Full-contact practicing to begin in wake of blowout loss

BYU game sparks need for more thorough preparation

Navy football’s days of blocking bags and tackling doughnuts are over.

In the wake of Monday night’s 55-3 beatdown at the hands of Brigham Young University, coach Ken Niumatalolo has decided Navy will start practicing live in preparation for its American Athletic Conference opener at Tulane on Sept. 19.

“We’re going to practice normally. Touch football is over. Hitting bags is over,” Niumatalolo declared during a virtual news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Niumatalolo spoke to medical professionals at the Naval Academy to get their opinion about holding live practices. Since the season has started, Navy football will now test twice a week, and that factored into the 13th-year head coach’s decision.

“I feel safe that we can go back to practicing the way we normally do,” he said. “I feel better about being able to press forward with twice-a-week testing.”

Niumatalolo notified the Navy players during a team meeting and once again gave anyone with concerns the chance to opt out.

“I talked to our team today to make sure everyone is comfortable with that. I don’t want to force anybody,” he said.

Niumatalolo used the analogy of baking a cake and not using some of the key ingredients. He acknowledged live contact during practice is crucial to preparing for a regular-season football game.

“We skipped those kinds of things and our cake was flat. This is a contact sport and you can’t skip it,” he said.

Niumatalolo has been coaching college football since 1990 and knows well what it takes to prepare a team for a season. The 55-year-old mentor knew there was a risk to holding no-contact practices. Throughout August training camp, Navy’s front-line offense and defense never scrimmaged at full speed.

“I knew the risks of what you would look like if you didn’t practice normally. I knew it was a bad formula for getting a team ready. You’re kind of crossing your fingers,” Niumatalolo admitted. “I was hoping for a miracle that maybe we could practice this way and still be ready for football.”

Niumatalolo confirmed that several assistants expressed concerns about the philosophy. Defensive coordinator Brian Newberry was worried about Navy’s tackling ability. Running game coordinator Ashley Ingram wondered if the offensive line would come off the ball with the tenacious physicality it has become known for. Niumatalolo said the staff “had long discussions” about it.

Niumatalolo weighed the football preparation aspect against the chance of having positive tests for coronavirus that triggered contact-tracing protocols and prevented several starters from playing in the season opener.

“I was going to err on the side of protecting our players. I know the fans don’t want to hear that,” said Niumatalolo, noting the death of offensive lineman David Forney from cardiac arrest last February weighed on his mind.

“If I had to do it again, I would probably do it the same way. You’re a football coach, but you’re in charge of people’s lives, too. We just buried one of our players a couple months ago,” he said.