Navy Football

Believe it or not, the word “obsessive” has been thrown around by family and friends in regards to my yearly fixation over the release of Phil Steele’s massive 328-page college football preview magazine. Aside from the usual mentions of having a man-crush on the dude, I’ve also been accused of secretly working for Mr. Steele in an effort to further disseminate his work throughout the blogosphere. Psh, I wish.

Still, there is a reason for this fixation, as nothing says “save me from exorbitant gas prices and the NBA playoffs” quite like Phil Steele’s preview. I mean, for goodness sakes, it’s almost June. We’re right smack dab in the no-man’s land between the end of spring practices and the start of fall camp. We’re stuck amidst a hazy sports landscape which gives us college baseball and lacrosse to watch on a Saturday afternoon. Throw in nightcaps of your hometown baseball team’s inevitably slide into mediocrity and a sport which, despite whatever ESPN may claim, nobody cares about, and you have a veritable cornucopia of Saturday boredom. It’s not that I need the 2008 college football season right this second, but at the very least I could use something telling me that it’s coming.

Fortunately, we may not be far off. If my memory serves correctly (itself a 50/50 proposition) I bought my Phil Steele 2007 magazine at the end of the first week in June last year. If memory further serves me correctly (ok, so this may really be stretching it) I actually bought my Athlon Regional preview on one of the last day’s of May last year. Considering Athlon was ranked the number two preview magazine by an independent service last year, it may not be a bad idea to invest in it, even if you are an unabashed Phil Steele zealot like myself.

Whatever the case may be, I think it’s fair to say that within the next two weeks we’ll be seeing something in stores, whether it be Athlon or Steele. Of course, guided by my pseudo-obsessive need to fill my head with almost meaningless statistics and plenty of acronyms, I’ll be the first to report in when I do find these magazines in stores.

Speaking of Phil Steele, have you ever noticed how there is only one actual picture of the guy online? Oh don’t act like you haven’t done a google image search before, we all know you have. Fortunately I recently caught up with Phil at a Naval Academy practice, confirming that not only is he actually real, but that he is a big fan of Navy do-it-all athlete Jarod Bryant.

Note: The authenticity of this photo cannot be confirmed.

The BCS selection process was supposed to help more clearly define who deserved to be playing for the national championship each year. Some say it is the best process we have found so far, others disagree and are advocates of a "play off" system. Whether one chooses one viewpoint or the other, there is one thing under the current system that seems innately unfair to me and that is the lack of governance in regard to how BCS conference champions are determined. Some play a straight conference schedule, while others are required to play their division teams and then play cross over games with another division and then conduct a conference championship. Conferences that conduct conference championship games find that one good team might suffer a loss that might move them out of the BCS rankings. This seems unfair when other conferences do not conduct championship games and play one game less than those who do.

The BCS does not address this issue and their criteria for participating in a BCS Bowl is as follows:

1. The top two teams in the final BCS Standings shall play in the National Championship Game.

2. The Champions of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 10 and SEC Conferences will have automatic berths in one of the participating bowls after the 2006 and 2007 regular seasons.

3. The Champions of Conference USA, the Mid American, Mountain West, Sunbelt and WAC Conferences will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if they are ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS standings or if they are ranked in the top 16 and are ranked higher than a conference champion from the conferences listed in item #2 above. In no case will more than one team from these conferences receive an automatic berth. If two or more teams from these conferences do satisfy the provisions for an automatic berth, the team with the highest finish in the standings will receive the automatic berth and the remaining team will go into the pool for selection as an "at large" team.

4. Notre Dame will have an automatic berth if it is in the top eight of the final BCS rankings.

Well, this explanation of who gets in and who doesn't, goes on and on and reads like a contract to purchase Trump Towers. Personally, I am for bringing balance, equity and more simplicity to the process.

The first problem with all of this is that some conferences have conference championship games and others do not because of their size or conference rules. In all fairness, all conferences should be required to have conference championship games. The rules should be the same for all involved. Either all of the conferences should have a championship game or none of them should have a championship game. The conference championships are sources of additional revenues for the conferences as a whole and based on that, one would think that every conference would want to play that extra game. This is apparently not the case.

