Category: navy football

A one-running back offense

On By christianswezeyIn army, navy football12 Comments

South Carolina’s 24-21 victory over Navy on Saturday reminded me of the line Sports Illustrated used after eventual national champion Nebraska went on the road to face a tough Kansas State while starting a third-string quarterback in 1994. The Huskers won, 17-6, thanks to a no-frills offense completely centered around running back Lawrence Phillips.

“It was like watching a splendid, sleek animal escape the jaws of a trap by gnawing off its own leg,” wrote John Garrity.

Gamecocks Coach Steve Spurrier has the reputation of liking to throw the football a lot. On Saturday, he played it simple and gave the ball to sophomore running back Marcus Lattimore: Lattimore finished with 37 carries for 246 yards.

Overall, South Carolina ran the ball 44 times. In the second half, USC ran the ball 28 times and threw it 10.

Give Spurrier credit for embracing the simple yet effective approach. It’s something that Navy opposing coaches have not always done, from then-Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh out-thinking themselves in overtime in 2007 to then-Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis eschewing the effective for mythical style points every Saturday.

Spurrier’s evolution as a coach was on full display on Saturday. Based on research that includes Spurrier’s final five seasons at Florida and first six-plus seasons at South Carolina, Saturday’s rushing numbers were historic.

Only once in his final five seasons at Florida did Spurrier’s teams run the ball more than 44 times: in its bowl game against Penn State in 1997, the Gators had 59 rushes, according to Phil Steele’s yearbook.

Meantime, at South Carolina pre-Lattimore, only twice did it run the ball more than 44 times — against Alabama Birmingham in ’08 and Clemson in ’09. (South Carolina ran the ball 44 times against Tennessee in ’08.)

Since Lattimore arrived, however, the Gamecocks have rushed the ball more than 44 times in a game four times, including Saturday.

Incredibly, Spurrier’s record in all the games mentioned above is 8-0.

I couldn’t find game-by-game stats for Florida in 1996 — odd, since it won the national title under Spurrier that year. But in 1995, Florida’s high number of rushes in a game was 40, against Florida State. Also a win.

On Saturday, Georgia Tech’s option offense ran for more than 600 yards against Kansas; Army used the wishbone in its 21-14 victory over Northwestern (yes, I did notice!); and Navy’s option offense kept it in the game until the final minutes against the then-10th ranked Gamecocks.

It was a good day for teams that run the football.

GAME WEEK: SOUTH CAROLINA

On By MikeIn navy football8 Comments

Which is better? College football or the NFL?

It’s the never-ending fan debate. Sure, they’re both football, but they’re different in so many ways. Each of them has their own distinct cultures built around them that tend to appeal to different crowds; if you like football for its social elements, then you’ll lean toward whichever fan experience suits you. For those more interested in the game itself, your preference is most likely decided by asking another question: do you watch football for the players, or for the coaches? For the athletes, or for the Xs and Os?

If you answer with the former, then you probably like the NFL more than the college game. The pros are, well, pros. They’re bigger. They’re faster. They throw farther and they jump higher. They’re the best athletes in the world making the most amazing plays, and they do it with greater precision and fewer mistakes. The quality of play on the field is simply at a higher level.

If your interest in football lies primarily in the coaching– the strategy, the personalities, and the evolution of the game– then you probably lean towards college football. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you have no doubt figured that this is the camp that I fall into.

Continue reading “GAME WEEK: SOUTH CAROLINA” →

NAVY 40, WKU 14

On By MikeIn navy football11 Comments

A quick glance at the statistics from Navy’s 40-14 frogstomping of WKU on Saturday, and it’s hard not to be impressed. 510 yards of offense, including 410 on the ground. Two passing TDs. A 21-14 edge in first downs. The numbers say that the game was a blowout, and it was. It seems a little ridiculous, then, not to join with the chorus of headlines praising the Mids for their offensive production so far.

I just can’t do it yet.

Continue reading “NAVY 40, WKU 14” →

Q&A WITH GARNET AND BLACK ATTACK

On By MikeIn navy football5 Comments

In the spirit of blogger outreach, and in an effort to gain a different perspective, I exchanged a Q&A with Garnet & Black Attack, the South Carolina entry in the SBNation blogging continuum. You can read my answers here.

It’s been a long time coming, but South Carolina finally broke through and won the SEC East title for the first time last year. With so many great players returning, what does that mean for 2011? Is this finally the year for an SEC title?

The feeling is definitely that this is the most talented team that USC has ever had and that we have a fairly clear road back to Atlanta if we play to the best of our ability. Granted, once we get to Atlanta, we’ll likely have to take on either Alabama or LSU, both of which appeared to be better teams than USC heading into the season. However, if you get there, you have a chance, and we proved that on good days we can beat teams like that when we beat Alabama last year.

It has to be noted, though, that USC’s slightly shaky start has exposed some chinks in the armor. USC needs to shore up its secondary and passing game if it wants to compete at the highest level this year. The strengths we expected to see are all here: great running game led by Marcus Lattimore, great pass rush and fairly solid run defense led by a stout defensive front, and great receiver in Alshon Jeffery. However, the expected weaknesses at secondary, QB, and secondary receivers have been more glaring than expected, and that has some USC fans a bit worried.

