Coming off an open week and two weeks removed from a loss to a ranked team, Navy finds itself in familiar territory entering today’s game against Eastern Michigan in Annapolis.
The Midshipmen were 1-1 last year with two weeks to prepare for Northwestern but lost a 49-40 shootout, the second defeat in a streak that reached 10 before Navy crushed Army in its final game.
The Mids aren’t interested in waiting until early December to win another game this season.
“This is the time to show that this year is different,” senior linebacker Eddie Carthan said. “If we keep losing, heads will start dropping.”
After dominating SMU last season in coach Paul Johnson’s first game, Navy collapsed over the next seven weeks, allowing 40 or more points six times. The Mids finally regrouped in the final month, but the season already was lost.
A 65-19 loss to then-No.21 N.C. State began the skid in a game where Navy trailed by 21 points before its second offensive play. This year the ranked opponent dropping the Mids in the second game was then-No.25 TCU. But an analysis of that game shows the Mids may be far ahead of last year.
Navy (1-1) led the Horned Frogs 3-0 at halftime before some key mistakes led to a 17-3 loss. A goal line fumble, a botched field goal attempt and untimely penalties kept the Mids from scoring more than three points in the first half although they held the ball for 21 minutes against last season’s top-ranked defense. In the short time the Mids’ defense was on the field in the first half, it collected two turnovers and did not allow TCU to move the ball into Navy territory.
“Guys are flying around and playing hard and giving some licks,” Johnson said. “We’re not just being the nail all the time — a couple of time we’ve been the hammer.”
An easier schedule and more physical defense give the Mids a chance to avoid going 0-for September, October and November again this year.
Against Eastern Michigan (1-2) today, the Mids have their first chance to show what they can do against a team of comparable stature. Anything less than a dominating performance against Division I-AA VMI would have been a disappointment in the season opener. Though Navy played well against TCU, it was not expected to beat a Top 25 team.
Eastern Michigan has allowed more than 400 yards a game, including nearly 200 on the ground, an area Navy’s triple-option offense will look to expose. But the Eagles’ also are a Mid-American Conference team playing a schedule that includes games against Bowling Green, Northern Illinois and Maryland.
Sophomore Anthony Sherrell is the visitors’ leading rusher and receiver, averaging more than 140 all-purpose yards. The Eagles’ strength is their offense, which should test the Mids’ steadily improving defense.
“I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ll come out and play hard [today],” Johnson said. “I think we’ve made progress, and I would be disappointed if we slid back.”
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