Missed tackles concern defensive coordinator
Navy's defensive performance against Ball State didn't look any better on tape than it did in person.
Defensive coordinator Buddy Green reviewed the film early Sunday morning and recorded 25 missed tackles, an inordinately high number. Green said the majority of missed tackles came in the first half and at least half were created by elusive wide receiver Dante Love, who piled up 336 all-purpose yards.
"We played very poorly. We didn't do a good job of one-on-one tackling out in space and we didn't have enough guys pursuing. We didn't do a good job of taking care of our responsibilities," Green said.
How does the veteran coordinator correct the tackling problem?
"You just keep working on the fundamentals. Every day we do tackling drills, we work on body position and technique," Green said.
Watching the game in slow motion, Green noticed another problem every bit as important as missed tackles: Navy struggled to get off blocks. Ball State has a veteran offensive line led by a pair of professional prospects in center Dan Gerberry (6-foot-3, 292) and right tackle Robert Brewster (6-5, 310) and dominated the line of scrimmage.
The Cardinals controlled nose guard Nate Frazier and end Michael Walsh, who were credited with just two unassisted tackles apiece. That enabled blockers to reach the second level and helps explain why starting linebackers such as Clint Sovie (three tackles) and Craig Schaefer (two) were non factors. Safety Wyatt Middleton, a key figure in run support, managed only three stops.
"We didn't show up to play. We made some fundamental mistakes and didn't execute our assignments," Middleton said.
Free safety Jeff Deliz led Navy with 12 tackles against Ball State with most of those coming downfield. Outside linebacker Corey Johnson and cornerback Rashawn King, both of whom are primarily in containment roles, had 10 and eight tackles, respectively.
Ball State also did a superb job of downfield blocking with massive tight end Darius Hill (6-6, 236) making several key blocks to spring long runs.
"Give credit to Ball State because that is a great offensive line with a couple guys who are going to play on Sundays. They locked us up inside, locked us up on the perimeter," Green said. "But the bottom line is that you need to find a way to get off blocks and make plays. You have to work on using your hands, using leverage and fight to get free."
Navy's defense appeared dramatically improved during preseason, dominating the offense in a pair of intra-squad scrimmages. After being shredded by Towson quarterback Sean Schaefer in the first half of the season opener, the Midshipmen settled down and held the Tigers scoreless in the second half while allowing only 108 total yards.
However, the performance against Ball State, which piled up 35 points on 488 total yards and 26 first downs, was a step backward and looked eerily similar to what happened in so many games last season. Riddled with injuries and forced to use inexperienced players in key positions, Navy allowed an average of 36.4 points and 439 total yards per game in 2007.
Navy fans can only hope the Ball State debacle was an aberration and that henceforth the defense will play more often the way it did in the second half against Towson.
"We can't look back and dwell on what went wrong last season. We have to look ahead and figure out how we can do better this season," Middleton said.
Deliz leads the team in tackles after two games with 16 while Johnson and inside linebacker Ross Pospisil have recorded 12 each.
Navy's defense will be tested again this week by a Duke squad that has weapons just as dangerous as Ball State.
Thaddeus Lewis is an athletic quarterback with a strong arm and has completed 41 of 70 passes for 397 yards and two touchdowns through two games. Eron Riley is a big, physical wide receiver with speed and has recorded 11 catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Clifford Harris is a strong, powerful inside runner with the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and has rushed for 181 yards and three touchdowns so far.
Lewis and Riley had huge games in last season's wild 46-43 loss to Navy in Annapolis. Lewis completed 23 of 36 passes for 428 yards and four touchdowns, all of which came to Riley (six catches for 235 yards).
Duke's offense is much improved under first-year head coach David Cutcliffe, whose reputation as an offensive coordinator is second to none. Cutcliffe spent six seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tennessee and six seasons as head coach at Mississippi, tutoring Peyton and Eli Manning along the way.
"You can't help but be impressed with what Coach Cutcliffe has done over the course of his career," Green said. "He always has a good plan and uses his personnel well. He uses a wide variety of sets and makes you cover the whole field."
