jasper said. “Our guys came off the ball, strained their bodies and fought hard.”