I believe that the first step towards some sort of parity calls for a realignment of conferences. The realignment I have in mind would boost the size of some existing conferences and essentially eliminate others so that every conference had a minimum of 14 teams. In this way, every conference would be large enough to conduct a rotation of play between divisions and this would also present the opportunity for every conference to conduct a conference championship game. Though this is not a final solution, it is food for thought and I believe it would not only work, but that an NCAA realignment would benefit all conferences and teams involved in terms of revenue sharing.

Here is my realignment:

BIG 10-They would no longer have just eleven teams. Iowa State would move from the Big 12 to the Big 10. Notre Dame would have their "most favored" status pulled by the NCAA and they would be required to join the Big 10 to be BCS Bowl eligible. Pittsburgh would move over from the Big East to the Big 10 and this would give the "Big 11" fourteen members. No excuse to not have divisional play and a conference championship game.

MAC-The MAC already has 13 members and by moving Cincinatti in from the Big East this takes them to the 14 teams they need and they would also be required to engage in divisional play and conduct a conference championship game.

SEC-The SEC is already in good shape but by moving the Louisville in from the Big East and moving Georgia Tech in from the ACC it expands the conference to 14 teams and retains its regional integrity.

BIG 12-The Big 12 would have to replace Iowa State but in order to expand the conference and continue to maintain its regional structure, TCU, Colorado State and Air Force would all move in from the Mountain West. TCU in the south and Air Force and Colorado State in the North.

PAC 10-The Pac 10 would remain unchanged except to absorb Hawaii and Fresno State from the WAC and BYU and San Diego State from the Mountain West. This gives them 14 teams and the requirement for divisional play and a conference championship game for BCS eligibility.

ACC-The ACC would have to replace the loss of Georgia Tech to the SEC but they expand to 16 teams adding S. Florida, Rutgers, West Virginia, Connecticut and Syracuse.

MTN West/Sunbelt-These two conferences would join one another in two divisions of 9 teams each. Arkansas State, Florida International, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Troy, UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, New Mexico and Western Kentucky in one division and UNLV, Utah, Wyoming, Boise State, Idaho, Nevada, San Jose State, Utah State and New Mexico State in the other.

C-USA-Conference USA would expand to two eight team divisions of 16 teams absorbing LA Tech, Florida Atlantic, Army and Navy.

This would eliminate any "independents", the Big East and the WAC Conferences as well.

This is not to say that this is the only solution, let alone the "right" solution. What it does do is add teams to each conference and provides for divisional play and conference championships in every conference. This could potentially increase each schools share of conference revenues unless the teams that are added have less than the current average revenue that is generated by existing teams.

I believe every conference should be required to conduct a conference championship game and under this proposed format, that could be accomplished. If a conference does not have a conference championship game, I believe that they should have to play a "BCS Qualifying Game" against a conference of similar strength that also does not have a CCG. This too, might lend more parity. Still, I believe the combining of conferences as I suggested above would help everyone have more confidence in the system we have right now. At the very least, it would put everyone on more level ground.

But that is just my view........from outside the boundaries.

As soon as Irish runningback Travis Thomas lined up in the backfield on Notre Dame’s two-point conversion attempt in triple overtime, I knew the streak was over. And when Thomas was wrapped up and brought to the turf, Navy players ecstatically and deservedly stormed the field as the Irish stumbled off dejectedly, looking as confused and frustrated as they had all game (and in many ways, all season).

Surprisingly, the streak ended more quietly than expected. Perhaps it was the utter level of futility of Notre Dame’s play this year, or the fact that strong and disciplined teams had come to be the norm under Navy head coach Paul Johnson. In any case, the end of the streak was reported, but not dwelled upon, perhaps owing to the general craziness that was the 2007 college football season.

