Option offenses make Army-Navy game worth watching

Everyone knows I love the option offense (disclaimer: except when it’s being run against my team). Everyone knows I especially enjoy watching the Navy Midshipmen run their version of the triple option offense. So, today is like a football dream for me. When Army and Navy square off in Philadelphia for the 111th time in their history, I’ll be tuned in.

Even though Navy’s head coach Ken Niumatalolo has been rumored as one hot candidate for coaching vacancies from Minnesota to Vanderbilt, he’ll lead the Middies into the fiercest rivalry matchup in college football today, having beaten Army each time he’s been the head coach.

In fact, the last time Army beat Navy was 2001. But, Niumatalolo isn’t taking Army lightly. “This is a new year, a new team,” he said. “They’re bowl eligible. We know they’re much better. Their seniors want to go out on top, too, so anytime we play a service academy, you throw out your record, you throw out anything prior to that game and just get ready for the [game]. That’s all that’s going to matter.”

Navy will be led by senior quarterback Ricky Dobbs, who, at the beginning of the year, was a darkhorse candidate for the Heisman trophy, and fullback Alexander Teich. Army counters with sophomore Trent Steelman at quarterback. Steelman is good, but doesn’t quite have the explosiveness that Dobbs has employed the past two seasons under center in Annapolis.

If you can find a better quarterback suited to run Navy’s triple-option offense, call me and let me know. Ricky Dobbs is the X-factor in this game, but over the past season and a half he has been slowed by injuries. If Dobbs is too injured to go in this game, his backup Kriss Proctor will fill in. Proctor started against Central Michigan and ran 20 times for 201 yards and one touchdown.

There’s no question Army has improved and will give Navy a run for their money, but in the end (and I know I’m horribly biased) I think Navy will pull this one out. Dobbs and Teich torched the Notre Dame Fighting Irish earlier this year (in a game I predicted when my former head coach took the job in South Bend 365 calendar days ago) and there’s no reason they won’t bring their ‘A’ game today to Philadelphia.

Look for Navy to Represent the Sea (a modified phrase you may have heard before) and beat Army for the 10th consecutive time.

I’ll be tuned in. Will you?

Navy defeats Notre Dame 35-17

In my weekly preview of Big East football (located below this post) I noted that Navy’s lone chance of defeating Notre Dame, and my previous head coach at Cincinnati, Brian Kelly, would be to hop out early on the poor schemes of Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, get ahead of the Irish, and hold on for dear life.

As it turns out, they wouldn’t even have to hold on that tightly.

Navy, a team that had lost 43 straight games before 2007 to Notre Dame, has now won 3 of their last 4 against the Irish. I don’t want to gloat, but I could have called this one. Unfortunately my faith in Navy’s defense was low yesterday. But the Midshipmen held up on all ends in the 35-17 win.

“You get what you deserve,” said Kelly. “We got beat today. Navy was the better football team today.”

ESPN.com’s Brian Bennett, who reports on the Big East and Notre Dame, made some great points about the game yesterday. “Of course, not all the talent was available, as receivers Michael Floyd and Theo Riddick didn’t play. That certainly didn't help. But neither of those guys play defense; neither did Notre Dame, for that matter.”

Ouch. It seems to be a common theme for Brian Kelly coached teams. Look at the second half of the 2009 season in Cincinnati. Teams like Connecticut, West Virginia and Pittsburgh ran, ran and ran some more on the UC defense. Luckily, Kelly’s brilliant play-calling and offensive genius was able to make up for the lack of defensive play.

Maybe Kelly should think about building defense before his high powered offense? Or maybe not. On Notre Dame’s first drive, the Irish employed a balanced, methodical approach, taking time and slowly driving down the field on the Middies. Then, on fourth and goal from inside the one, quarterback Dayne Crist was stoned on a sneak attempt.

“We outman 'em by 70 pounds on an average up front,” Kelly said. “If you can't get a foot on the one-half yard line, you get what you deserve.” Navy responded by going 99 yards and scoring on a 31-yard touchdown pass (one of only two passes Navy threw on the day—both passes were completed).

Kelly also, “My hat goes off to coach Ken [Niumatalolo] and his staff. We had no answer for them today.”

Well, that beats the heck out of what one Notre Dame coach said about Navy after losing in 2009.

