Navy Wins 4th Straight Road Game - Takes it to Virginia

Navy - 47
Virginia - 9

The Navy offense put up 472 total yards in about a balanced game as we've ever seen Navy put up.

Andre Byrd had 125 yards rushing (breaking the 100 yard mark for the first time this season) on just 21 carries and 3 TDs as the Navy offense was just unstoppable.



Smith added 86 yards on 9 carries along with completing 18/24 passes for 247 yards and 3 TDs. Unfortunately, he threw 2 INTs as well, but the Navy defense was ready for the challenge as they held Virginia to converting just 4 of 14 3rd down situations and just one FG out of three tries in the redzone.

The Navy defense also scored their first TD of the season on a monstrous hit by FS Kwesi Mitchell that was scooped up by the Freshman sensation at defensive end Michael Robinson who proceeded to take the ball 58 yards for Navy's first TD.



Unfortunately for Navy, they lost yet another defensive player for the better part of the season. This time, Junior FS Kwesi Mitchell, who was taken off the field at the end of the 1st quarter, appears to have broken his collarbone and will be out for at least the next 4 weeks.

After last weeks ugly win against FIU, the Navy coaches refused to address the media last week, saying that they had too many things to prepare for and didn't have time.

This week, it appears that they once again won't address the media but promised an extended period of addressing the media after the bye week.

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On the recruiting front, Navy has grabbed not one, but two new players to add to their recruiting class this season.

The first was the **** athlete, Marc Beck, from La Habra, California. The 7th best ranked athlete in the class, at 6'0" 190 lb, Marc comes into Navy as the highest rated recruit to ever commit to Navy since 2002 when websites such as Scout.com and Rivals.com started keeping track.

Along with Marc, a ** linebacker, Edward Irons, from Sanford, Maine committed to the Navy Academy. At 6'1" 228, he looks like the prototypical type of linebacker to man the middle for Navy's 3-4 defense.

FIU Gives Navy All They Can Handle - OT Squeaker

Navy - 36
FIU - 29

FIU came into Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium with a mission and nearly pulled off the upset.

FIU started the game by marching down the field and scoring a FG. Navy's defense came off the field feeling a bit better about itself forcing FIU to just a FG considering how well they were marching down the field on them.

Navy took little time to score as WR Mario Washington took the kickoff 90 yards back for a TD, his and Navy's first special teams score of the season.





After that, it was a few defensive stops preventing either team from scoring anymore in the 1st quarter, ending the quarter 7-3 Navy.

Navy would come out at the beginning of the 2nd half with the ball and score on a 3 yard run by Andre Byrd, his first of four on the night.

FIU would respond with a drive of their own, capped by a 4 yard rush but they would miss the extra point, making the score 14-9 at halftime.

It was the 4th Quarter when Navy heroics followed by FIU heroics would cause the game to go into overtime.

In the end, it was the Navy defense that stopped the FIU offense on 4th down in the 2nd overtime to preserve the win.



The Navy rushing attack was pitiful, averaging a season low 2.9 ypc but it was the Navy passing game that kept them in the game behind Cameron Smith's 18/24 for 232 yards. Unfortunately, he didn't throw a TD pass, but was intercepted 2 times as well as fumbled the ball once.

Coach Niumatalolo nor coach James were willing to talk on the record but off the record, coach James called it a horrendous game and unworthy of comment.

Next week, Navy travels to Virginia for yet another road game.

Season 2 Week 5 Monday Morning Press Conference

Scene opens to Coach Niumatalolo standing on the Navy practice field holding a mic

Coach Niumatalolo: Another fine morning fellas. Thank you for coming this morning. I'll start off by addressing a few things. First, injuries. Eric is progressing slowly but it's looking like it may be a bowl game appearance at the latest for him. Michael is progressing nicely. The slight tear in his pectoral muscle is healing very well and we are expecting him to be back for the Western Michigan game at the latest. Andre's slight injury in the second quarter on Saturday was nothing serious so we had him back out there and he produced well. He was with the medical staff this morning and there appears to be no residual injuries so we should be good to go there. Second, just wanted to comment on the toughness and football spirit that the players of the Air Force Academy showed out there on Saturday. They are a great team coached by a great coach, as well all know, and I have all the respect in the world for them. We look forward to playing them again next year, as we always do. Thirdly, I wanted to say how proud I am of our football team. We've bounced back from major adversity by going on the road and finishing 3-1 against four very fine programs and part of that credit goes to our coach staff and a lot of that goes to the men on this football team banding together and refusing to quit. So now, let's go on to your questions.