For Navy, it was the end to 43 years of frustration. Yet Notre Dame-Navy has always been among the classiest (if one-sided) rivalries, and the Midshipmen deserve credit. They were the better team this year, and they deserved to win. Fighting Irish fans should congratulate the Naval Academy on a job well done, and a much deserved victory. 2007 was the end, but it is also a beginning and there are many who are already looking forward to next year’s game.

For Notre Dame, it was the culmination of a season’s worth of disappointment. 2007 can now be listed among the worst years ever for Irish football, ranking right up there with 1956 and 1963 (coincidentally, the last time that Navy beat Notre Dame). Of all the many painful losses – the beatdowns at the hands of Penn State, Michigan and USC, the losses to Air Force, Michigan State and Purdue – this may have been the most meaningful. It represented the one thing that all those mediocre coaches (Gerry Faust, Bob Davie, Ty Willingham) had never failed to do. Losing to Navy has been a Cardinal Sin of Notre Dame since JFK was president, and it remains to be seen if Charlie Weis can pick up the pieces and return the Irish to football glory.

For college football, it was just another historic upset in a season full of historic upsets. Notre Dame’s loss to Navy managed to be overshadowed by Michigan’s loss to Appalachian State, Southern Cal’s loss to Stanford, and all the other crazy games this year. But for better and for worse, the nation’s longest winning streak came to an end, and a chapter of history – for both The Irish and the Midshipmen – came to a memorable close on Nov. 3, 2007.

The Pitt Panthers will have one last chance to right the ship before they face the best in the Big East when they entertain the Navy Midshipmen Wednesday night.

Despite being outplayed in the last three games, the Panthers (2-3) are still optimistic they can get back to .500 and compete in the conference.

"When you turn on ESPN, you never see Pitt on there, so this is a chance for us to really make a name for ourselves,” Pitt sophomore corner Aaron Berry said. “(And) a win against Navy can bring us right back up. So, I feel that's what we're going to do.''

Berry and the Pitt defense will have to stop the triple-option attack of the Midshipmen if they hope to come away with a victory.              

 Averaging 348 yards per game, the Navy rushing offense ranks No. 1 in the nation.  This is the fourth time in six seasons under head coach Paul Johnson that they rank as the top rushing attack in Division I college football.

The Navy is led by quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada and slot back Reggie Campbell.

Kaheaku-Enhada’s 78-yard run late in the fourth quarter against Air Force sprung his team to a 31-20 victory, and Campbell is one of the main threats in Navy’s system.

The Pitt defense ranks No. 9 in total defense (268.4 ypg) and No. 27 in rushing defense (111.0 ypg).  Pitt has not allowed a single 100-yard rusher this season, and comes into the game having posted strong performances against Michigan St. and Virginia on the ground.

Javon Ringer and Cedric Peerman, two of the leading rushers in their respective conferences, were held below their season averages for yards and yards per carry in their contests with the Panthers.

“They are real dangerous. They are explosive,” said Navy coach Paul Johnson about the Pitt defense. “They have some good skill on offense and…you don't get to be 10th in the country on defense after five games unless you are doing something right. They have some good players. It will be a challenge for us.”

The biggest issue for the Panthers this season has been their inability to score points and be consistent on offense. Pitt ranks no higher than No. 79 in any major offensive category, and has been plagued by turnovers and penalties.

The Panthers have also switched quarterbacks and reshuffled their offensive line on almost a weekly basis, leading to inconsistency all over the field.

The offense, led by freshman Pat Bostick and LeSean McCoy, may have their best chance to break out this week against a Navy defense that is less than spectacular itself. Navy’s defense ranks near the bottom of Division I in several categories, including passing defense (No. 107), total defense (No. 104), and scoring defense (31.40 ppg).

Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt said that the key for the Panthers is to play well in the running and passing game, and to not waste opportunities against the Navy defense.

“In order for us to win this game, we're going to have to score 28 points, and we're not going to do that totally on the ground. We're going to come out of this game balanced, and mix it up.”