Post game last year, Ken Niumatalolo, Navy’s head man, said, “I think the one thing that helped us, and I really hope this doesn't come across wrong, but I think the thing that helped us this year was last year because we knew that they'd line up the same way.”

Then-Irish defensive coordinator Corwin Brown replied, “I thought it was very disappointing what the Navy coach said after the game. He didn't want something to be misconstrued, then he said it regarding how we prepared and what we prepared to do.”

At least Kelly is man enough to know what he needs to fix. And, if I may interject some opinion here, I believe firmly that it starts on defense. Get rid of Bob Diaco, consider switching to a 4-3 scheme, and then, maybe then, you’ll beat teams you’re supposed to beat.

The only thing Notre Dame can take away from this week’s loss to the Naval Academy is that they’ve given Army—who runs a similar triple option attack—a blueprint on how to defeat their defense.

Navy is now 5-2 and Notre Dame is 4-4. As Kieran Darcy of ESPN’s New York sector wrote after the game yesterday, “Notre Dame still leads the overall series with Navy by a lopsided record of 71-12-1. But on this day, Notre Dame wasn't in the United States Naval Academy's league.”

Trust me Notre Dame fans, it will all get better with Kelly running the show. I know this for a fact. But it doesn’t stop me from reveling in the win by my second favorite team yesterday.

Odds and Ends on March 29th

Over the past week UC students had a break from classes and school work, and today that all changes. The ten-week spring quarter has begun and it’s back to work for college students here in Cincinnati, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to neglect my thoughts here. So for some tidbits of fun, here’s a few thoughts to get rolling for spring.

Moeller basketball ends up short in state title game
The Moeller Crusaders ran through the GCL South and the Cincinnati region before heading to the state semi finals on Friday evening. They faced Mentor in the final four game and withstood a state record for three point attempts. In overtime the Crusaders pulled away and clinched a spot in the state finals, defeating the Cardinals 66-59.

I had a seat courtside for that game as well as the state championship game the next evening where Moeller took on the Massillon Jackson Polar Bears. Jackson led 20-15 at halftime and opened the game up with a 24-5 advantage in the third quarter. Jackson won the game handily 57-34, denying Moeller the chance to win its fourth state title since 1999.

Through my current internship at Fox 19 in Cincinnati I got to witness both games, and from my vantage point nothing was more awesome than watching high school basketball up close and personal. The men of Moeller gave it their all, and even in winding up just a little short, they showed true heart and a spirit that made me proud to support a fellow GCL South school.

Check out this fun story on the Moeller cheering section, which exemplifies the spirit of an all-male cheering section, like any other GCL South school: http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/article/20100328/SPT01/3280308/Moeller+students+give+team+an+extra+lift

Almost Heaven, Indianapolis?
West Virginia is headed to the Final Four—the real one—in Indianapolis this upcoming weekend, and who would have picked that? While the popular picks for the national title were Kansas and Kentucky, my unconventional wisdom went with fellow Big East member West Virginia and former UC head coach Bob Huggins.

Turns out it could help my mom win her pool as only we have West Virginia cutting down the nets one week from today, but a WVU loss on Saturday evening could put us in second or third place. I’ll take my odd picks, and the bragging rights that come with picking a national champ.

Rainy days in Martinsville
Rain canceled yesterday’s running of the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 in Martinsville, Va., pushing the start of the race to this afternoon, a few minutes past midday. Tons of storylines to follow at NASCAR’s shortest track, so tune in if you have the time.

Mark Martin paced practice on Saturday morning, and he starts 16th today in Martinsville. Will he visit Victory Lane and bring home a grandfather clock? (NASCAR.com photo)

Spring football starts across the nation
UC got kicked off under new head coach Butch Jones two weeks ago before taking the last week off, and the two-time defending Big East champs will re-fire their engines tomorrow morning. The spring has brought a completely new style of practice to Nippert Stadium, but it’s just as intense as it was under the previous regime.

And part of the previous regime, most notably head coach Brian Kelly, got kicked off in South Bend last week. Kelly’s uptempo, energetic style of offense and practice surprised some Notre Dame players. It’s something the players at Cincinnati are used to, but at Notre Dame it’s all new, and it’s going to take some time for players to get used to everything.

