So how was Navy able to kill ECU with a trident? I’ll give you one guess…
The last team to line up that way against Navy was Rice last season. It went about the same.
Postgame Haiku, Vol. 40
So, Ruffin McNeil…
Slightly different Navy team
Than 2003?
ADD IT TO THE LIST
Because Navy’s offense looks different than most other offenses you see on any given Saturday, it isn’t very widely understood. Broadcasters who call Navy games are sort of forced to fall back on the same cliches and misconceptions about the spread option that have been tossed around for years. Most of the regular readers of this blog are aware of the Five Myths, but that’s hardly an all-inclusive list. There’s plenty that can be tacked on to it. Among the items that can be added is the idea that Navy’s offense isn’t a “come from behind” offense. That’s because people think that every Navy drive takes ten minutes, and that they can’t throw the ball. So in theory, that’s the game plan to beat Navy: get an early lead, and they’ll either run out of time, or be forced to pass (which they can’t do) in order to come back.
There’s a lot that we might not be sure about when it comes to the 2010 edition of the Navy offense, but if there’s one thing we can safely say it’s that they have gone out of their way this year to show that this theory is crap. The Mids have developed the unfortunate habit of falling behind, but have managed to put together more than their fair share of furious comebacks.
- Maryland: The Terps took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but Navy tied it up by the end of the third quarter.
- Louisiana Tech: Navy trailed 23-16 at halftime, but scored 21 unanswered points in their 37-23 win.
- SMU: Held scoreless in the first half, Navy outscores SMU 28-7 in the second half to pull out the victory, 28-21.
- Duke: Looking up from the bottom of a 24-0 hole at the end of the first half, the Mids scored 31 points in the second half– 24 in the 4th quarter alone– before ultimately falling short, 34-31.
Coach Niumatalolo likes to keep the clock running by putting together long drives, but that’s by choice, not because of a limitation of the offense. Since the clock stops to move the chains after each first down in the college game, there’s no need to drop the option if you get off to a slow start. If you do want to throw the ball, half of the Navy offense is based in the run & shoot; it’s a much more robust passing game than it’s usually given credit for.
This isn’t 3 yards and a cloud of dust. The spread option isn’t a “gimmick offense,” it’s a scheme that is as capable of scoring points in a hurry as any other.
AIRING OF GRIEVANCES
NAVY LOST TO DUKE. I HAVE REACHED MY LIMIT FOR TOLERANCE AND PATIENCE. NOW IT’S TIME TO START CRACKING SKULLS.
THE YELLOW “N” AT MIDFIELD:
WHY CAN WE GET A GOLD N-STAR FOR A ONE-OFF GAME AT THE MEADOWLANDS BUT HAVE TO SUFFER THROUGH A HIDEOUS LOOKING YELLOW N AT HOME? DO THEY GIVE DISCOUNTS FOR TACKY PAINT COLORS? IT’S NAVY BLUE AND GOLD, NOT NAVY BLUE AND THE COLOR OF THE MIDDLE STRIPE ON A TWO-LANE ROAD. AND WHY IS THERE NO STAR ON THE N ANYMORE? IF THE TV CAMERAS ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FIELD, JUST FLIP THE LOGO. GOLD SIDE FANS HAVE LIVED WITH AN UPSIDE DOWN N-STAR FOR 50 YEARS. IT’S TIME FOR THE BLUE-SIDE PANSIES TO SUCK IT UP. WHICH REMINDS ME…
MOVING THE TV CAMERAS TO THE GOLD SIDE: I’M NOT SURE WHAT’S WORSE: THE NUCLEAR GLARE THAT LEAPS OUT FROM THE FIELDTURF, OR THE FACT THAT THE CAMERAS AREN’T MOUNTED HIGH ENOUGH:
DID HE CATCH IT? IS IT A TOUCHDOWN? HELL IF I KNOW, BECAUSE MAGNUS HERE AND HIS GIANT BLOND SCANDINAVIAN GRAPE ARE BLOCKING THE VIEW.
THE ECONOMY: MY HOUSE IS NOW WORTH APPROXIMATELY ONE-FIFTH OF WHAT I PAID FOR IT. I AM DOOMED TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE IN THE GROUND ZERO OF MEDIOCRITY THAT IS JACKSONVILLE.
LA NOPALERA: WHAT KIND OF MEXICAN RESTAURANT NOT ONLY DOESN’T HAVE BOHEMIA AT THE BAR, BUT MAKES YOU SIT IN THAT BOHEMIA-LESS BAR FOR AN HOUR BEFORE THEY COME OUT AND TELL YOU THAT THEY’RE OUT OF CARNITAS? THE KIND WE HAVE IN JACKSONVILLE, THAT’S WHAT KIND.
THE CADET CHICK IN THE CBS COLLEGE SPORTS STUDIO SHOW: NO YOU DON’T GET CONGRATULATED FOR BEATING VMI YOU SNOTTY-ASS WOOP. YOU QUIETLY ACCEPT YOUR GIFT-WRAPPED WIN AND PRAY THAT YOU DON’T GET CHARGED WITH A WAR CRIME FOR SCHEDULING SUCH AN OVERMATCHED VICTIM.
MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR THAT HAS 9 BEAGLES: EVERY TIME I SO MUCH AS STEP ON A TWIG IN MY BACKYARD I AM REWARDED WITH A BARKING CACOPHANY FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE THAT IS UNRIVALED EXCEPT FOR MAYBE A KE$HA CONCERT. HOW ABOUT GETTING RID OF A DOG OR TWO, CRUELLA DEVILLE?
HALLOWEEN: SCORES OF GERM-CARRYING, PINT-SIZED JERKS RING MY DOORBELL ALL NIGHT TO MAKE MY DOGS FREAK OUT AND BEG FOR CANDY. NO I WON’T GIVE YOU A SECOND KIT-KAT YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT. JUST FOR ASKING I HOPE THE REST OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS HANDING OUT ORANGE MARSHMALLOWS SHAPED LIKE PEANUTS. YOU ARE THE WORST “HOLIDAY” EVER.
CBS COLLEGE SPORTS CAMERAS: I HAVE A WIDE-SCREEN TV SO I CAN SEE MORE OF THE FIELD, NOT SO YOU CAN ZOOM IN SO CLOSE THAT I CAN CALL THE SNAP CADENCE MYSELF.
PROTIP: IF YOU’VE ZOOMED IN SO FAR THAT YOU CAN’T EVEN SEE EVERYONE IN THE FORMATION, YOU’VE ZOOMED IN TOO DAMN FAR.
NOTRE DAME: YOUR INCREDIBLE INCOMPETENCE GAVE EVERYONE FALSE HOPE. THIS IS YOUR FAULT.
POINSETTIA BOWL: YOU ARE SCHEDULED ON DECEMBER 23RD. THAT MEANS THAT EVERYONE GOING HOME FROM THE GAME WILL HAVE TO LEAVE ON CHRISTMAS EVE. WELL THAT JACKS UP THE PRICE OF THE TRIP A BIT NOW DOESN’T IT. AND A SPECIAL SCREW YOU TO SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FOR GIVING ME FREE TICKETS THAT I CAN’T USE FOR THE ONE THING I ACTUALLY WANT TO TRAVEL TO BECAUSE YOU WON’T LET ME USE THEM ON CHRISTMAS EVE.
VINNY DEL NEGRO: YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON ON EARTH WHO CAN STOP BLAKE GRIFFIN, AND YOU HAVE BEEN DOING SO WITH RUTHLESS EFFICIENCY. NOW CHOKE YOURSELF.
PEOPLE WHO CONSTANTLY CALL FOR THE BACKUP QUARTERBACK: GREAT IDEA, LOMBARDI. I’M SURE THAT’LL FIX THE DEFENSE. WHILE YOU’RE AT IT WHY DON’T YOU CHANGE THE OIL TO SEE IF THAT’LL GET RID OF THE SQUEALING NOISE COMING FROM YOUR BRAKES. DON’T YOU KNOW ANY OTHER POSITIONS? WHY DON’T YOU EVER WANT TO BENCH THE LEFT GUARD? HOW ABOUT THE LONG SNAPPER? YOU ARE NADIR OF HUMANITY. YOU ARE AN AFFRONT TO REASON. YOU ARE A HORRIBLE PERSON AND I HATE YOU.
Postgame Haiku, Vol. 39
Navy lost to Duke.
Meditate on that a while.
Navy lost to Duke.
NAVY 35, NOTRE DAME 17
I’m not going to pretend that the Navy-Notre Dame game means as much to the Irish as it does to the Mids. Notre Dame is Navy’s Everest, the service academy’s annual shot at one of college football’s biggest programs. For a Notre Dame team that plays the likes of Michigan and USC every year, Navy is a nice tradition, but not really a game to get up for. This year, though, might have been an exception; if not for Notre Dame’s players, then at least for their coaches. Prior to 2007, Notre Dame had defeated Navy for a record 43 consecutive years. That came to an end when the Mids were finally able to pull out a 46-44 overtime victory. Two years later, Navy won again, 23-21. The losses to Navy became a symbol for Charlie Weis’ failures as Notre Dame’s head coach. Even the reviled Tyrone Willinghan, Bob Davie, and Gerry Faust never lost to Navy, but Weis lost to them twice. This year’s game, then, was important for the Notre Dame coaching staff as a way to show how things have changed. I don’t think too many people expected Notre Dame to start contending for national titles right away, but at least they wouldn’t lose to Navy anymore, right?
WELL THAT WON’T CONFUSE ANYONE
The EagleBank Bowl, briefly called the Congressional Bowl at first, has a new sponsor in Northrop Grumman. With a new sponsor comes a new name: The Military Bowl. A curious choice, considering that there is already an Armed Forces Bowl.
There’s so much going on in DC that there has to be a better name than “Military Bowl,” right?
CORWIN BROWN WOULD CALL IT UNIMAGINATIVE
So if a late hit on a stupid block makes Navy a dirty team and Ken Niumatalolo a dirty coach according various entities in the Notre Dame sphere of influence, then what would they say about a gut punch and cleat-stomp?
Just curious.
The Birddog 