“I think for us to have success (we are going to need to) score enough, because Navy is going to put some points on the board. They are going to move the football and it is important that our offense plays very efficient football. When we get opportunities to put points on the board, we have to do it this week. Most of the time we get 13, sometimes 14 possessions on offense; their opponent averages 10 or 11. You're not going to get as many shots. “

Scoring points, over 30 to be exact, has been the way to defeat the Midshipmen recently.  Navy is 4-19 under Johnson when the opponent scores 30 or more points.

Doing so may be easier said than done.

When given more than a week to prepare for a game, Johnson is 16-7 at Navy.  In addition, during the last five years Navy has posted a 19-12 mark on the road, good for No. 13 in the nation.

The match-up will also be the revival of a rivalry that ran through the glory days of both football programs.

The teams will meet for the first time since 1989. The Panthers hold a 20-12-3 lead in the series, which dates back to 1912.  The Panthers and Midshipmen played 19 straight times between 1961 and 1979.

To commemorate the revival of the Pitt-Navy series, each team will have a Heisman winner as their honorary captain. Tony Dorsett and Roger Staubach, former teammates and Super Bowl champions with Dallas, will accompany their respective alma mater’s current players out to midfield for the coin toss on Wednesday night.    

Keys to The Game

Ball Control 

Navy cuts down on opponent possessions by running the football, sustaining long drives that eat up the clock. During one stretch this season, Pitt failed to convert 22 straight third downs, and has spent more time on defense because of turnovers and offensive penalties.  Time of possession will be one of the key factors in determining who wins on Wednesday.

3rd-Down Conversions 

As stated before, Pitt has loads of trouble converting on third down and sustaining drives.  Navy, on the other hand, is No. 11 in the nation in third down efficiency, converting nearly fifty percent of their chances.  Pitt must get their defense off the field, and stay on offense in order to win. Navy must play with the same mentality.

The 1st and 3rd quarters 

The end of the first half, and the beginning of the second, may be the most telling part of the game on Wednesday.  Navy has won 21 of its last 23 games when scoring first, is 2-0 this season when leading at halftime, and has scored on three of its five opening possessions in the third quarter.  Pitt has been slow out of the gate, being outscored by a 47-28 margin in the opening period, but through five games has not given up a point in the third quarter.

Players to Watch

Navy QB Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada

The Stats

414 yards rushing and 7 TDs on 73 attempts for a 5.7 yard/carry average.   Kaheaku-Enhada has long runs of 78 and 80 yards this season. Through the air, he is 26-49 for 460 yards and 2 TDs, along with 4 INTs.

Why to Watch

Kaheaku-Enhada is not a prototype dual-threat quarterback, but he manages the Navy offense well, is a “charismatic player,” and “rarely gets rattled.” While he won’t have to deal with a very hostile crowd Wednesday, Kaheaku-Enhada will have to play well against a good Pitt defense.  He runs better than he passes, but with attention being paid to the running game, he can make throws when Navy needs him to. However, he can’t be relied on to be a throw-first quarterback.

Navy SB/KR Reggie Campbell

The Stats

28 carries for 226 yards rushing and one TD, with a 8.1 yards/carry average. Campbell also has five catches for 79 yards and a score, with a 15.8 yard/catch average.  He averages 20.8 yards per kick return and almost five yards per punt return.

Why to Watch

Campbell is not great at any one area of the game, but he is very good at many aspects of the game. He can run with the football, and can get into open space and catch a pass.  Despite being held to under five yards per punt return so far this year, Campbell posted a 27.5 yard average last season, and could break out against the Panthers' special teams unit, which has yet to impress anyone this season.

Pitt’s defensive front seven

The Stats

The Pitt defense has only allowed 2.9 yards/rush and 3.9 yards/play on the season.  By only giving up 268.4 yards/game, the Panthers rank among the best defenses in the country through six weeks of the season.