While the head coach at UC, Kelly ran very high paced practices, a practice he has brought with him to Notre Dame (Photo from Twitter.com; Tom Gelehter)

One of Notre Dame’s opponents this season got kicking this morning in Annapolis, Md. Ken Niumatalolo and the Naval Academy Midshipmen got the ball rolling on spring practices with one of the most underrated players in all of America leading the charge under center, junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs. The Georgia native led the Middies to a huge win in the Texas Bowl last season 35-13 over Missouri, and captured ten wins for the Academy.

David Fox of Rivals.com says that Dobbs, “could end up being the academy’s top QB since Roger Staubach.” Pretty high praise for the best throwing Naval Academy quarterback in years. Dobbs’s threat to run and throw will keep defensive coordinators guessing all season long. It’ll be fun to watch Navy take on former UC defensive coordinator Bob Diaco when Notre Dame and Navy meet up on October 23 in East Rutherford, N.J.

I know who I’ll be rooting for.

More personal odds and ends
The girl’s basketball season is reaching its conclusion and although we’ve only won one game this season we’re trying to make some progress toward getting better for next season. As girls basketball winds down boys volleyball begins and I begin my fourth stint as an official.

I got to officiate two matches yesterday and although the kids seem to change from year to year very little changes at each school. It’s fun to think back to when I was a young kid running around the gym at St. William, learning all the skills necessary to become a decent volleyball player and have a little fun too.

The Beatles and I agree today, “How I long for Yesterday…”

Have a good one today, and stay dry if you’re stuck in the rain.

Notre Dame Coach unhappy with Navy

I read an article earlier that confused the heck out me, so much so that I feel compelled to write about it. That’s not saying much, since I could write about a lot of things right now, but when one coach accuses another of being “dirty” and “malicious,” it’s too good not to write about.

Disclaimer: I love Navy football. If you’re a fan of football, it’s tough to not root for a team that methodically reduces its opponent’s defense to nothing as they run up and down the field. The triple option, it’s almost as awesome as football itself. Call me crazy, but I love the Naval Academy’s triple option attack.

Until that attack is being run on my team. But, since that probably won’t happen for a while, I think it’s safe to say I love watching Navy football. I found out that one man in South Bend doesn’t though.

Notre Dame associate head coach Corwin Brown took umbrage with something that Navy Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo (nee-uh-mah-tuh-low-low) said after Navy beat Notre Dame 23-21 on Saturday.

Post game Niumatalolo said, “I think the one thing that helped us, and I really hope this doesn't come across wrong, but I think the thing that helped us this year was last year because we knew that they'd line up the same way.”

Correct me if I’m wrong football fans, but I translated Niumatalolo’s comments as saying, “We planned on Notre Dame not changing the way they played defense, and we guessed right.”

Brown was less than happy, saying, “I thought it was very disappointing what the Navy coach said after the game. He didn't want something to be misconstrued, then he said it regarding how we prepared and what we prepared to do.”

Ok, fair enough. Brown feels that Niumatalolo shouldn’t have said what he said. But, isn’t part of football game planning to defeat your opponent? Should Notre Dame have learned from last season, or the season before that, or the 43 times before that when Notre Dame beat Navy?

It would be akin to Brian Kelly saying after beating UConn last weekend, “Well, we knew they’d line up the same way, so we used a similar game plan.” Would Randy Edsall or one of his assistants get angry? Good question. They’d probably take their lumps and say, “Hey we need to get better and fix this.”

Now I understand why Notre Dame fans are growing restless with the current coaching staff, including head man Charlie Weis.

Brown also called Navy’s offense “unimaginative.” Not sure that a lot of the people I know wouldn’t disagree with that, but it certainly works. It worked for the Academy on Saturday.

The saddest part of Brown’s little tirade was that it took place on Veteran’s Day. What a day to attack one of our Military Academies.

Brown was also angry at the way Navy used, and I quote, “malicious illegal cut blocks.” I know, I know, you’re thinking, but, cut blocks are legal and Navy uses them masterfully to eliminate defensive linemen. Well, apparently in South Bend it’s illegal.

Gosh I hope the Big East officials get reprimanded for not calling the legal blocks illegal. (What is this, the SEC?)

Maybe I shouldn’t have wasted my time reading and writing about Brown’s ridiculous attack on Niumatalolo. But it seems that when Notre Dame is involved, the Catholic in me comes out. And comes out swinging it seems.