Navy Football 2008 Preview: Life After Paul Johnson

Since Paul Johnson brought his triple option offense to Navy, the Midshipmen have defeated the Army Black Knights six straight years, had five winning seasons, five Commander-in-Chief trophies, and have led the country in rushing for several years.

With Johnson moving on to Georgia Tech, former offensive coordinator Ken Niutamalolo has been named head coach.  After his first game as Head Coach in a close bowl game loss to Utah in the Poinsettia Bowl, Niutamalolo is preparing a team which suffered tough losses to graduation and will continue to run the triple option.

The Navy rushing offense has been tops in the country the past three years.  During that span one of the top playmakers in that offense was slotback Reggie Campbell.  The graduations of Campbell and fullback Adam Ballard will no doubt be the two toughest losses at skill positions for the Midshipmen.  Ballard was the leading rusher for Navy in 2006 and third last year.

However, the Mids do return their top two rushers in fullback Eric Kettani and quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada.  Kettani emerged late in the year as a top fullback.  Kaipo has started at quarterback since taking over midway through 2006 and has blossomed as a runner, perhaps the top running QB in the nation (or second to Pat White).

Veteran Shun White will start at one of the slotback positions, while a handful of newcomers will battle for the second spot.  Andre Byrd and Greg Shinego are at the top of the pack vying for the spot, but are being pushed by Bobby Doyle and Cory Finnerty.

However, Niutamalolo will no doubt continue a steady rotation which will involve all of the candidates in the rushing game.  Also, backup quarterback Jarod Bryant will receive substantial time at slotback due to his outstanding talent as a runner.

Navy lost all three of its leading receivers in slotbacks Zerbin Singleton and Reggie Campbell and wideout O.J. Washington.  Although passing is a much more minor piece of the offense than on most teams, it is still an intricate part of Navy's attack.

In a full year as a starter, Kaheaku-Enhada managed to increase his passing yards to 952, which is actually impressive considering he had just over 300 the previous year.  With Kaipo's strong QB rating of 154.5, Navy must find receivers for him if they want continued success.  Seniors Tyree Barnes, Curtis Sharp, and T.J. Thiel must mature as wideouts for reliability through the air. 

The offensive line had several losses in center Antron Harper and tackle Josh Meek.  Harper was a top center for the several years he started, and replacing him is a priority for the offense.  Several linemen have switched positions to account for this, and the current leader for the position is Ricky Moore.  The offensive line should continue to be one of the top run-blocking units in the country. 

Overall, the offense should still be one of the top in the country, but with many losses in the starting lineup, it may not be able to reach the lofty numbers of last year (444.1 yards per game, 39.3 points per game). 

Defensively, the Mids' 3-4 defense had a very poor year, allowing 439.1 yards per game and 36.5 points per game.  They did suffer their fair share of injuries, however, most notably to ILB Clint Sovie.  He will return and probably be one of the top tacklers after having to sit out most of last year.  He will help ease the pains of the loss of the team's No. 1 and No. 3 tacklers last year in linebackers Irv Spencer and Matt Wimsatt.

Craig Shaefer, known for making big hits on special teams plays, will fill in the starting OLB spot of Wimsatt after an impressive spring.  The other ILB spot is held by returning starter Ross Pospisil, the fifth leading tackler.  Tony Haberer was rotated in last year and should continue to receive playing time.  Corey Johnson is likely to be the other starting OLB as a returning starter, but Ram Vela should see plenty of time after making big plays last year and becoming a top ten tackler.

The defensive line of the Navy defense is a much smaller, more athletic type due to the required fitness of the Academy.  This can sometimes cause problems when defending the run, as shown when the lowly Notre Dame offense was able to run all over Navy.  However, with two-thirds of the defensive line returning, this will hopefully be a stronger year for the Mids.

Nose tackle Nate Frazier has good experience and will be a better run stopper.  End Michael Walsh is one of the top pass rushers as he tied Matt Wimsatt for the lead with three sacks last year.  New starter Matt Nechak already had experience in the lineup last year.

The Midshipmen secondary is led by sophomore free safety Wyatt Middleton.  Last year as a true freshman, Middleton was second on the team with 88 tackles and could be one of Navy's best players ever by the time he graduates.

Navy returns its top three corners in Ketric Buffin, Rashawn King, and Blake Carter.  Buffin led the Mids in picks last year with four.  Jeff Deliz will take over at rover for the departed Greg Thrasher.  This will most likely be the strongest point of the Navy defense.

The Navy defense should return to a stronger status after last year's slump.  Their pass defense will probably be their strength.  The return of Clint Sovie should inject a needed dose of leadership and playmaking into the front seven, and the run defense will be better than last year.

Navy took a hard hit on special teams, losing their kicker, punter, and punt/kick returner all in one year.  Senior Matt Harmon has waited for a shot at the kicker position and should fill in nicely, while sophomore Kyle Delahooke impressed in punting during the spring.

It will be tough to replace the playmaking ability of Reggie Campbell, who had more than 1,000 yards returning kicks and two return touchdowns last year.  Slot backs Emmett Merchant and Shun White fight for the KR position, while Jarod Bryant will use his speed and elusiveness at PR.

Schedule

DATE	OPPONENT
August 30	Towson
September 5	at Ball State
September 13	at Duke
September 20	Rutgers
September 27	at Wake Forest
October 4	at Air Force
October 18	Pittsburgh
October 25	Southern Methodist
November 1	Temple
November 15	Notre Dame
November 25	at Northern Illinois
December 6	at Army

Navy's schedule will be a challenge for Ken Niutamalolo in his first year as head coach.  He will face five teams expected to be better than Navy in Ball State, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, and Notre Dame.  Navy is expected to win the other seven games, but an upset can always occur (as we so harshly learned last year.)

I wouldn't be surprised to see Navy win one of those tough games though.  If I were to pick one upset out of those five, it would have to be Pitt.  Navy put up more than 40 points on that top ten Pitt defense last year.  Navy's defense may be better able to contain LeSean McCoy with the return of Clint Sovie.

Overall, I expect Navy to go between 7-5 or 8-4 in Niutamalolo's first year and continue to win the Commander-in-Chiefs trophy.  Hey, you never know—with the way things are lined up, wouldn't it be great if we ended up facing Georgia Tech in a bowl game?