Here Comes The United State Navy

I like the Naval Academy and the midshipmen, I really do. In fact, just this spring I visited Annapolis for the first time with my wife and three kids who we were babysitting for the day. That completed my personal sweep of visiting all three military academies, sorry Coast Guard, you do not qualify.

Now naval officers are something else. Worked in a Joint Command for three years and got to know a bunch of swabbies and basically thought them arrogant, especially a certain three-star admiral.

If I was told once, I was reminded a 100 times, the United States Navy can fight a war all by itself thank you very much. It has its very own ground fighting force in the Marines, its own ship launched air force, and of course a bunch of ships to float around in.

Let’s move on before I really get started.

Navy The Football Team:

As in the past, Navy uses the passing game after they have scared you to death with the triple option and lulled the safeties and corners to sleep. Then they throw a mid-range pass or two. They have a 50-50 of success. Navy is 39 of 78 with four TD’s and for INT’s. Needless to say, they rank 117 out of 120 in passing.

Navy ranks 7th in the turn-over category. Recovered nine fumbles and made four interceptions while only putting the ball on the grass twice along with those four interceptions. That number 2 is huge considering how much the quarterback flips and tosses the ball to the trailing back.

Rushing, Navy is where you’d expect them to be, 9th, averaging 259 yards per game.

Total defense is a respectable 27th compared to Notre Dame’s hot and cold defense at 82nd.

Alexander Teich in six games has returned kick-offs 15 times for 395 yards and a 26.33 average, which ranks him 32nd. No Notre Dame Player shows up in the top 50 individual returners in NCAA statistics.

Gary Myers made the top fifty in punt returns (48th) averaging an anemic 7.39 yards per return. What am I saying? Notre Dame has only returned 8 of 45 punts and Goodman nor Allen show up in the statistics.

Navy has allowed 7 QB sacks, Notre Dame 15.  Of course you had to catch him first.

Another typical Navy statistic, in six games they have been penalized 27 times for an average of 37 yards. While Notre Dame started out with few penalties, they now after 7 games have 36, averaging 48 yards per game.

It will be interesting to see if Kelly wins the toss and elects to take the ball with all injuries to his skill players.

BTW, Jonas Gray is listed as probable with a sprained knee. Guess that’s why he didn’t play last week.

Gee, with Michael Floyd struggling through a hamstring injury, Kyle Rudolph out of the year, Theo Riddick walking around with an ankle cast and Armando Allen with his hip flexor, the receiving corps is down to those Next in Guys that Coach Kelly keeps talking about. Where is Shaquelle Evans when you need him?
For that matter will Duval Kamara show up?

I fear a nail biter.