Reporter: Kameron has another spectacular day coach. What was it about his play that made you decide to go with him over Ricky?

Coach Kiumatalolo: Kameron came into spring practice with a fire under his butt and worked very hard. He showed that his ability to read the progressions and find the holes in the zones had improved. He showed that his ability to read the defense pre-snap had drastically improved. Kameron has been working all offseason on his throwing motion and that work is really starting to show. Ricky is a talented player, there's no doubt about that, but Kameron has shown that he's ready to lead this team to unheralded success again.

Reporter: The change in the offense seems to be for the worse for Andre. Do you have plans to put the ball back into his hands more as the season progresses?

Coach Kiumatalolo: Absolutely. Andre is a special player and definitely someone that we want to get the ball into his hands more and we are definitely working on doing that. He has shown a real talent for catching the ball out of the backfield and lined up at the wing position so we have definitely been taking advantage of that and will continue to do so.

Reporter: The defense has really started to show that the front 3 can make some noise this season and get real pressure on the QB. What do you attribute to that?

Coach Kiumatalolo: The scheme has been refined and it's really starting to show production but you can't talk about that without talking about the players. The addition of Mike at the end position has been a real bright spot. Being a freshman, we weren't sure exactly how well he'd transition to our defensive scheme, but he has really hit the ground running so far and it's definitely been a big part of our success. Kori is definitely the glue that holds this whole thing together for us though. His senior leadership has been a big part of our success in the trenches. He's such a talented player and does such a great job of flowing to the ball and getting off his man, it's hard for teams to run right at him.

Coach Kiumatalolo: Thank you again everyone.

Navy Wins 7th Straight Against Air Force

Navy finished their 4 game road trip with a convincing win over the Air Force Academy, putting them halfway to taking home the Commander-in-Chief Trophy for the 7th straight season and only 12th time in the rivalry game history.

Kameron Smith was the life of the party again, completing 21 of his 38 passes for 211 yards and 1 TD as well as rushing for a career best 170 yards on 25 carries and another TD. Andre Byrd added 93 yards on 19 carries and 2 TDs and Mario Washington was the leading receiver once again with 4 catches for 39 yards and 1 TD.

It was a close game throughout, until the 4th quarter when Navy started to pour on the points.

Navy took their opening drive of the game in for a TD but Air Force responded with a solid drive of their own knotting up the score at 7-7. But, Navy was determined and took their next possession in for a TD as well (Alex Teich getting his first TD of the season on a 1 yard FB option).

Navy then stopped Air Force and proceeded to take their next drive down the field and scored on a 4 yard TD pass from Smith to Washington. Kicker Kyle Delahooke would miss the extra point, making the score 20-7.

After that, there were two consecutive drives that would stall for Navy and Air Force before Air Force stuck quickly on a 59 yard catch and run from QB Matt Saucier to WR Kyle Halderman, making the score 20-14 Navy at halftime.

"It was not looking good for us at halftime," said coach Niumatalolo. "We weren't having trouble moving the ball, but we couldn't stop them consistently at all. It seemed like it wasn't until the 4th quarter when we were down by 4 points that they decided it was do or die time and that's when everything started clicking for us."

Indeed, the 4th quarter has been a problem for the Midshipmen this season (previous having been outscored 17-7 in the 4th) but that certainly wasn't the case in this game. The Midshipmen offense exploded for 21 unanswered points and put the game well out of reach as the defense constantly took advantage of an Air Force team that is still trying to make the full transition from flexbone to spread offense.

Next, Navy has their first home game of the season, playing host to the Florida International Panthers.

Season 2 Week 4 Monday Press Conference

Same familiar opening sequence of stage with podium and Navy Blue and Gold Bill the Goat mascot tapestry.

Coach Vernon James walks onto the stage, followed by head coach Ken Niumatalolo, a slightly shorter Samoan man.

Coach Niumatalolo: Thank you everyone for being here today. In an attempt to give you guys access to more of the inside workings of our football program, we decided that both of us would attend today's press conference instead of just Coach James. Without further ado, please start the questions.

Reporter: Quite a different look to the offensive gameplan on Saturday. What did you see in the Kansas State defense that resulted in this different look?