Continue reading “Q&A WITH GARNET AND BLACK ATTACK” →

No more than a teaspoon of the wishbone, please

On By christianswezeyIn air farce, army, navy football34 Comments

My grandmother died a couple weeks ago. She was one of my best friends; I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as generous and loving as she, and I don’t think I ever will. In going through some of her papers, I found an old recipe that called for, among other things, a not-insignificant measure of MSG. The siblings and I had a laugh; how times have changed!

Something else has harkened back to bygone times in the past couple weeks: Army’s use of the wishbone formation. Continue reading “No more than a teaspoon of the wishbone, please” →

Navy: Nike Pro Combat System of Dress

On By MikeIn navy football23 Comments

Navy: Nike Pro Combat System of Dress.

THESE ARE AWESOME

Update: MORE

I know that one day this uniform and I are gonna get married on top of a mountain, and there’s going to be flutes playing and trombones and flowers and garlands of fresh herbs. And we will dance till the sun rises. And then our children will form a football team. And we will go to the Orange Bowl and you won’t be invited.

STOCK MARKET, WEEK TWO

On By MikeIn football, navy football11 Comments

Mike

STOCK DOWN: Navy’s special teams. Two missed extra points, a fumbled punt return, a couple of long kickoff returns given up, and a less-than-impressive punting average. Did I miss anything? The schedule isn’t going to get any easier. Maybe WKU wasn’t good enough to take advantage of Navy’s miscues, but I’m pretty sure South Carolina is. They’re supposed to be SEC. That will never get old to me. I don’t care what you think.

STOCK UP: Auburn. We should know better than to write anyone off after one week. Maybe they aren’t what they were a year ago, but they’re still good enough to beat one of the favorites in the SEC West. Michael Dyer is good at the footballing.

STOCK DOWN: Army. This might be a little harsh, since they played a lot better than they did against Northern Illinois even with their nine (!) fumbles. Yes, I know San Diego State had sort of a crazy time getting to West Point, but Army at least looked like the team that got to a bowl game last year. The problem is that 1) Trent Steelman appeared to re-injure his shoulder, which is the same injury that kept him out most of the spring, and 2) they still lost. They aren’t going to beat Northwestern, which means they’re looking at 0-3 to start the year. That means they pretty much have to go on a 5-game winning streak before stealing one from Air Force, Rutgers, Temple, or Navy at the end of the year to get to 6-6. Not impossible. Also not likely.

STOCK DOWN: Air Force. Rumors of a shift in Mountain West power have been greatly exaggerated. In fairness, plenty of teams are going to lose to TCU. This doesn’t mean that Air Force is a bad team. This just means that they aren’t all that different than they have been for the last few years. All of the “Mountain West will come down to the Boise St.-Air Force game” talk can now be retired. Oh, and I’m going to assume that a quarterback controversy is too much to ask for and won’t make a big deal about Tim Jefferson being benched in the second half.

STOCK UP: Reports that Jerry Kill is doing ok after his seizure during the Minnesota-New Mexico State game. Apparently this has happened before. Doesn’t make it any less scary.

STOCK UP: UCF. They won 11 games last year, won Conference USA, and beat Georgia in the Liberty Bowl. Beating Boston College as badly as they did shouldn’t have come as too much of a surprise. Somehow it still feels like one, though. For me, I think it’s because of how they won– with defense. UCF hasn’t given up a touchdown in their last three games, which include Georgia and Boston College. Usually, when non-BCS teams win it’s because they have some offensive innovation that their BCS-conference counterparts aren’t prepared for. This was different. This was UCF absolutely manhandling BC. That isn’t supposed to happen.

STOCK DOWN: Me saying anything nice about a team coached by George O’Leary.

Adam

STOCK UP: John Howell’s Facebook friend requests. Don’t get me wrong; losing Aaron Santiago, perhaps Navy’s best all-around slotback,  is a huge blow. But when it comes to big-play ability, Howell should have the offense covered. He’s not quite as shifty as Santiago but his straight-line speed was on full display Saturday night. It should be fun to watch his progress in the offense the rest of the way.

STOCK DOWN: Southern Miss. Each week I join the In The Bleachers podcast to keep tabs on possible BCS-buster teams, and at the start of the season I pegged the Eagles as one of my favorites to run the table. Six turnovers and a medicore-looking loss to Marshall later, and I join the other Phil Steele readers who are now scratching their heads saying, “what was I thinking?”

STOCK UP: Central Florida. I expected the Golden Knights to beat Boston College. I didn’t expect them to drub the Eagles 30-3 and outgain them by nearly 300 yards. Is this the new CUSA favorite? I’m thinking yes.

STOCK DOWN: Missouri. Wait a second, did I hear those preseason reports of James Franklin being the second coming of, well, who was he supposed to be the second coming of, exactly? The Tigers still have a long way to go, and Franklin IS one of the best young quarterbacks in the country, but no way this team should have been as hyped as they were.

STOCK UP: Steele Jantz. Freshman quarterback throwing for 67% completion and 4 TDs in an early season showdown against an in-state rival? I don’t care what the trophy looks like, I’m jumping on the Cyclone bandwagon.

STOCK DOWN: Air Force. No, it was not as close as the final score indicated. I just feel the world needs to be reminded of that. K thanks.