Why to Watch

The resurgence of the Panther defensive line has been a key factor in the numbers put up by the defense.  Aside from playing most of the last three weeks from behind and with their backs pressed up to their own end zone because of offensive woes, the Pitt D has kept opposing running backs from eclipsing the 100-yard mark for five straight weeks, and has kept opposing teams off the board in the third quarter. Playing against the Navy triple-option will be the biggest test for the defense so far, and defensive ends Joe Clermond and Greg Romeus will have to play sound, disciplined football to keep Navy from breaking runs off the corners.  The linebackers, led by Scott McKillop, will need to be equally impressive in the game, make plays at the line and inside the box, and not allow the big gains that keep teams from beating the Midshipmen.

Pitt K Conor Lee

The Stats

Lee is 6-7 on field goal attempts this season, good for an 85.7 conversion percentage. Lee’s longest field goal of the season is 41 yards, and has not missed from inside 40 yards this year.  Lee has also converted 59 consecutive extra points.

Why to Watch

Lee is closing in on history at Pitt.  His 59 consecutive extra points are one shy of the record set by Carson Long, who hit 60 straight PATs from 1974 through 1975. Along with being solid on PATs, Lee has a career average of 85.7 on his field goal attempts, and could be in a position to win the game with his leg in a close contest for the Panthers.

I gave Appalachian State far too much credit. The Michigan Wolverines really are awful.

For the second week in a row, Michigan had no idea how to stop a team that lined up with four receivers and stretched the field vertically. The Wolverine pass rush was nonexistent, and the Wolverine secondary was painfully slow.

But everybody knew the Wolverines defense would struggle against the Ducks. That’s why the offense’s performance against Oregon was such a dismal sight to behold.

An offense with Chad Henne, Mike Hart, and Mario Manningam shouldn’t ever be held to seven points at home against one of the Pac 10’s worst defensive teams.

Worst of all was the lack of heart shown by everyone on the Wolverines save their appropriately named running back. In a game they needed to win to make the world forget about the Appalachian State disaster, they showed no fight whatsoever.

They moved the ball pretty well early until Henne made an awful decision to throw into coverage, resulting in an interception. After Oregon took the lead, Travis Minor fumbled the ball back to the Ducks. With the defense desperately needing a stop, there were the Wolverines bamboozled by a Statue-of-Liberty play, then falling over themselves on a faked Statue-of-Liberty play.

With Dennis Dixon making plays instead of mistakes, the Ducks can outscore any team in the Pac 10. Their secondary is one of the best in the West, and their front seven held very tough against a strong Michigan running game.

Clearly the game was a showcase of two teams moving in opposite directions.

For anyone who’s followed the South Florida Bulls, their victory at Auburn isn’t a surprise. The Bulls are simply designed to play SEC-style football.

Their defense is small and fast, but hits hard and tackles exceptionally well. Their secondary is one of the best in the nation. Their quarterback makes plays whenever the team needs one. And most importantly, the team perseveres in tough times.

Even with Delbert Alvarado missing field goals left and right, and even with the Bulls failing to take command of a game in which they forced five turnovers, USF didn’t crawl into a hole and wither.

The Bulls kept giving themselves more chances to win.

The Bulls showed faith in Alvarado, and he forced overtime with a 19-yard field goal with under a minute left. The Bulls had faith in their defense, and they held Auburn to a field goal in overtime. And the Bulls showed faith in their quarterback, and Matt Groethe found Jesse Hester for a 14-yard game-winning touchdown.

Beating a team like Auburn isn’t about playing better football. Beating Auburn is about surviving torture.

Auburn plays tough, plays physical, controls the special teams, makes tons of mistakes, forces you to make even worse mistakes, then breaks off a random big play to break your back.

South Florida lived through the torture of four missed field goals, and the torture of being given five turnovers and being unable to do anything with them.

Through it all, the Bulls showed the mental toughness to keep playing the game with maximum focus. That fortitude will serve them well when the Big East season gets under way.

The Big East has had the horses at the top the last couple of seasons, but now they have the middle class rising up as well. South Florida's win at Auburn and Cincinnati's trouncing of Oregon State really speak well for the conference's depth. The Big East has grown by leaps and bounds in three years, and now, with five well established teams (possibly six if Pittsburgh comes around), the conference might actually be entering one of the best periods in its history.

