5 Good Questions: Navy

This week I had the pleasure of exchanging questions with The Birddog, an excellent Navy blog. I imagine blogging about Navy football isn't always the easiest or most glamorous thing to do, so I'm very impressed with the product over there. I'll post a link once he posts my answers, and his answers are below:

1. I know this has very little to do with the game being played this weekend, but I think my readers and I will find it interesting. What is it like to be a Navy football player? Clearly it can't be easy to balance football and life at the Naval Academy and everything that entails. How do these guys handle it?

TBD: Boy, I don't know if I'm qualified to answer that question. It may sound a bit odd, but I don't think that "balancing" life is really an issue. Every minute of every athlete's day is so regimented that a lot of decision-making is kind of taken out of their hands. The real marvel is how well these guys handle stress. Imagine having a paper due on Wednesday, a Thermodynamics exam on Thursday, duties to perform as your company admin officer, and hitting the road on Friday for a Saturday game at a top-25 ACC powerhouse. A lot is expected of these guys, and they have a very high standard to meet. Needless to say, it takes a special person to handle the rigors of Division I athletics, a Naval Academy education, and military commitments. But if you can tackle all three, then there's a pretty good chance that you have what it takes to be a good naval officer.

One of the unique things about being a Navy fan is that it's easy to relate to the athletes' experience. They live in the same dorm as everyone else, take the same classes, go on summer training, and go through plebe summer like everyone else. Varsity athletes are in every company and have leadership roles within the brigade. They are truly representative of the student body, and I think that makes for a greater connection between fan and athlete that doesn't exist at a lot of other schools. It can create some friction sometimes, too; some people resent athletes due to perceived special treatment. But those guys are usually nerds.

2. Navy played reasonably well against Ball State and Duke but still lost, then has a nice win over Rutgers. I'm having trouble figuring out what this team is really going to do this year. Can it beat teams like Wake, Pitt, and Notre Dame? Do you think Navy will win any of these games?

TBD: I'm not sure what this team is capable of yet, since we're only now seeing the team at close to full strength. Rutgers was the first game where Kaipo was anywhere close to 100%, which makes a huge, huge difference. Eric Kettani was injured on his first carry against Duke, but was reasonably healthy against Rutgers. Navy is also breaking in four new starters on the offensive line, and they played what was by far their best game last week. The defense was also greatly improved. I wouldn't say that they're good, but they are at least no longer laughingly bad. If they played last year the way they played against Rutgers, the Mids might have won another game or two. Can Navy win any of those games? I think so. Navy definitely has yet to play their best football of the season.

3. Running Back Shun White has had a pretty impressive start to the season. How good is he and what is he capable of? Is there anyone on the team who may not be putting up big numbers right now but is making, or is poised to make, a big contribution this season?

TBD: Shun White is very good, and he's the team's best home run threat while Kaipo and Eric Kettani are still getting back to 100%. He's getting an unusual number of carries for a Navy slotback; he has almost as many carries through four games this year (63) as he did all of last year (78). He's the one player on Navy's roster that actually looks like a traditional tailback, and so far he's being used like one. He's averaging 10 yards per carry, thanks mostly to several 60+ yard runs he had against Towson, Ball State, and Duke.

Kaipo and Eric Kettani will get faster as they heal, but last week they clearly weren't at full speed yet. The next best big-play threat is wide receiver Tyree Barnes. He's big, fast, and isn't afraid to catch a ball in traffic. He has two touchdown receptions in the last two weeks, and had a 100-yard game at Duke. Obviously, that's a big deal for a receiver in an offense that rarely throws more than 10-12 times per game.

4. Where to you think Navy has a favorable matchup against Wake Forest? Where do you think Navy is likely to struggle?

TBD: Navy has no favorable matchups against Wake Forest. I'm not just blowing smoke, either. Wake is talented and experienced at every position. Now, that doesn't mean that Navy can't hold their own in this game. But if you're looking for a particular weakness that the Mids will be able to exploit... There isn't one.

Last week, Rutgers had a lot of success when they spread their formations and ran the ball. That's exactly what has been Wake's bread and butter for years. You know that Jim Grobe wants to get the running game back on track, and I suspect that's what he'll try to do. Unless there's been some kind of epiphany for the Navy defense, it'll probably work.

5. Do you have any predictions for Saturday's games - score or otherwise?

TBD: I cheesed out on making a prediction last year, and I'm going to cheese out on making a prediction this year too. I do think that this year's game will be a lower-scoring affair, thanks in part to the new clock rules and better defenses on both sides. Navy was able to go toe-to-toe with the Deacs last year (offensively, anyway) when Kaipo was healthy. When he left, the offense just wasn't able to keep pace. Navy's best hope is to limit the number of posessions in the game by forcing Wake to make long drives, and hopefully be within striking distance at the end of the game.

His point about the new clock rules is interesting and one I had not considered. With such a run oriented offense I imagine the new rules really do shorten Navy's games. I'm interested to see what impact that could have on the game.

I think these may be the best, most thoughtful answers of the year so far - big thanks to Birddog for taking the time. Make sure to visit the blog for more on Navy football.