10/22/2003 - Football
A Return On A Large Investment

One Monday afternoon workout had just ended. Another was about to begin.

Both, in essence, serving the same purpose - preparation for a Saturday in Annapolis.

The former was practice for the game itself. The latter a rehearsal of this weekend's march-on.

Moments after Navy football players concluded their sprints and jogged off the turf, nearly 4,000 counterparts from the Brigade of Midshipmen went through their own paces on Rip Miller Field.

Each in an effort to avoid any missteps before the large crowd expected to watch the Mids host Delaware on Homecoming.

Of course, the Brigade's constant drilling has long led to the lasting impression we've experienced over and over, however many times we've watched Academy companies assemble in formation.

But what's different this fall - compared, at least, to the very recent past - is what's followed such pomp and circumstance.

By winning five of its first seven games, Navy's football team has restored pride in both outcome and effort. In the last three weeks alone, the Mids won as many games as the previous three years combined.

There are many reasons for their turnaround.

Chief among them, according to head coach Paul Johnson, is pre-game preparation.

"I really like the way we're practicing," said Johnson, before drawing an example from Monday's session. "It's like today, (when we were) running. There's so much difference in just a year.

"Before there were always some guys you had to yell at, who were not making their time. These guys just run. There isn't anybody you have to yell at. They all make their time."

It's about attitude, as much as aptitude.

Long before grasping the nuances of their offensive and defensive schemes in August, the Mids made an emotional investment.

"I think we got better toward the end of last year," said Johnson. "I think we invested some in the summer and we invested some in the offseason. When you have a big investment, it's a lot easier to fight. You've got something you've put into it."

The latest returns on this around-the-clock, throughout-the-year investment were apparent in every facet of last week's 38-6 win over Rice.

Left without leading tackler Josh Smith and starting linebacker Ben Mathews, Navy's defense surrendered only two field goals - both coming in the first 17 1/2 minutes of play.

In pitching a second-half shutout, the Mids allowed only one Owls' drive to penetrate their side of the field. And on that series, they stuffed Rice quarterback Greg Henderson for no gain on a fourth-down carry.

Navy's special teams were instrumental as well.

Kicker Eric Rolfs delivered a career-long 45-yard field goal and made all five extra-point attempts. He also followed each of Navy's first two scores by forcing Rice into a touchback.

Two of John Skaggs' three punts produced no return yardage and left the Owls to resume play inside their 25-yard line.

When the Mids kicked short, their coverage units raced downfield en masse. When Rice tried the same, Navy linebacker T.J. Costello - an "up man" - produced a not-so-modest 12-yard return.

The Owls intent was to pin the Mids inside the 25. Simply by catching and running, Costello foiled their plan. And Navy set out on its first scoring drive from the 34.

By the end of the day, plays like that - and the "hidden" yardage they account for - add up in a big way.

On the subject of addition, the Mids have discovered how quickly the yards pile up on offense. Especially when there's no subtraction involved.

They totaled 442 yards at Rice, including 366 on the ground. As a result, Navy remains the national leader in rushing offense. And at the same time, it is averaging nearly 30 points per game.

What the Mids have done, most of all, is give themselves the chance to gain another yard, score another touchdown.

They haven't committed a turnover since a third-quarter fumble against Air Force. That was three weeks - and more than 140 minutes of football - ago.

And whereas the Mids ranked 105th (out of 117 Division I-A teams) in turnover margin last season, today they are 12th in that same category.

"If there's one (statistic) that you can point to, if you just picked one, that would be it," says Johnson. "I think they understand the value of it. They know what happens when you take care of (the ball) and what happens when you don't. They've seen it first hand.

"It's all part of learning how to win. In a football game, you're gonna have some things happen. What you can't have happen are the (turnovers) that nobody really forces."

No doubt, there were far too many unforced errors when the Mids led the nation a year ago with 25 fumbles lost.

Back then it was easy to subscribe to the notion - whether true or not - that the option attack is a "high risk offense."

One opposing coach - an Academy grad no less - Tom O'Brien of Boston College thought it even appropriate to take a not-so-friendly jab at Navy's current style of play.

After the Eagles beat the Mids, 46-21, O'Brien resurrected a line he once heard about defending the wishbone: "Put one guy on the dive, one guy on the quarterback, and everybody else on the fumble."

So much, so far, for that kind of nonsense.

If executed well, like any other offensive scheme, Navy's triple option has proved risky only for opposing defenses.

Through seven games, the Mids have been guilty of just six fumbles on offense.

And by valuing each opportunity, they've maintained the pulse of their possessions.

Cued by quarterback Craig Candeto, Navy has scored off 15 series encompassing at least 10 plays and 15 drives covering 70 or more yards. On 10 of those possessions, the Mids held the ball at least 5 1/2 minutes.

During one very recent stretch, from the second half at Vanderbilt through the first half at Rice, they scored on nine straight series.

In last week's opening half, Navy touched the ball four times and scored four touchdowns. Doing so, it converted all nine third-down attempts.

You could rightfully suggest that any of those long drives has been a metaphor for the program's remarkable turnaround.

Making plays. Gaining confidence. Building momentum.

All of which, really, gets us back to the players and what they've invested.

"I think you have to give our kids credit," Johnson said after the Mids' most recent victory. "They are playing their butts off, they work hard, they come to practice every day, they have great attitudes, we're getting great senior leadership.

"It's the way a football team should be, and I think they expect to win."

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