Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Navy Midshipmen season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Navy Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 3-10 overall, 2-6 in American Athletic
Head Coach: Ken Niumatalolo, 12th year, 87-58
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NAVY OFFENSE
– Well … enough of that. The Navy rushing offense was good as always – it finished fifth in the nation averaging 276 yards per game – but it wasn’t the Navy rushing offense. It wasn’t as explosive or as productive as it needed to be, going from averaging 5.6 yards per carry with 4,568 yards and 42 scores in 2017 – and with 61 rushing touchdowns in 2016 – to averaging under five yards per carry with 3,594 yards and 37 scores last year.
At times, the thing just slowed to a dead stop. Navy will now run the triple-option and not mess around with any tweaking. Here’s the knuckleball … try to hit it.
– The main move is to get Malcolm Perry back at quarterback after starting him there last year, and then moving him back to a slotback role. Don’t expect much in the way of passing, but look for the slippery-fast veteran back to add the pop back to the attack. Five of the top seven rushers are gone, but it’s Navy – the smallish, quick backs are there going with good fullbacks to soften things up.
– The offensive front has to mix things up after losing four starters. There aren’t a whole lot of issues, though, with Ford Higgins a veteran at center to anchor the line, and with versatile blockers David Forney and Peter Nestrowitz filling in where needed.
– Navy completed 54 passes last season, but the O has to use 6-5, 215-pound Mychal Cooper down the field more as an outside target – he caught five passes and averaged over 19 yards per grab.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NAVY DEFENSE
– New defensive coordinator Brian Newberry is about to bring the heat. The Midshipmen finished 86th in the nation in total defense, allowed over 33 points per game, and could never, ever seem to generate a third down stop. Five of the top six tacklers from last season are done, but that’s not a big deal with the switch to more of a 4-2-5 alignment.
– Do the Midshipmen have the beef up front? Yeah, with 300 pound Jackson Pittman a veteran interior presence and with a slew of other big linemen who hover around three bills ready to gum things up. Now the pass rush has to follow after finishing dead last in college football in both sacks and tackles for loss – that’s not happening again under Newberry.
– There’s a nice group of parts to build around. Diego Fagot is a 255-pound hitter at middle linebacker, Nizaire Cromartie is a versatile linebacker who’ll be more of a pass rusher, and Jacob Springer is going to be a fun do-it-all freelancer. The secondary has good size, but now the group has to stop someone from completing a forward pass.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP NAVY PLAYERS
Best Navy Offensive Player
QB/RB Malcolm Perry, Sr.
Well let’s just try this again. The 5-9, 185-pound Perry led the team was a devastating weapon as a sophomore with 1,182 yards and 11 scores – averaging well over eight yards per carry – and was moved to quarterback before last season. He was quickly moved back to running back, and was fine – he led the team with 1,987 yards and seven scores – but the offense wasn’t as effective as it needed to be. Now he’s back at quarterback, but don’t expect Tom Brady – the coaching staff wants its main man to have the ball in his hands running as much as possible.
2. FB Nelson Smith, Jr.
3. C Ford Higgins, Sr.
4. OG Peter Nestrowitz, Jr.
5. RB Tazh Maloy, Sr.
Best Navy Defensive Player
S/LB Jacob Springer, Jr.
LB Nizaire Cromartie is the teams’ most accomplished returning defender, but watch out for Springer to rise up and rock in the new defensive alignment with all the tweaks. He’s only 6-1 and 198 pounds, but he’s fast, versatile, and will be a key part of the puzzle at the hybrid Striker role. He might not lead the team in tackles – Diego Fagot probably will from his spot in the middle of the linebacking corps – but watch out for him to be the team’s most disruptive defensive force.
2. LB/DE Nizaire Cromartie, Sr.
3. LB Diego Fagot, Soph.
4. CB Micah Farrar, Jr.
5. DT Jackson Pittman, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Navy Offense
Really, really be Navy. It’s all a puzzle, but the option running game is the biggest piece. The offense was fine at controlling the clock – it led the American Athletic in time of possession – but the thing stalled way too often.
In 2017, Navy was held to under 200 yards just twice. In 2016, it was under two bills three times. Last season, the Midshipmen failed to run for 130 yards in four of the last nine games and didn’t average four yards per carry five times on the season. Over the last three years, Navy has won 19 games, and ran for over 200 yards in 18 of them.
Biggest Key To The Navy Defense
Generate a pass rush, and stop … the … pass. The Midshipmen have to replace two starting defensive backs, and they’re changing things up to a 4-2-5 alignment to get more options on the field. And why? Navy allowed teams to connect on 68% of their passes, giving up 200 yards or more in a stretch of six games in seven before facing Army.
It’s hard to blame the secondary, though, with a pass rush that generated just seven sacks after the opener against Hawaii, and got just four in the final nine games. The nation-low 37 tackles for loss didn’t help the cause, either, which is why the team needs a big year out of …
Key Player To A Successful Season
DE Jackson Perkins, Jr.
Or hybrid LB/DE Nizaire Cromartie. Or anyone. The defensive line generated one more sack than you did, and that has to change up fast. With the tweaks and changes to the defensive system, the beefed up 6-6, 257-pound Perkins has to use his athleticism and upside to grow into a disruptive role at one defensive end spot.
Key Game To The Navy Season
at Memphis, Sept. 26
It looked like Navy was on its way last season after getting by Memphis 22-21 in the second game of the year. This time around, the Midshipmen get a week off before going to Memphis for the first road game of the season. Pull that off, and with the next two road trips before dealing with Notre Dame on November 16th at Tulsa and UConn, there’s a shot at going on a nice run.
– Navy Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Navy Fun Stats
– Penalties: Navy 48 for 390 yards – Opponents 46 for 396 yards
– Field Goals: Navy 11-of-13 – Opponents 5-of-10
– 4th Down Conversions: Opponents 21-of-29 (72%) – Navy 22-of-36 (61%)
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. NAVY WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
2018 was a quirky aberration.
Head coach Ken Niumatalolo created a consistent machine in Annapolis, and then last year the running game went from unstoppable to inconsistent, and the defense wasn’t able to do much of anything right.
That changes.
A few tweaks, an apparent deeper commitment to the option style attack, and now Navy should be back in the bowl picture again.
There might be a whole lot of missing parts from last year’s team, but that’s not as big a deal at service academy, with the development in place to truly create a Next Man Up system that fills in the parts.
With Malcolm Perry back at quarterback – almost purely as a runner – and with a nice blend of backfield parts, expect Navy to hit the 4,000-yard rushing mark again. The big change will be on defense, where there will finally be a bit more of a pass rush, and the third down stops should start to follow.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 6
Four of the first five games are against teams that didn’t go bowling, and with the possible exception of Notre Dame in South Bend, there isn’t a game on the slate Navy can’t pull off. There’s no UCF to deal with from the American Athletic, and there’s no Temple or Cincinnati, either.
It’s a manageable enough of a slate to assume at least six wins and a bowl appearance, but even with all the positive changes and all the upside, there’s now a little bit of a prove-it factor after last year’s disaster.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
