There are any number of ways to assess Navy’s poor offensive performance Saturday.
There was the two first downs in the middle two quarters.
There was the one solitary gain of more than 15 yards.
There were the three plays in the red zone all afternoon.
But the final total yards figure – 144 – said plenty about the Midshipmen’s 12-0 loss to San Jose State.
It also stands out in recent history as well. Since Paul Johnson’s arrival and installation of the triple-option in 2002, only once has Navy managed a worse offensive day.
That was in ‘02 against Connecticut. While the 2002 Huskies weren’t marauders, Johnson inherited a winless team and went 2-10 in his debut.
The case can be made Saturday’s loss was more troubling even if the data wasn’t quite so ugly:
FEWEST TOTAL YARDS, NAVY 2002-2012
| Opponent | Year | Yards | Result |
| Connecticut | 2002 | 82 | L, 38-0 |
| San Jose State | 2012 | 144 | L, 12-0 |
| Rutgers | 2006 | 161 | L, 34-0 |
| Georgia Southern | 2010 | 193 | W, 13-7 |
| Rice | 2002 | 205 | L, 17-10 |
| at Texas Christian | 2003 | 207 | L, 17-3 |
| Air Force | 2009 | 209 | W, 16-13 (OT) |
| at Pittsburgh | 2009 | 218 | L, 27-14 |
| at Notre Dame | 2011 | 229 | L, 56-14 |
| vs. Notre Dame | 2008 | 242 | L, 27-21 |
