Offenses expecting to have a ball

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Navy, Ball State collide with plenty of firepower




Navy defensive coordinator Buddy Green and Ball State counterpart Mark Smith probably won't get much sleep this week. In fact, the two men are probably having nightmares about how to stop the prolific offense they will face this Friday night.

Green must find a way to slow down Ball State's multiple spread attack, which is triggered by a big-time quarterback in Nate Davis. Meanwhile, Smith will attempt to contain Navy's triple-option offense, which will be directed again this week by quarterback Jarod Bryant.

The Midshipmen and Cardinals engaged in a high-scoring shootout last season and it figures to be more of the same in the rematch at Scheumann Stadium. Both teams return several key weapons and showed plenty of firepower in their respective season openers.

Davis completed 21 of 24 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns in just three quarters of action to lead Ball State to a 48-14 rout of Northeastern. Standout senior wide receiver Dante Love had nine receptions for 171 yards and a touchdown for the Cardinals, who only punted once in the contest.

Davis and Love are among 11 returning starters from a Ball State offense that averaged 31.5 points and 433 yards per game in 2007. Green and the rest of the Navy coaching staff know the personnel well after watching the Cardinals pile up 539 total yards en route to a 34-31 overtime victory over the Midshipmen.

"They probably have the best offense that we've seen in a while. They've scored a lot of points against a lot of people," Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said yesterday. We better strap it on because this is going to be a tough game. They're a good football team."

Davis, a definite pro prospect, already ranks second in Ball State history with 5,932 career passing yards. The 6-foot-2, 217-pound junior owns the career record with 51 touchdown passes.

Davis is coming off a phenomenal sophomore season that saw him named second team All-Mid-American Conference. The Ohio native set single-season school records by throwing for 3,667 yards and 30 touchdowns.

"Nate Davis is a phenomenal quarterback. We definitely have a challenge ahead of us," Niumatalolo said. (Ball State) is pretty balanced. They can run the ball, they can throw the ball."

Ball State also returns tailback MiQuale Lewis, who rushed for a career-high 161 yards against Navy. The diminutive 5-foot-6 speedster also ran for 122 yards against Nebraska before suffering a season-ending knee injury. The junior from nearby Fort Wayne (Ind.) showed he is fully recovered by gaining 95 yards on just 11 carries versus Northeastern.

Love was a first team All-MAC selection last season after piling up 1,398 yards on 100 receptions. He ranks second in school history with 2,489 career receiving yards. The 5-foot-10 speedster burned Navy for a 50-yard touchdown catch in last year's meeting.

Ball State's other big weapon is tight end Darius Hill, who hurt Navy a year ago with six catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. The 6-foot-6, 236-pound senior had 65 catches for 926 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2007 and was a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award that goes to the nation's top tight end.

At the heart of Ball State's dangerous attack is a veteran offensive line anchored by center Dan Gerberry (6-3, 292) and right tackle Robert Brewster (6-5, 310), latter of whom was a first team All-MAC pick in 2007.

Of course, Ball State has its own defensive concerns after allowing Navy to rush for a whopping 521 yards in last season's game. Head coach Brady Hoke isn't resting any easier after watching the Midshipmen pile up 558 yards rushing in their season-opening 41-13 rout of Towson.

"Navy is a tremendous team. The precision with which they play, and how they execute offensively? you know the discipline and demeanor and toughness (the Midshipmen) have in their everyday lives. They have that on the field," Hoke said during his weekly press conference on Sunday.

Hoke watched the Navy-Towson game live and said he hasn't slept since after seeing senior slot back Shun White set a single-game school record with 348 yards rushing. White was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week on Sunday.

"No question, he runs really well. When he gets to the perimeter, he's going to outrun most people," Hoke said of White.

Niumatalolo announced on Sunday that Bryant would remain the starter at quarterback against Ball State. The coaching staff is taking a cautious approach with returning starter Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, who is nursing a partially torn hamstring.

Dr. Jeff Fair, the team physician, initially diagnosed that Kaheaku-Enhada would need four to six weeks to properly heal. It has been just over three weeks since Kaheaku-Enhada suffered the injury during an intra-squad scrimmage on Aug. 9.