Paul Johnson is clearly one of the best coaches in America. Thursday night against Rutgers, he made little changes all game long, from running more dive plays out of the triple-option when Rutgers' ends were staying wide to throwing the ball more when the Rutgers linebackers were playing slow to stop the option.

Of course Navy doesn't have the athletes to beat a team like Rutgers, and it doesn't help when their QB is throwing interceptions in the end zone. But that doesn't mean Johnson didn't make all the correct adjustments to put his team in the best positions to win the game.

The Cardiac Cats are back in Northwestern. Before his tragic death, Randy Walker was legendary for fourth quarter comebacks and exciting wins. Pat Fitzgerald followed that blueprint on Saturday when his Wildcats had to come back from 14 down at the half to upend Nevada. The game was won when C.J Bacher found a diving Ross Lane in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown strike with 21 seconds left.

Wake Forest is still as annoying as it was last year, but the Deacons just aren't getting the lucky bounces they got during their run to an ACC Championship.

Oklahoma's offensive line looks scary. They run people over and don't give up any pressure on Sam Bradford. It's easy for a young quarterback to develop when he doesn't have anyone in his face.

I know a lot of Ohio State's offensive players graduated last year, but geez!

After a tough home loss to Alabama, Vanderbilt still needs five wins to get to a bowl. Yes, I'm still counting.

Buffalo showed that they aren't the most inept team in the nation by trouncing Temple on the road 42-7. Can the MAC trade the Owls for Appalachian State?

Colorado State, BYU, UNLV, and TCU, were all game in facing California, UCLA, Wisconsin, and Texas. Is the Mountain West that much worse than the Big 10?

Great win for the Washington Huskies over Boise State. It's a shame their schedule is so tough. The Huskies are playing so well right now...and still might not make a bowl.

Was there a more fun game to watch this weekend than Texas A&M vs. Fresno State going to triple overtime?

Oregon's talent level has never been questioned the last few years. Their heart has. Beating a Michigan team that's down in the dumps is impressive, but can they keep up their intensity for 10 more games? And will they keep up that intensity against teams that have the players to frustrate the Ducks' game plan? That much is yet to be seen.

South Carolina's defense runs fast and hits hard. Forget their linebackers—the South Carolina cornerbacks put on a clinic of how to tackle. Steve Spurrier has molded his squad into a power team that wins by running up the gut and playing excellent defense. Versatility like that is what makes him one of the best coaches in the game.

Will Notre Dame score an offensive touchdown this year?

ECU proved they can play in the ACC by beating North Carolina. Not a bad first couple of weeks for the Pirates.

Maryland only beat FIU 26-10? Running up the score isn't something I condone, but any team can accidentally put up 40 against the Panthers. As it was, Maryland was only leading 16-7 going into the 4th quarter.

Challenge to readers: Rank these conferences in order—Big 10, ACC, Mountain West, WAC. Right now, I have the Big 10, the ACC, the Mountain West, and the WAC, in that order...but the conferences aren't far apart at all.

How can anybody be high on Hawaii after they struggled to beat a bad Louisiana Tech team? They haven't played anybody of note and their defense looks terrible.

Virginia Tech can take solace in the fact that they wont be the only team destroyed in Death Valley this year.

Somebody predicted that Florida Atlantic would beat Oklahoma State. Yeah, that was (shakes head disappointedly), that was Lee Corso. What a crazy old man.

Unlike Mr.Corso, I know enough about college football to give a logical top 25:


Top 25

1) LSU
2) USC
3) Oklahoma
4) Florida
5) West Virginia
6) Louisville
7) Cal
8) Wisconsin
9) Texas
10) Nebraska
11) Arkansas
12) Rutgers
13) Ohio State
14) UCLA
15) Georgia Tech
16) Oregon
17) Penn State
18) Virginia Tech
19) South Carolina
20) South Florida
21) Tennessee
22) Clemson
23) Boston College
24) Georgia
25) TCU