10/13/2003 - Football
Signs of the changing times

Another Saturday and once again there were signs of progress for the Navy football program.

Many were obvious, including those born out simply by the facts.

The 37-27 win at Vanderbilt was the fourth in six games, giving the Midshipmen more victories in less than two months than in the previous three years - combined!

It also lifted them to their best start since 1996. And meant that Navy had won in consecutive weeks for the first time since November of '99.

No doubt, the very definition of improvement.

Other signs, however, were much subtler. Though they did not go unnoticed.

One that stood out for some was the state of head coach Paul Johnson immediately after the final play.

A week earlier, following a win over Air Force, he was treated to what's become a football ritual. When rivals meet or games are played with postseason implications, the winning coach gets showered with a cooler full of sports drink, ice and all.

This time, as Johnson removed his headset, his was a dry walk amidst his players' celebration to cross the field and shake his counterpart's hand.

On the team's flight back to Baltimore, someone made the same observation to the Navy coach.

"We're getting used to it," said Johnson - perhaps somewhat tongue in cheek - of the way his players reacted to one win, as opposed to another.

There is much to be said for what little he said.

Make no mistake. Victory is sweet. And no, it never gets old.

But no longer is it novelty either.

There is a growing sense that winning isn't fulfilling the Mids' hopes. Instead, it's meeting their expectations.

Satisfying a hunger for one victory doesn't mean the appetite for another goes away. It only gets bigger.

And, it seems, the Mids have - if you'll pardon the cliché - learned how to win ... and win again ...

Still timely are those words co-captain Eddie Carthan uttered during the summer.

"(Last year) we got a win against SMU," Carthan said. " Then everybody was kind of like, 'Now what?' This year we need to get a win against VMI and learn how to take that win and use it to carry us through the rest of the season."

Well, they defeated VMI and have since added Eastern Michigan, Air Force and Vanderbilt to the win column.

What the last two weeks, in particular, have shown is how far the Mids have come in very short order.

Prior to meeting the Falcons, they had lost 15 of their last 17 games decided by seven points or fewer. But they answered Air Force's challenge with a 28-25 triumph.

Then, after relinquishing a 14-0 lead in Nashville, Navy found itself behind the Commodores entering the fourth quarter. Twenty points in the final 15 minutes turned a tight affair into a 10-point victory.

As a result, for the first time since rallying past Boston College in 1998, the Mids won a game they trailed at the half.

Again they overcame adversity.

Injuries left Navy without leading tackler Josh Smith and linebacker Ben Mathews on defense. Meanwhile, shortly after the game began, Josh Goodin was lost from an offensive line already depleted by injuries.

The Mids jumped in front early, but soon fell behind after Vanderbilt scored on three straight drives. They responded in the second half with five scores in five series, controlling possession for 21 1/2 minutes.

In victory, there was also redemption.

Take Frank Divis, a blocking machine who rarely carries from his slot back position. Late in the third quarter, he mishandled a pitch before scrambling to recover the fumble.

His next chance to run the ball came on a 3rd-and-1 play, midway through the fourth quarter. The outcome? First down Divis. And eventually, a seven-point lead for the Mids inside the final five minutes.

Kicker Eric Rolfs had watched an opportunity to tie sail wide of the uprights just before halftime. But in the second half he delivered three field goals and flawlessly executed a high-hanging kickoff that led to the only turnover of the day.

The Commodores' fumble on that "sky kick" led to a touchdown and another double-digit advantage for a Navy team that's becoming increasingly opportunistic.

Not only when the Mids take the ball away, but also when the opponent fails to do so.

One of the turning points - if not the most important - on Saturday occurred shortly after Vanderbilt went ahead, 20-17. On the next play from scrimmage, the Commodores' Bill Alford dropped an errant pass that would have given Vanderbilt possession deep in Navy territory.

What should have been an interception resulted in a second life for the Mids, who proceeded 80 yards en route to a Craig Candeto touchdown and the lead for good.

Yet another indication that, halfway through the season, Navy is headed in the right direction.

This week the signs point to Houston, where the Mids will try to end a three-game losing streak against Rice. Like the visit to Nashville, winning won't come easy.

The Owls (1-4) are well coached by Ken Hatfield and his staff, schooled in their own brand of option play and had an extra week to prepare for Navy.

To savor victory once more, the Mids must continue the small steps that, so far, have meant big strides for their program.

Whether minor adjustments or slight shifts in attitude, by the end of the day, they could result in an outcome that's easily apparent.

So obvious it hits you like an ice-cold shower for all a stadium to see.

N