Part of a continuing series examining the Power 5 and top Group of 5 teams for the 2018 college football season. Other entries by conference: ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC | G5/Independents
During one of Navy’s first spring football workouts, head coach Ken Niumatalolo wanted one offensive player and one defensive player to come forward for a sprinting competition.
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Quarterback Malcolm Perry raised his hand to represent the offense, but the coach wasn’t having it.
“You ain’t running, brother,” he told Perry.
The Midshipmen had planned to start spring drills earlier this year, but offseason foot surgery meant Perry wouldn’t be ready. So Niumatalolo delayed the start of spring ball almost entirely for the quarterback position. That’s a sign of just how important Perry is to Navy and how high its hopes are for him.
Perry started at slot back as a sophomore last season. Late in the year, he moved to quarterback and was a revelation, rushing for 728 yards in three-plus games before suffering a foot injury in the Military Bowl against Virginia. Now he’ll spend an entire offseason working as a quarterback, and Niumatalolo has described him as the best pure runner he’s ever had.
The Midshipmen are coming off the second-worst season in Niumatalolo’s 10 years at the helm, a 7-6 record, but the coach is unfazed. He points to a series of close losses that could have gone the other way with fewer turnovers and penalties, confident they’ll improve.
“Our program’s in place,” he said. “Some people would panic going 7-6, losing to Army, but I feel it was Army’s best team in 25 years, a really good team, and we lost by a point. Our game with UCF, we were driving with five minutes left to go ahead, and we fumble. Memphis, lost by three. Lost by eight to Temple. Notre Dame, lost by a score, had the ball late. To finish strong by beating an ACC team so convincingly, I knew we could play like that, and to finally do it at the end of the year, I knew we had a good team.”
Biggest on-field question
You know what you’re going to get out of the Navy program on the field. A triple-option offense that runs the ball, a grinding game and a quarterback who does everything.
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But the biggest on-field question is not a position, one player or a style of play. It comes down to mistakes: penalties and turnovers.
In Niumatalolo’s first 10 seasons, Navy finished No. 1 or No. 2 in fewest penalties per game. Last year, it was No. 8, and that was costly.
“Most people would say, ‘No. 8 is good,’ but for us, that gets us lost,” he said. “We’re driving to score against Army and have two illegal procedures that take us back from field-goal range. We normally don’t do those things.”
On the final drive of that game, trailing by one, Navy drove to Army’s 23-yard line. But two false starts and two runs turned what could have been a 40-yard field goal attempt at most into a 48-yard try that barely sailed wide. Those two penalties might have cost the Midshipmen the game.
When a team relies on low-possession games, and those possessions often must be sustained for 10-plus-play drives without many explosive gains, any penalty or negative play can have a huge effect.
Turnovers were a problem. Navy’s 19 turnovers and minus-3 turnover margin were both the worst for the program since 2014. The Midshipmen threw 10 interceptions in 99 passing attempts. Quarterback Zach Abey, who is moving to wide receiver, threw seven interceptions and had fumbling issues.
Against UCF, the Midshipmen trailed 24-21 midway through the fourth quarter and took the ball into the Knights’ territory, trying to take the lead. But Navy fumbled, and UCF scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive. Navy’s final two drives resulted in a turnover on downs and an interception.
As much as physical improvement is always a key in the offseason, Navy coaches also are emphasizing mental and discipline improvement.
“For us to win, we have to do things right,” Niumatalolo said. “We can’t have turnovers, can’t have penalties.”
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Depth chart analysis
Quarterbacks: Malcolm Perry isn’t the only Navy quarterback coming back from injury. Zach Abey, a senior, began last year as the starter and was on pace to break quarterback rushing records midway through the year, but a concussion in the UCF game, turnover problems and Perry’s emergence led to him falling back before rushing for five touchdowns in the 49-7 Military Bowl win.
Perry is the clear No. 1 guy entering 2018, so much so that Abey will be used at wide receiver to get him on the field. Niumatalolo has been very encouraged by how Perry looks. Perry threw only two passes last season — for a touchdown and an interception — and has been working on throwing while recovering from the foot injury. In this offense, everything flows through the quarterback, and Niumatalolo is excited about what can happen.
“I couldn’t be more happy with where he’s at,” Niumatalolo said. “I was just thinking, he’s replacing a guy (Abey) that rushed for 1,200 yards and had five touchdowns against Virginia in the bowl game. It’s a good problem to have.”
Running backs: Navy is set at quarterback, but the other skill positions are big question marks. Abey and Perry led the team in rushing, and lead fullback Chris High graduated. That leaves senior fullback Anthony Gargiulo (423 yards) as the leading returning back and slot back Keoni-Kordell Makekau as the only other player with more than 100 yards last year. Other backs the coaches expect to step into bigger roles include junior Tazh Maloy and sophomores CJ Williams and Tyreek King-El. All are quick backs under 5 feet 9, fitting the mold of a slot back in this offense.
Wide receivers/tight ends: There is not a single returning receiver who had a catch last season. Of the 15 returning receptions, 14 came by quarterbacks (Perry with 13, Abey with one) and one came from a fullback. Needless to say, this is an open competition, giving the 6-foot-2, 212-pound Abey a chance to make an impact. Navy’s triple-option offense obviously doesn’t include much passing, but the passes that do happen need to be effective. Beyond Abey, senior Taylor Jackson and sophomore Ryan Mitchell are expected to be leaders in the group, but coaches also are looking to incoming freshmen and prep school players to contribute.
