Sports

 
               ***** NCAA Football Preview - Navy Midshipmen *****
 
 By Mike Castiglione, Associate College Football Editor
 
 Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
 2011 SEASON IN REVIEW: After leading Navy to a bowl game in each of his first
 three seasons as head coach, Ken Niumatalolo saw his team finish just 5-7 and
 miss out on the postseason last year. In fact, it was the team's first losing
 season in more than a decade, and the first time the Midshipmen missed out on
 a bowl game in the last eight years. Five of their seven losses were by a
 combined total of 11 points, as they finished 2-5 in games decided by eight
 points or less.
 
 "You try your best to move forward, but I have nightmares," Niumatalolo told
 reporters during the team's media day at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
 "I can see plays clearly in my mind, and I look at myself. What can I do
 better as a coach to make sure that doesn't happen again?"
 
 Navy began the 2011 campaign 2-0 before suffering through a brutal six-game
 losing streak that took the wind out of the team's sails. By the time the
 Midshipmen notched back-to-back wins over Troy and SMU in November, their bowl
 hopes had faded. Still, Navy did rally to beat rival Army for the 10th straight
 time to close out the season, offering some hope heading into the off-season.
 
 2012 ANALYSIS:
 
 OFFENSE: Junior quarterback Trey Miller saw playing time last year against ECU
 and Notre Dame, and he is now in line to be the starter. The coaching staff
 really likes his speed and has praised his throwing ability, but Miller will
 need to grow comfortable in his new leadership role.
 
 Sophomore Noah Copeland (5-10, 205), despite logging just two carries last
 year, will get the first crack at replacing highly-productive fullback
 Alexander Teich. At slot back, seniors Gee Gee Greene (5-8, 185) and John
 Howell (5-8, 188) will assume most of the work load. Green has started 25
 consecutive games and averaged an impressive 7.1 yards per carry for his
 career, while Howell (9.7 ypc, five TDs last year) has also flashed some
 serious big-play potential. Three starters return to the offensive line and
 will be tasked with providing effective blocking for Navy's ground assault.
 
 DEFENSE: The defense lacked physicality too often last season, finishing 86th
 out of 120 FBS teams in total defense, and 92nd in run defense. Knowing that
 type of soft reputation won't cut it this year, or when the team joins the Big
 East in 2015, Niumatalolo spent much of the off-season trying to instill some
 toughness in his players.
 
 There has been a lot of turnover on this side of the ball, but Niumatalolo
 would rather cut players loose who don't want to be there. Starting linebacker
 Matt Brewer is no longer with the team (violating team rules), nor is
 cornerback David Sperry (violating academy rules). A pair of prospective
 starting defensive ends also left the team in Jamel Dobbs and Joshua Jackson.
 
 Senior linebackers Brye French (55 tackles, 6.0 TFL) and Matt Warrick (team-
 high 103 tackles, 4.0 TFL, seven PBU) provide some much needed veteran
 leadership, although French began preseason camp in the doghouse. The secondary
 returns fully in tact, as junior cornerback Jonathan Wev had already beaten out
 incumbent starter Sperry before he left the program.
 
 SPECIAL TEAMS: Whichever kicker replaces last year's starter Jon Teague, he
 will never have attempted a collegiate field goal. Junior Stephen Picchini is
 Teague's presumed replacement. Sophomore Pablo Beltran was thrust into that
 role last year and averaged 37.5 yards per punt.
 
 OUTLOOK: Niumatalolo's 32 wins in his first four years are the most by any
 coach in school history. However, the team slipped in the win-loss column last
 year, and as a result did not make it to the postseason.
 
 "The attention to detail, the little things that we kind of focused on, we
 talked about during spring," French said. "That was the emphasis we talked
 about, especially with the senior class. The main difference this year is I
 think we have a lot of accountability. "
 
 French isn't just giving lip service about that accountability; he and
 slotback Bo Snelson were stripped of their captaincy for unspecified off-field
 violations during the off-season. French called the incident "a dumb mistake"
 and vowed to learn from it and teach the young guys to better handle
 themselves. Also stressing his deeper commitment to detail, Niumatalolo held
 three players out of the start of summer practices for failing their July
 conditioning tests. Among those players were top wideout Brandon Turner and
 starting striker (linebacker) Josh Tate.
 
 "The standard is up," Niumatalolo said. "We're not fooling around."
 
 Presumably, a team with more toughness should be better equipped to survive a
 rather daunting schedule to open the season. The Midshipmen kick off the 2012
 campaign in Dublin, Ireland against Notre Dame. Next, they travel to Penn
 State before returning home for three in a row.
 
 It could be difficult to rebound from a 0-2 start, but the team is hoping that
 situation never presents itself. Look for the Midshipmen to get back to the
 postseason with a winning season.
 
 
 
 08/23 09:26:08 ET