Navy football coach Ken Niumatalolo believed the one thing he didn't know entering his team's opener was how a bunch with inexperience scattered across the starting lineup would handle the tension of a real game.
With so many new starters, there were bound to be some nerves displayed in Navy's football season opener.
Shawn Lynch's first game action at free safety will come Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
It didn't matter if a dislocated elbow cost him nearly his entire senior season in high school.
Nathan Renfro didn't have a scholarship offer less than a week before signing day. He could end up starting at Maryland this season.
In the penultimate period of Navy's Thursday morning practice, the Midshipmen's defense was tasked with denying a first down over a series.
There once was a time when Navy would have been delighted with a 9-4 season that ended with a bowl game and included wins over Notre Dame and Army.
Jarred Shannon came to Navy in part to play college football. For much of his career, his shoulders wouldn't permit it.
Navy's football team will convene for its first preseason practice Wednesday, just as it did the past several years.