Offensive line: The two starting tackles return in seniors Jake Hawk on the left side and Andrew Wood on the right. The coaches are high on junior Ford Higgins at center. At guard, seniors Stephen Satchell and Laurent Njiki and junior David Forney bring playing experience. A switch at strength coach could help the group, but offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper is looking for the unit to get mentally tougher and cut back on penalties.
Defensive line: The Midshipmen haven’t allowed fewer than 4.0 yards per carry since 2009. They use a three-man front to rely more on speed than size in the front seven. The line isn’t a great unit; it just needs to be solid. Junior nose guard Jackson Pittman returns to anchor the line, and senior defensive end Jarvis Polu returns as a starter but missed spring ball. Josh Webb also missed spring, but he is expected to push for a starting job, and fellow senior defensive end Anthony Villalobos also should contend. Coaches cite sophomore Jackson Perkins and junior Vic Thomas as players who can provide depth at defensive end.
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Linebackers: Navy lost three senior starters from a year ago, making this position another big question. Senior Hudson Sullivan in the middle is the lone returning experienced starter of the four spots, but he also missed spring practice because of injury rehab. Senior Taylor Heflin brings starting experience, and junior Tyler Pistorio also will be in the mix to start at the SAM linebacker spot. On the outside, junior Elan Nash was a third-stringer last year, but he opened spring as the starter at striker. Coaches are excited about Nizaire Cromartie, a converted defensive end who is arguably the best pass rusher on the team.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys, but I like our talent,” Niumatalolo said. “When I see our guys run, I’m encouraged by how we’re moving up front.”
Defensive backs: Senior safety Sean Williams returns to lead the defensive backfield. His 76 tackles and one interception were both second on the team in 2017. Senior Jarid Ryan, who is the team’s second-leading returning tackler, has moved to cornerback after Navy lost its two starters there. Senior safety Juan Hailey is expected to move into a starting role. He had 25 tackles last season. Younger players expected to step into bigger roles include sophomore cornerback Micah Farrar, junior cornerback Noruwa Obanor and sophomore safety Evan Fochtman.
Special teams: Both specialists return. Senior kicker Bennett Moehring made just eight of 15 kicks a year ago. Junior punter Owen White averaged 40.5 yards per punt. One-third of his 42 punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. In the return game, Perry is the leading kick returner, but that won’t happen with him at quarterback. The next-leading returner, receiver Zack Fraade, was not on the team during the spring, but he could return in the fall. Punt returner also is open, as the only player to return a punt last year graduated.
How the Midshipmen have recruited from 2015-18
According to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, here is how Navy’s recruiting classes have fared nationally and within the American Athletic Conference over the last four years:
Needless to say, Navy doesn’t recruit like anyone else in the AAC. Football is not the first reason players attend the academy. Navy’s recruiting classes also don’t become official until players are admitted in the summer with induction ceremonies and often include as many as 50 players from across the United States. They also have military training and tests.
Despite the unique situation compared to most of college football, the Midshipmen continue to be one of the most consistent programs in the FBS. Don’t pay attention to their recruiting rankings. Just know it will be another solid team come fall.
Impact of coaching changes
Niumatalolo was in the mix for the Arizona head coaching job in January, but he returned to Navy for an 11th season, along with several of the longest-tenured assistants in the FBS. Defensive coordinator Dale Pehrson has been there since 1996, offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper and offensive line coach Danny O’Rourke have been there since 2002 and four more have been in Annapolis since at least 2008.
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“To have a staff come back, there’s no panic in us,” Niumatalolo said.
There were a few changes. Offensive line coach Bryce McDonald left for UCLA, and defensive line coach Shaun Nua went to Arizona State. As most FBS teams added a 10th assistant this year, military academies were allowed to add a 14th.
As a result, former Western Illinois defensive coordinator Tony Grantham has returned to Navy for his third stint to coach defensive ends, former Southern Virginia head coach Joe DuPaix has returned for his second stint to coach slot backs, and former Utah director of player development Sione Po’uha has joined to coach defensive tackles.
Schedule analysis
The beginning of the season will be quite difficult, factoring in the opponents and the travel. Though the opener at Hawaii will be a homecoming for Niumatalolo, that’s a long trip from the East Coast, and the Midshipmen will have to turn around and host a Memphis team that beat them last year. Two weeks later, they have a trip halfway across the country to face SMU.
The idle week will come at a good time, but October also includes a trip across two time zones to Colorado to face rival Air Force, and the Midshipmen will travel three time zones to play Notre Dame on Oct. 27 in San Diego.
The Hawaii opener means Navy will have 13 regular-season games. Army comes after the AAC title game, as usual, but if the Midshipmen win the AAC West, they’ll go into the Army game having played for nine consecutive weeks.
Final assessment
More than 40 percent of Navy’s games under Niumatalolo have been decided by one possession. Its triple-option style of play and low-possession games are bound to keep games close. In 2017, the Midshipmen went 3-4 in such games. They pulled out games late (SMU, Air Force) but also saw several more games fall the wrong way.
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With a full offseason of Perry at quarterback, the Navy offense should be more explosive, even as it works to find skill players around him. The defense needs to shore up question marks at linebacker and cornerback, but Navy’s teams rely on the quarterback to do almost everything, and it’s a reason for fans to hope for a bounce-back season in which the Midshipmen contend for another division championship.
(Top photo: Tommy Gilligan / USA TODAY Sports)
