Navy Midshipmen
Independent
After a 1-3 start with just a win over VMI, Navy looked to be in trouble. But then the Midshipmen strung together five straight wins to become bowl eligible. And those were not easy games. Navy started off the streak with wins on the road against Air Force and Central Michigan, both six win teams. And then Coach Ken Niumatalolo led his team to a thrilling 31-30 victory over Indiana.
2012 Record: 8-4
Coach: Ken Niumatalolo
Coach Bowl Record: 1-3
Big Wins: 10/6 at Air Force (28-21), 10/27 at East Carolina (56-28)
Bad Losses: 9/29 San Jose State (0-12), 11/10 at Troy (31-41)
Strengths:
Navy will always have a difficult offense to defend with their triple option attack, but the experienced defense made a bigger impact in 2012. Matt Warrick and Brye French anchor the 3-4 defense from the inside linebacker spots. Both are fine tacklers. Warrick also is a dangerous pass defender and can pick off some passes. Keegan Wetzel is the best pass rusher on the team. The outside linebacker is joined by lineman Wes Henderson as Navy’s biggest threats to get into the backfield. The secondary is led by Tra’ves Bush and there are some talented youngsters emerging as consistent players to help him out. This is not a defense that will make a lot of big plays. They do not tally many sacks or interceptions. Nor do they force many fumbles. They will bend, but rarely do they break and that can be enough for Navy to earn a victory.
Weaknesses:
Gee Gee Greene, Noah Copeland and quarterback Keenan Reynolds have been the Midshipmen’s top rushing threats this time around. Greene is the big play slotback who averages over seven yards per carry. Copeland is the workhorse back and Reynolds leads the way when it comes to rushing touchdowns. And, of course, Reynolds throws the ball every once in a while too. When Reynolds does put the ball in the air, which is not very often, he has been pretty consistent and efficient. The offensive line has struggled to replace a handful of key contributors lost coming into this season and that has resulted in a relatively disappointing ground game. Navy still ranks sixth in the nation with over 285 yards of rushing offense per game, but this is a team that can get dominated at the line of scrimmage and struggle to move the ball at all.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Gee Gee Greene, RB, 765 yards
Passing: Keenan Reynolds, QB, 884 yards
Receiving: Gee Gee Greene, RB, 303 yards
Tackles: Matt Warrick, LB, 84
Sacks: Keegan Wetzel, LB, 7.0
Interceptions: Matt Warrick, LB, 3
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 285.45 (6th in nation, 2nd among Independents)
Passing Offense: 108.64 (117, 3)
Total Offense: 394.09 (69, 4)
Scoring Offense: 25.45 (82, 3)
Rushing Defense: 160.55 (61, 3)
Pass Defense: 225.73 (48, 4)
Total Defense: 386.27 (51, 3)
Scoring Defense: 23.55 (38, 3)
Turnover Margin: -0.18 (71, 2)
Sacks: 1.55 (94, 3)
Sacks Allowed: 1.73 (52, 3)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
2010 Poinsettia Bowl San Diego State (14-35)
2009 Texas Bowl Missouri (35-13)
2008 Eagle Bank Bowl Wake Forest (19-29)
2007 Poinsettia Bowl Utah (32-35)
2006 Car Care of Texas Bowl Boston College (24-25)
*all team stats through 11/24
