Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 7, 2016 21 I n previous editions, we have discussed what makes the Navy triple-option attack unique, and ways that Notre Dame should go about defending it. Those principles — attacking with the defensive line, playing disci- plined football on the back end and handling the misdirection — still ap- ply to the 2016 version of the Navy offense. The Midshipmen lost almost all of its starters from its 2015 offense, including quarterback Keenan Reyn- olds, a record-setting runner who finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting last season. Navy also lost all five starting offensive linemen. Despite all those departures, head coach Ken Niumatalolo has his of- fense clicking. It is averaging 33.8 points per game, and in back-to-back wins over then-No. 6 Houston and Memphis the Navy ground game churned out 753 yards and six scores. There are some unique aspects about the current version of the Navy offense that Notre Dame must be prepared to handle. BIG BOYS UP FRONT Teams don't usually lose five start- ers along the line and then pick up where the previous offense left off, but that is exactly what is happen- ing with Navy. Part of that is due to how Niumatalolo runs the program. The Midshipmen often play multiple offensive linemen, and Navy's five new starters had played in a com- bined 83 games with four starts. That experience has helped the line quickly mesh, and as the season has gone on the line has consistently improved. Another factor in Navy's contin- ued success with the offensive line is its enhanced size. Navy is running out a line that is much bigger than its previous units. Last season's line averaged 277.2 pounds, and it had just one starter against Notre Dame that weighed more than 290 pounds. Navy's 2016 offensive line averages 299.8 pounds, and it has four starters that weigh at least 294 pounds. Navy is now able to get a legitimate push up front and is a bit less reliant on scheme. EXPANDED USE OF THE FULLBACK Navy is not getting quite as much pure production from the fullback position. The current crop of full- backs averaged 83.0 yards rushing per outing through Navy's first six games. Last season, the Navy full- backs averaged 111.9 yards per game. Despite the lack of production from a yards standpoint, the Mid- shipmen's fullbacks — which are led by 224-pound junior Chris High — have proven to be more explosive and better at reaching the end zone. The 2016 fullbacks are averaging 5.7 yards per carry and 1.5 touchdowns per game, compared to the 4.9 per carry average of last season's group, which also had 1.3 touchdowns per game. Navy continues to use the tradi- tional dive plays with its fullbacks, but has shown some new wrinkles with the current group that give them better big-play potential. The Midshipmen have used their fullbacks on perimeter runs in the past, but it has been more effec- tive this season. Navy is also using the speed option with the fullback more effectively. This allows Navy to quickly attack the perimeter with a scheme it often uses with the slot backs. Using the fullbacks on the speed option eliminates the quick motion that defenses can get a read on, and it also allows Navy to get an extra blocker to the outside. PLAYMAKERS IN THE SLOT Navy's slot backs are averaging 106.2 yards per game, up from its 86.7 average last season. Many of the slot backs were part of the rotation last season, which makes it an expe- rienced group. On top of being experienced, se- nior Dishan Romine, senior Toneo Gulley and junior Darryl Bonner are also impressive, big-play athletes. All three are elusive runners that can make defenders miss in space. The slots have also combined for 11 catches and 297 yards in the pass game. Romine is one of the nation's top kick returners as well, having aver- aged 28.4 yards per return through the team's first six games. IMPROVED PASS ATTACK Senior quarterback Will Worth has provided an upgrade in the pass game. He's completing 59.7 percent of his throws, which is quite good for an option quarterback. He is on pace for 1,491 yards through the air, which would be the most from a Navy quarterback since Ricky Dobbs passed for 1,527 yards back in 2010. The slots are on pace to surpass last season's production, but his best weapon is dynamic senior wide re- ceiver Jamir Tillman. Combining Worth's passing abil- ity with Tillman's size and ball skills gives Navy a more dangerous pass- ing attack than it has had in recent seasons. ✦ Navy Option Has A New Look CHALK TALK BRYAN DRISKELL Bryan Driskell has been a football analyst for Blue & Gold Illustrated since April 2015. He can be reached at bdriskell@blueandgold.com. Senior Dishan Romine is part of the Midshipmen's experienced group of slot backs, which collec- tively averaged 106.2 yards rushing per game in their first six contests. PHOTO COURTESY NAVY