Bryant played in the second half of last year's game against Ball State and rushed for 77 yards on 13 carries. Kaheaku-Enhada broke an 80-yard touchdown run against the Cardinals before leaving the contest with two sprained ankles.

"Either one of those guys functions well in their offense," Hoke said of Navy's two quarterbacks. "We didn't stop (Navy) last year, let's put it that way."

 

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Ball State's mission vs. Navy: Trust teammates to make plays





Ball State coach Brady Hoke doesn't remember the exact yardages, but he clearly recalls the plays where two Navy runners burned his defense on long gallops for touchdowns when the teams played football last year in Annapolis, Md.


Quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada sped 80 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Fullback Eric Kettani rambled 71 yards for a score in the fourth quarter. They were the two longest runs by the Midshipmen in a game where they rushed for 521 yards against the Cardinals.

And here they come again at 7 p.m. today, this time at Scheumann Stadium.

Kaheaku-Enhada won't be in uniform because of a partially torn hamstring, but Kettani will be on the field. In reality, it doesn't matter who carries the ball in Navy's triple-option offense. Every runner it fits into its scheme is capable of making a big run any time he gets the ball.

"They're going to do what they do, and they do it well," Hoke said. "They're a very physical, disciplined, precise football team."

Navy has led the nation in rushing each of the past three years, and it will be a threat to do so again this year after running for 558 yards in last week's opener against Towson. Slotback Shun White bolted for a school-record 348 yards in that game.

Navy's big rushing numbers don't happen because opponents are puzzled by what it is going to do on offense. The problem defenses have is a lack of familiarity with option football, something only a handful of teams in the nation use as their base offense.

It's difficult to replicate in practice as opponents make a game plan, and it's just as difficult for defensive players to be disciplined enough throughout the game to simply do their jobs and not stray from their responsibilities.

"You have to be extremely disciplined on defense," Cardinals linebacker Bryant Haines said. "They try to take advantage of people who are out of position. The way you stop it is to trust your teammates will be in the right positions and everybody doing their assignments."

Hoke said Ball State's defensive players were on the ground a lot in last year's game, succumbing to Navy's intricate blocking schemes. Once defenders are knocked down, the running lanes needed by Navy's ballcarriers are open long enough for them to get into the secondary.

Among the keys for success for the Cardinals is the play up front by nose tackles Renee Perry and Jafe Pitcock, and defensive tackles Drew Duffin and Gonzalo Barinaga. They have to bust up the early blocking by Navy.

"The nose and the tackle are hard-hat guys all day," Barinaga said. "We're taking on double teams, keeping blocks off our linebackers. It's going to be a hard-nosed day."

Defensive end Brandon Crawford said that having played against Navy last season should help the Cardinals in today's game. At least they'll have a reference point for what the Midshipmen want to do.

"You have to stay disciplined because you might see something and say, 'I can make this play real fast because I'm quick enough to get overe,' " Crawford said. "Well, that's not your job. Regardless of what you think, you can't do that because you're going to mess up something."

 

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NAVY INJURY UPDATE: Head coach Ken Niumatalolo said earlier this week that projected starting quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada would not make the trip to Ball State, staying in Annapolis to rest and further rehabilitate his injured hamstring.

There has been an abrupt about- face with that situation as Navy sports information director Scott Strasmeier announced yesterday that Kaheaku-Enhada will travel to Indiana and could be available to play.

Kaheaku-Enhada sustained a partial tear of his left hamstring during an intra-squad scrimmage on Aug. 9. Dr. Jeff Fair, the team physician, said the quarterback would be sidelined four to six weeks.

However, Kaheaku-Enhada has been in full pads this week and partially participated in practice. He did significant throwing and running drills in order to test the hamstring. Niumatalolo said he was pleased with the senior signal-caller's progress, which was ahead of schedule.

Meanwhile, starting right tackle Andrew McGinn did not practice all week after suffering a concussion in the season opener against Towson. He will be replaced in the lineup by senior Mike Von Bargen (6-5, 270) tomorrow night versus Ball State while either junior Austin Milke or sophomore Matt Molloy will become the top backup at tackle.