Navy's defensive performance against Ball State didn't look any better on tape than it did in person.
Defensive coordinator Buddy Green reviewed the film early Sunday morning and recorded 25 missed tackles, an inordinately high number. Green said the majority of missed tackles came in the first half and at least half were created by elusive wide receiver Dante Love, who piled up 336 all-purpose yards.
"We played very poorly. We didn't do a good job of one-on-one tackling out in space and we didn't have enough guys pursuing. We didn't do a good job of taking care of our responsibilities," Green said.
How does the veteran coordinator correct the tackling problem?
"You just keep working on the fundamentals. Every day we do tackling drills, we work on body position and technique," Green said.
Watching the game in slow motion, Green noticed another problem every bit as important as missed tackles: Navy struggled to get off blocks. Ball State has a veteran offensive line led by a pair of professional prospects in center Dan Gerberry (6-foot-3, 292) and right tackle Robert Brewster (6-5, 310) and dominated the line of scrimmage.
The Cardinals controlled nose guard Nate Frazier and end Michael Walsh, who were credited with just two unassisted tackles apiece. That enabled blockers to reach the second level and helps explain why starting linebackers such as Clint Sovie (three tackles) and Craig Schaefer (two) were non factors. Safety Wyatt Middleton, a key figure in run support, managed only three stops.
"We didn't show up to play. We made some fundamental mistakes and didn't execute our assignments," Middleton said.
Free safety Jeff Deliz led Navy with 12 tackles against Ball State with most of those coming downfield. Outside linebacker Corey Johnson and cornerback Rashawn King, both of whom are primarily in containment roles, had 10 and eight tackles, respectively.
Ball State also did a superb job of downfield blocking with massive tight end Darius Hill (6-6, 236) making several key blocks to spring long runs.
"Give credit to Ball State because that is a great offensive line with a couple guys who are going to play on Sundays. They locked us up inside, locked us up on the perimeter," Green said. "But the bottom line is that you need to find a way to get off blocks and make plays. You have to work on using your hands, using leverage and fight to get free."
Navy's defense appeared dramatically improved during preseason, dominating the offense in a pair of intra-squad scrimmages. After being shredded by Towson quarterback Sean Schaefer in the first half of the season opener, the Midshipmen settled down and held the Tigers scoreless in the second half while allowing only 108 total yards.
However, the performance against Ball State, which piled up 35 points on 488 total yards and 26 first downs, was a step backward and looked eerily similar to what happened in so many games last season. Riddled with injuries and forced to use inexperienced players in key positions, Navy allowed an average of 36.4 points and 439 total yards per game in 2007.
Navy fans can only hope the Ball State debacle was an aberration and that henceforth the defense will play more often the way it did in the second half against Towson.
"We can't look back and dwell on what went wrong last season. We have to look ahead and figure out how we can do better this season," Middleton said.
Deliz leads the team in tackles after two games with 16 while Johnson and inside linebacker Ross Pospisil have recorded 12 each.
Navy's defense will be tested again this week by a Duke squad that has weapons just as dangerous as Ball State.
Thaddeus Lewis is an athletic quarterback with a strong arm and has completed 41 of 70 passes for 397 yards and two touchdowns through two games. Eron Riley is a big, physical wide receiver with speed and has recorded 11 catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Clifford Harris is a strong, powerful inside runner with the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and has rushed for 181 yards and three touchdowns so far.
Lewis and Riley had huge games in last season's wild 46-43 loss to Navy in Annapolis. Lewis completed 23 of 36 passes for 428 yards and four touchdowns, all of which came to Riley (six catches for 235 yards).
Duke's offense is much improved under first-year head coach David Cutcliffe, whose reputation as an offensive coordinator is second to none. Cutcliffe spent six seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tennessee and six seasons as head coach at Mississippi, tutoring Peyton and Eli Manning along the way.
"You can't help but be impressed with what Coach Cutcliffe has done over the course of his career," Green said. "He always has a good plan and uses his personnel well. He uses a wide variety of sets and makes you cover the whole field."
