Navy faces tough task in Mustangs
Newberry: ‘This might be the best offense I’ve seen in several years’
Navy defensive coordinator Brian Newberry has been scheming against the high-powered offenses that predominate in the American Athletic Conference for three seasons now. He has come up with some creative game plans that succeeded in slowing down some of the nation’s highest-scoring attacks.
Already this season, Newberry has utilized a unique 3-3-5 alignment featuring three high safeties to limit Houston and Central Florida to 28 and 30 points, respectively.
Now in his 11th season as a defensive coordinator, Newberry has pretty much seen it all. But he spoke highly of SMU’s spread offense.
SMU comes to Annapolis on Saturday averaging 42.6 points and 532.4 total yards, ranking seventh and fifth nationally, respectively. The Mustangs are in the top 20 in yards per play, number of 20-plus yard plays and third-down conversion percentage.
“This might be the best offense I’ve seen in several years,” Newberry said earlier this week. “They’re very well-coached and have very talented players.”
SMU, like most the AAC, features a potent passing attack that can stretch the field both horizontally and vertically. The Mustangs lost a talented two-year starting quarterback in Shane Buechele, who is now with the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL. Coach Sonny Dykes and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley have found a highly suitable replacement in Tanner Mordecai, a transfer from Oklahoma.
After backing up Jalen Hurts, the current Philadelphia Eagles starter, in Norman, Mordecai was beaten out for the starting job by highly touted redshirt freshman Spencer Rattler last season, prompting his departure. Mordecai has found a home in Dallas for the No. 24 Mustangs (5-0).
Mordecai has already amassed 1,569 passing yards and leads the nation with 24 passing touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 218-pound junior has thrown touchdowns to seven receivers, which speaks to the talent at the skill positions.
“I think [Mordecai] does a lot of things well. He runs the offense with the comfortability you need in that type of system. He’s good reading coverages and knows where the ball needs to go,” Newberry said. “He’s got a lot of good players to distribute the ball to and can make all the throws.”
Newberry noted that Mordecai gets rid of the ball quickly. The Waco, Texas, native is not a great runner but knows how to avoid the rush and keep plays alive.
“When the protection does break down or there isn’t an open receiver, he has the ability to make plays with his feet,” Newberry said. “He also has a really nice ability to find receivers downfield once he moves out of the pocket.”
Mordecai believes SMU has multiple wide receivers capable of being first-round picks in the NFL draft. The Mustangs rank 14th nationally in passing offense with 314.2 yards per game, and Mordecai is completing 70% of his throws.
SMU is one of three teams in which three receivers have 22 catches or more. Senior Danny Gray leads the way with 27 receptions and seven touchdowns, while classmate
Reggie Roberson Jr. and junior Rashee Rice have 22 catches apiece. The Mustangs also feature a big target in 6-foot-5, 247-pound tight end Grant Calcaterra.
“They have a very a talented quarterback with a lot of weapons around him. Nobody has been able to stop them,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “They are an impressive group to watch on offense. They’ve been a machine, so it’s super scary going against them.”
What stands out the most to Newberry has beenthebalanceSMUhasdisplayedsofarthis season. The Mustangs are No. 23 in rushing offense with 218.2 yards per game with most of the damage being done by tailback Ulysses Bentley IV.
Bentley was named a freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and Co-Rookie of the Year in
the conference after rushing for 913 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2020. The 5-foot-11, 197-pound sophomore from Houston is averaging 7.6 yards per carry this season, while he and backup Tre Siggers have totaled 746 yards between them.
Those two backs run behind an experienced offensive line featuring five returning starters, including a pair of All-AAC picks in left tackle Jaylon Thomas (6-5, 326) and left guard Hayden Howerton (6-4, 309).
“They take whatever you give them. If you don’t have numbers in the box, they’ll hand it off to one of those talented running backs. If you load up the box they’re going to throw it 40 times and eat you alive that way,” Newberry said. “They’re probably the most balanced team we’ve seen so far. You have to do a great job of defending both the run and pass and that’s always problematic.”