SMU tries to mirror Mids’ success
he does a great job of coaching effort and getting the players to run to the ball,” Niumatalolo said. “Physically, they held up pretty well against the run last Saturday. Michigan tried to pound them up the middle and they played physical inside.” Dykes knows the mentality he is trying to instill begins in the trenches. This past week, the first-year coach was asked to assess the performance of his offensive and defensive lines.
“I think we’re making progress. We have probably played below average. That’s about as kind as I canbe,” Dykessaid. “We’relooking for leadership and toughness from that group and we need to get more of that on both sides of the ball. I think they’re starting to understand the physical nature of play we want on both the offensive and defensive front.”
Watching all three SMU games in sequential order, Niumatalolo can see the devel- Today, noon TV: ESPNews Radio: 1430 AM Line: Navy by 61⁄
Ken Niumatalolo sees signs of Sonny Dykes implementing his philosophy at SMU.
Navy’s veteran coach came away impressed after watching film of SMU going against Texas Christian University and Michigan, which are ranked No. 17 and No. 19, respectively, in the latest Associated Press poll.
“They went toe-to-toe with TCU and Michigan a lot in those games,” Niumatalolo assured.
Dykes has stated he wants to build a program in which players understand the true meaning of toughness and physicality.
Niumatalolo thinks the Mustangs are making progress in that regard based off what he saw from Saturday’s game in Ann Arbor.
“They’re playing really, really hard on defense. They are playing with a lot of energy. They have a young defensive coordinator, but opment of the traits to which Dykes referred. Navy’s11th-year coach thinks it’s only a matter of time before the Mustangs figure it out.
“It’s a brand new staff and they’re trying to build their culture and that takes some time,” Niumatalolo said. “I just hope it doesn’t all come together against us.”
Listening to Dykes during the American Athletic Conference weekly teleconference, it sounds as though he is trying to build a program similar to Navy. The former head coach at Louisiana Tech and CaliforniaBerkeley can only hope to have the type of continuity the Midshipmen have enjoyed.
Niumatalolo has been at Navy a total of 21 years while seven of his assistants have been on staff for a decade or more. Defensive coordinator Dale Pehrson is in his 23rd season with the Mids while offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper counts19 years with the Mids.
“It’s pretty remarkable. I was looking at their coaching staff and the number of years some of the assistants have been there. You see why they are so successful when you look at the longevity of their coaching staff,” Dykes said.
“They understand the uniqueness of Navy and understand how to recruit there and coach there. They’re all on the same page. It’s everything you would want to have in a college football program, which is consistency.”
Dykes had high praise for the Navy staff’s ability to teach players the proper approach to the game. He noted that any college coach would love to get the type of effort the Midshipmen display on a routine basis.
“I think the biggest thing you’re going to see from Navy year-in and year-out are guys that play remarkably hard. That’s a credit to the coaches and who these kids are on and off the field,” he said. “It’s just part of their DNA to play really hard. You’re also going to see great discipline. You’re going to see11guys that know and understand their role. They work well together and do things the right way.”