Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1424555
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 6, 2021 43 GAME PREVIEW: NAVY Senior cornerback Jamal Glenn, who intercepted Cincinnati quarterback Des- mond Ridder once and recovered a late onside kick that gave his team a chance to tie the game in the closing minutes, wasn't satisfied. "I'm very proud of our team, proud of our defense, but that's not good enough," Glenn said. "Coming into the game, we stressed moral victories are not a thing. Yeah, they're the No. 2 team in the coun- try, but we want to win games." When Navy plays up to its full po- tential defensively, it's very capable of winning games. Maybe not on the road against a ranked Notre Dame team, but the Midshipmen have winnable games against East Carolina, Temple and Army to finish the season. Notre Dame still needs to account for where Glenn and senior linebacker Diego Fagot are at all times. Glenn ranks third on the team in tackles with 35. He also has one of the team's six interceptions. Fagot ranks first on the team in tackles with 63 and has nine tackles for loss, five more than the next closest player on the roster. Navy ranked No. 49 in total defense (354.6 yards allowed per game) through Week 8, slightly above average in the context of the entire FBS. Notre Dame has played better defenses this season. It has played worse defenses this season. The Midshipmen have to play like they did against Cincinnati to give themselves the best chance to beat a team like Notre Dame. So if they have to turn to five true freshmen on defense at one point or an- other like they did against the Bearcats, then so be it. "At this point in the year, you measure yourself on how much you improve week to week," Navy defensive coordinator Brian Newberry said. "We've had some bad luck with injuries and played a bunch of young guys, so their development is really what's going to carry us and make us get better." ✦ Three Things To Know About Navy 1. Rock Bottom On Offense Yes, the modern philosophies of college football apply to triple-option teams too. Explosive, hard-to-defend offenses drive today's game. And sure enough, Navy's best teams under 14th- year head coach Ken Niumatalolo have had high-scoring offenses and talented quarterbacks. In 2015, quarterback Keenan Reynolds totaled 32 touchdowns and rushed for 1,373 yards to help Navy go 11-2 and win the American Athletic Conference West Division title. Four years later, quarterback Mal- colm Perry carried the Midshipmen to another 11-2 mark by rushing for 2,017 yards and 21 touchdowns. Both averaged more than 5.0 yards per carry and 10.0 yards per pass, with most of their work coming in the run game. They benefitted from sturdy and experienced offensive lines. Navy was a top-25 scoring offense and in the top 10 in yards per play both years. This season, though, Navy is on the other end of the offensive spectrum. It's in disarray. There have been two starting quarterbacks and a midseason offensive coordinator change. Navy entered its game at Tulsa Oct. 29 averaging 3.97 yards per play, the lowest among all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams. It does not have a player among the nation's top 100 rushers — which would be a first in Niumatalolo's tenure if it holds. The offensive line is last in sack rate, at 26.3 percent. The quarterback is normally a primary rushing threat in the triple option. Yet sophomore five-game starter Tai Lavatai has just 178 rushing yards on 99 carries. That's 1.8 yards per rush. His 7.6 yards per pass is also lower than five of his last six predecessors. Navy's leading rusher, senior fullback Isaac Ruoss, has just 388 yards through seven games. All told, Navy's 3.5 yards per carry ranks 100th nationally. 2. A Defensive Downturn The other side of the ball has fared marginally better. Navy's defense ranks 100th or worse in yards per play (102nd), tackles for loss (116th), sacks (126th), passes defended (113th), pass efficiency defense (107th) and scoring (107th). Interestingly, Navy has given up more than 31 points just once in its first five conference games. Every opponent, though, has scored at least 23 points. And Notre Dame, despite its unspectacular offense, has the most talented collection of skill players Navy will face this year. It's not difficult to envision the Irish putting five touchdowns on the Midshipmen's defense. Despite the lack of negative plays, Navy is holding opponents to 3.98 yards per rush (64th). SMU, owners of a top-30 rushing offense, averaged just 2.8 yards per carry in a win versus Navy. Cincinnati averaged 4.5, but only ran for 109 yards. 3. A Force In The Middle One of Navy's biggest recruiting coups of the last few years has yielded one of its best defensive players in recent history. Senior linebacker Diego Fagot had offers from nearly 20 FBS teams, including Power Five programs Illinois and Pittsburgh. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native chose Navy instead. Navy involved Fagot as soon as he arrived. He played every game his freshman year, which included a start in the Army-Navy game. He is in his third season as a starter and is tied for 23rd nationally in tackles for loss (9.0). He has 63 total tackles this year and is on pace to set a career high in tackles for loss. Fagot posted at least 70 tackles and 11.0 tackles for loss in 2019 and 2020, earning All-AAC honors each season. — Patrick Engel "We're just trying to play better. That's where our focus has been. Coach better, play better and find a way to get a W." NAVY HEAD COACH KEN NIUMATALOLO Navy sophomore quarterback Tai Lavatai is averaging just 1.8 yards per carry for an offense that entered its game at Tulsa ranked last nationally in yards per play. PHOTO COURTESY NAVY ATHLETICS