Navy got good news in the slot back department as Greg Shinego (broken hand), Corey James (sprained ankle) and Andre Byrd (bruised leg) all returned to practice this week and are available to play against Ball State.

Backup cornerback Ketric Buffin (right quad) also practiced and is probably for tomorrow night.


ROOKIE STANDOUT: A point of emphasis on the defensive side coming into this season was to improve the Navy pass rush. The Midshipmen managed only 12 sacks last season and that was a factor in opposing quarterbacks completing 279 of 399 passes for 3,424 yards and 32 touchdowns.

Freshman Jabaree Tuani provided a big lift in that department during the season opener against Towson. The direct-entry recruit from Madison, Tenn., saw significant action in the second half and recorded 1 ? sacks for minus-10 yards.

Defensive coordinator Buddy Green was impressed with the speed, quickness and pass-rushing moves of Tuani and said the 6-foot-1, 242-pounder would see increased time in Navy's nickel package, which is employed in passing situations.

"A lot of times you've got guys that have the physical tools as a freshman, they're smart, they can run, they're strong," Niumatalolo said of Tuani. "The thing that Jabaree has, he's got some football smarts too. He's able to transfer some of the stuff that Coach (Dale) Pehrson's been teaching him in practice and in the classroom to the field. He's got a bright future here."

 

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Navy vs. BSU: Ground game goes against air attack



Navy's old-fashioned option offense and Ball State's 21st Century, high-octane passing attack will be on display today when the teams play their second games of the season while a national television audience watches.


Ball State officials expect a crowd of about 20,000 when the Cardinals take on the Midshipmen in a 7 p.m. game that will be televised by ESPN.

Navy starting quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada early in the week was thought to be out of the game with an injury. On Thursday, it was determined he will travel and be in uniform.

He isn't expected to play because of a partially torn hamstring but could be available for emergency duty. Jarod Bryant is expected to fill in for the second week in a row and direct the Mids' offense, which led the nation in rushing the past three seasons.

Navy rushed for 558 yards last week while beating Towson 41-13 in its opener. Slotback Shun White gained a school-record 348 yards.

Ball State started fast, too. Quarterback Nate Davis passed for 290 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-14 win over Northeastern. His .875 completion percentage was third best in school history.


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BSU Stock: what's working, what's not


SOARING

# The Cardinals allowed Northeastern only 93 yards rushing in last week's victory. It was only the fourth time in the past 20 games Ball State held an opponent under 100 yards.


# QB Nate Davis didn't throw an interception last week, running his streak to four straight games. He has 51 touchdown passes and just 14 interceptions in his career.

# Davis' completion percentage of .875 (21-of-24) was the third-best single-game mark in school history. Rick Scott had .917 (11-for-12) in 1974, and Brian Conn had .895 (17-for-19) in 1999.

# The Cardinals didn't commit a turnover (fumble or interception) for the third time in their past four games. Neither team had a turnover last week, a first in a Ball State game since 2004.

# TE Darius Hill caught his 25th career touchdown pass last week. The former record was 24 by Brian Oliver (1991-94).

# WR Dante Love's 171 receiving yards last week were the 14th-best single-game total in school history.

# Running backs combined for three rushing touchdowns last week. The Cardinals had just three rushing touchdowns in their final six games last year.

# PK Ian McGarvey was 2-for-2 on field goals last week. He has made nine of his last 11 kicks.

SLUMPING

# P Chris Miller got off to a slow start. He averaged only 40.3 yards against Northeastern, almost five yards a kick below his career average.

# Ball State scored so quickly most of the time it had the ball last week that its time of possession was only 25:58, compared to Northeastern's 34:02.

# The Cardinals returned two kickoffs last week, with the longest being 17 yards. Northeastern tried to keep the ball away from Dante Love by squibbing the ball down the middle of the field.

# Ball State's defense will look to do a better job of getting off the field this week. Last week, Northeastern converted 8-of-17 third downs into first downs.