Coach Niumatalolo: I'll let Vernon handle this one.

Coach James: Thanks coach. More than anything, we knew that they'd stack the line against us. Every team does it to us defensively and when they do it and are successful at disrupting our attack, we've been hard pressed to do anything differently offensively. That's why I was brought in and that's why you saw the different attack by us. We are going to force teams to second guess our normal offensive attack by making use of misdirection and playaction. Everyone knows that when you have linebackers backpedaling because they think it's pass instead of run, that's when you're going to be most successful running the ball.

Reporter: There were two pretty bad injuries out there on Saturday. What's the status of Michael Stukel and Eric Graham?

Coach Niumatalolo: Michael had an MRI done on his right shoulder and it looks like it's a slight tear to his pectoral, but it's nothing too serious. We expect him to miss 2-4 games. Eric's injury is, unfortunately, much more severe. He'll be lucky to see the final 2 games of the season because of a severely strained knee. He's working hard to get back on the field but, unfortunately, it looks like his football year is basically done.

Reporter: Big game coming up against Air Force. Anything you can saw about the preparation for the annual game for the Commander-in-Chief Trophy?

Coach Niumatalolo: As always, we have great respect for our fellow brothers in arms and the guys always look forward to playing these games. If none of us win another game all season, winning these games is always our main goal for the season.

Reporter: Coach James, what can you tell us about Air Force, having been the offensive line coach there?

Coach James (with a sly smile on his face): Besides desperately wanting to win? (Coach James and several people behind the camera chuckle) As coach said, we all have great respect for the other guys but our goal is to beat them, always, and this season will be no different. That said, there's no doubt that they have a talented team. They have a young defense that has the potential to be very talented in another year or two and we certainly aren't overlooking them offensively.

Coach Niumatalolo: Thank you everyone for coming today.

Navy's Road War - Takes Home Second Road Victory

Navy: 35
Kansas State: 17

In what appears to be Kameron Smith's coming out party, Navy pounds Kansas State to the tune of 381 yards of offense and defensively only allows 197 yards.

The Navy offense sputtered at times, turning the ball over 3 times (2 fumbles and 1 interception all by Kameron Smith), but it was Smith's consistency that would be the story of the day.

14/20 passing for 196 yards and 4 TDs along with 24 rushing attempts for 74 yards and a TD.

"It felt good to get out there and compete at such a high level again," said Smith. "Anytime you play a team at their place you know it's gonna be tough and KSU is no different."

"Yeah, I do have a lot of respect for them. Any team that's undefeated when you face them has to be a good team, no matter who they've played."

Mario Washington showed once again why he's their leading receiver and deep threat with another solid game catching 4 balls for 104 yards and a TD, which was 42 yards and what really blew open the game for Navy.

Defensively, Navy had it's best game yet, collecting 6 sacks and holding Kansas State RB Robert Kenner to just 68 yards on 19 carries as well as holding QB Carson Coffman to just 14/28 passing for 160 yards and just 1 TD while intercepting him twice.

Navy heads to it's final game of it's three game road trip to face the Air Force Falcons for the Commander-in-Chief Trophy.

Navy Lands First Recruit For 2010

A day after Navy's first press conference hosted by new offensive coordinator James Vernon, Navy landed it's first recruit of the 2010 recruiting season. 2 star recruit Isaac Johnson from West Milford, New Jersey announced today his intentions of attending the Naval Academy.

Navy had been high on his list from the very beginning so it was only a matter of time before he made his decision final.

Scout.com had this to say about the recruit:

"While lacking elite speed, Johnson has the speed to play with most collegiate level players. His coverage abilities definitely need work as he is a tad stiff when making the turn to run with receivers out of his backpedal.

His 6'1" 174lb frame could use the addition of some weight (which could enable him to make the transition to safety) and his tackling skills are definitely lacking, as he has poor form and tries too often to lay the ball carrier out instead of making the sure tackle. He doesn't have great jumping ability, but makes up for it in his pursuit angles and quickness to the ball."


"We're very excited to have him aboard," said coach Niumatalolo. "We think he had a lot of upside and could be a VERY valuable part of our team quickly."

Season 2 - Week 3 Monday Morning Press Conference

Scene opens to a podium on a stage with Navy Blue and Gold tapestry behind it sporting the Navy logo of Bill the Goat

Several voices can be heard low in the background as a 6'4" light skinned man walks on stage

Coach James: Thanks for coming today everyone. Without wasting any time, let's get to your questions.

