The 24th-ranked Navy football team received an extended break this past week and a half when its game against East Carolina, scheduled for Oct. 13, was postponed until next month in the wake of Hurricane Matthew.
Coach Ken Niumatalolo conducted only a handful of practices during the unexpected hiatus, allowing his players to rest and recover. The Midshipmen won't have much opportunity for either over the remainder of the regular season, playing each of the next six weeks against the most demanding portion of their schedule .
The rugged stretch begins Saturday against visiting Memphis, with the winner moving into first place alone in the American Athletic Conference West Division . Then comes a short turnaround on the road against South Florida, unbeaten in the East Division, on Friday night, followed by Notre Dame.
Navy’s next three AAC opponents have a combined record of 15-4.
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“Obviously it’s a tough run,” Niumatalolo said. “We recognize that, but all we can focus on is Memphis. If we look too far down the road, we’re setting ourselves up for failure. We recognize this is a really, really good team, and we’re going to have to play our best to have a chance to beat these guys.”
The Midshipmen (4-1, 3-0) will be playing for the first time since a 46-40 upset of then-No. 6 Houston at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Oct. 8. It was Navy's first victory over a top-10 opponent since defeating No. 2 South Carolina, 38-21, in 1984 and pushed the Midshipmen back into the national rankings for the first time since finishing last year at No. 18.
Navy’s biggest recent upset prior to toppling Cougars came last season when it beat No. 15 Memphis, 45-20, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium for its first road win against a top-15 opponent since 1974. The Tigers had won 15 in a row entering the game, but Navy amassed 374 rushing yards and pulled away with 21 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarters .
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This year, Navy’s triple-option attack sputtered for only rushing 57 yards in the team’s only loss, 28-14 to Air Force, on Oct 1. A week later, the Midshipmen rushed for 306 yards against Houston, which entered with the top-ranked run defense among the 128 schools in major college football. The Cougars had been allowing 42 rushing yards per game.
“There’s not a whole lot of teams that are running an offense like Navy presents,” said Mike Norvell, Memphis’s first-year coach. “It still comes down to the base fundamental of football. At the end of the day, we’ve got to be able to get off of blocks. We’ve got to make tackles, and we can’t give up any of the vertical plays over the top.”
When Navy has completed passes, they have frequently been for long gains. The Midshipmen’s average per completion of 18.5 yards ranks second in the country, and five Navy players have at least one reception of 30 yards or longer. Wide receiver Brandon Colon and slotback Calvin Cass Jr. are averaging 31 and 30 yards per catch, respectively.
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Cass, a reserve, left the game against Houston late in the first quarter after absorbing a blow to the helmet and did not re-enter. One play earlier, starting fullback Chris High exited for good as well with a sore hip. Both are expected to play against the Tigers, who are coming off a 24-14 win at Tulane.
Memphis (5-1, 2-0) is ranked first nationally in turnovers gained (18), 16th in points per game (40.2) and 23rd in scoring defense (19.3).
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how important this game is for both teams,” Niumatalolo said. “Both of us control our own destiny. Whoever wins is going to be in the driver’s seat, so it’s a huge game for both of our programs. Both teams started off the year with high aspirations to represent the West and then play and win the conference championship. That’s always the goal.”
No. 24 Navy vs. Memphis
Where: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
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When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. Eastern
TV: CBS Sports Network
Home cooking: The Midshipmen have won 13 consecutive home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium dating from 2014. It's the third-longest home winning streak in the country behind Clemson (20) and Air Force (15), which dealt Navy its only loss this season, 28-14, at Falcon Stadium on Oct. 1. The run also matches the program's longest home winning streak. Navy won the first 13 games in the history of the stadium, which opened in 1959.
Red-zone alert: One season after finishing first in major college football in red-zone offense, Navy ranks 88th. The Midshipmen have failed to score five times in the red zone through their first five games, including going 3 of 6 against Connecticut. Navy came away without any points just three times all of last season when reaching the red zone. The defense, meantime, has allowed opponents to score in 13 of 14 red zone chances this year, which ranks 115th.
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