Reporter: What's your feelings about the offense so far coach?

Coach James: They're a great bunch and they want to win. They were embarrassed by Ohio State the first game of the season and they wanted to prove that that wasn't the team that they are and I'd say that's exactly what they did. 66 points is great no matter who you're playing.

Reporter: Offensively, Navy seems to be continuing right where they left off. Do you think anything will change for that by the end of the season?

Coach James: If by do I think we'll be throwing the ball more, absolutely. There are going to be games where we'll be relying on Kameron to carry our offense more and then there are going to be games where Andre and the gang carry the load more. That's the case with any team that's multi-dimensional. You just hope you're team is one of them.

Reporter: You're in the midst of a 3 game road trip coach. What do you think will be the toughest part of it?

Coach James: Keeping the offense focused. That's always a challenge with long road trips like this, especially when you have the type of opponents we'll be facing during it. You want the guys to take it one game at a time, but it's hard not to look at the next two teams coming up and think about them.

Coach James: Thank you everyone. We will have a longer one next week as we are traveling again and need to get to our next game and get ready.

The tall light skinned man walks off the stage and the camera fades out

Navy Plays Barn Burner, Closes Out Against LA Tech

Navy - 66
La Tech - 43

Navy's offense showed what it could do under new Offensive Coordinator James Vernon by putting up 342 yards of rushing on 66 carries and adding 136 yards passing.

Player of the game Andre Byrd only had 103 of their rushing yards on 17 carries, but he scored 5 TDs on the ground and had 3 receptions for 80 yards and added 2 more receiving TDs.

The Navy offense was unstoppable and it started to look like Louisiana Tech wasn't going to put up much of a fight, but then they returned a kickoff for a touchdown, changing the momentum and started what would be a game where both offenses put up a total of 109 points combined.

Kameron Smith - 8/14 for 136 yards 2 TDs

Andre Byrd - 17 att for 103 yards 5 TDs

Andre Byrd - 3 rec for 80 yards 2 TDs

First Bye Week Of Season Gives New OC Time To Adjust

After last weeks sudden change in offensive coordinators, all eyes have been on Navy's practices during the week to see what type of changes, if any, would come from the new addition of Vernon.

"Of course we're practicing some new stuff," said Vernon. "They wouldn't have brought me in here if they didn't want to change up their offensive scheme some but that in no way means we're going to deviate away from what has been Navy football ever since it's inception. That would just simply go against everything that is Navy football tradition."

Very little has leaked from the closed practices that Navy has started holding since the addition of the new offensive coordinator.

"We didn't want any distractions coming in from the media to interfere with our practices for this week so we decided to close them off to the public," said head coach Niumatalolo.

"We have decided instead of allowing that, we'd be better off if we practiced in an enclosed area without outside interference. Instead of the normal media stuff, we've decided it's best for us to hold weekly press conferences where the public has a forum that allows them to ask questions about our progress and that we go from there. Look for our next one come Monday morning after we get back from Louisiana."

Early Season Changes Leads To More Questions

After an absolutely embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Buckeyes last weekend, the Navy Midshipmen decided to make a change at offensive coordinator.

Enter a young, barely known man by the name of James Vernon.

This will be his first offensive coordinator job, having served as the Offensive Line Coach for Air Force under their previous famous head coach Fisher DeBerry and then current head coach Troy Calhoun.

Vernon is just 28 years old, having served his country in Afghanistan and Iraq on consecutive tours. Before that, Vernon played at Georgia Southern as an offensive guard for two seasons, before he tore a ligament in his left knee, ending his career.

"There were several reasons why we decided to make the change, but mostly, we wanted to bring in a new fresh set of eyes and mind to add to our offense. Coming from being at Air Force for so long, we think he'll be able to add to our offense and really make it a force to be reckoned with in both aspects of our offensive play," said Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk.

Now the question remains, can this new offensive coordinator truly help a team that's been so fundamentally built from the top to the bottom at doing nothing but running the flexbone triple option?

"It's not about what he can do this season," said head coach Ken Niumatalolo. "It's about what he can do for us several seasons down the road. We certainly don't expect him to come in and immediately start making such drastic changes that we see a completely different offense on the field."

"The fundamentals will always be there for us to be a power run football team. We just have to start making the changes gradually to become more balanced."