Scouting Report - Navy Offense
Rinse and repeat. That might as well be the motto for the Navy’s offense every year under Ken Niumatalolo. Nothing changes that much from year to year and I mean that as a compliment. They are a machine on offense that changes parts now and then, but somehow it keeps chugging along at the same speed no matter who the personnel are.
There isn’t much new to discuss in terms of scheme and what they do (although I’ll get into specifics with some film later this week). That’s especially because Niumatalolo and his offensive staff are so good at adjusting not just in between series, but sometimes from play to play. They tweak a blocking scheme a little bit and it can mess up what a defense is trying to do in order to stop the option.
If Navy’s staff sees a weakness they can exploit in a defense’s scheme, they’ll attack and keep attacking it until you adjust. And if you don’t adjust quickly enough, it will be a slow burn into the end zone.
Notre Dame will have to be prepared to stop standard triple option, toss, counter option, and the usual standard bag of tricks that they run including having to deal with unbalanced line. They will change things slightly from week to week, but it’s things in-game that you’ll have to worry about. That’s why Mike Elko can’t consistently give them the same look over and over again.
He has not coached against Navy before, but has faced Army’s option offense the last couple of years. That really isn’t the same as what Navy does, though, other than teaching players to defeat the same kind of blocks. This is a week where he will have to lean on Brian Kelly and Mike Elston quite a bit. I’m sure he already has way prior to this week in regards to their preparation.
The unique thing with them now compared to even earlier this season is the new face at quarterback. They made a switch last week looking for a spark and it gave them that and then some.
Perry is dynamic
Malcolm Perry was recruited as a quarterback to Navy, but had been playing slot back earlier this season. Although the offense was doing pretty well with previous starter Zach Abey (they lead the nation in rushing again), they weren’t as efficient as they wanted to be. They are 27th in the nation in red zone touchdown percentage, which would be good for most teams. For Navy, that’s a disappointment. They’ve been 1st, 1st, and 3rd the previous three seasons before the current dip.
Enter Perry who not only was a better decision maker in his reads than Abey was in recent weeks, but Perry also brings with him a more explosive element as a runner. He went off for 282 (8.5 yards per carry) against Southern Methodist. He isn’t the biggest guy at 5’9” 185, but he is slippery and has great burst. He also can do a lot more damage on the perimeter than the other options they have.
He makes them a more dangerous team with more touches at quarterback. They miss him as a receiver, though, and it’s unclear how effective he can be as a passer. Not that Notre Dame won’t be selling out against the run anyway, but they may have to worry about the pass even less. He threw one ball against SMU and it fell incomplete.
Abey could end up back in the starting lineup, though, because Perry suffered a sprained ankle near the end of the SMU game. Abey, the much bigger alternative, is also coming off a shoulder injury so that makes him a bit of a question mark. I thought he really struggled with his reads against Temple and he doesn’t have the same kind of outside speed as Perry.
The next man up if those two can’t go is Garret Lewis. There is a lot less tape of him than the other two, but he did help Navy score on their final drive to win the game last week and filled in admirably against Temple as well.
As usual, Navy doesn’t throw the football very often. Only Army averages less pass attempts per game. Whoever is at quarterback will try and target 6’4” 227 Tyler Carmona. He is nasty blocker at wide receiver too so Notre Dame’s secondary will have their hands full with him at all times. They do miss Perry as a receiver and he was a big reason why they were able to cash in with some big plays in the passing game.
No one else stands out as someone who will scare the Irish individually with their talent as a runner. It’s really more of the same as it is every year: solid across the board with guys who will look really good if you don’t tackle well or aren’t consistent with your assignments.
Winning on 1st down is key
The game is going to be a grind. It always is. Navy is 10th in the nation in yards per possession. They are first in time of possession. They are 10th in the nation in percentage of possessions with a touchdown. Everybody knows that they want to hold the ball and limit the opposition’s possessions as much as possible.
Last year they did not punt against the Irish and if that happens again, then it’s very likely it will be another tight ball game. What’s the key to forcing punts against them?
It’s mainly about getting them behind the sticks, which is easier said than done against a team that averages 5.76 yards per carry on 1st down. There is no doubt that Notre Dame will have to beat blocks and be assignment sound at all times, but Elko might look to take a bit more chances on early downs to try and disrupt what they’re doing.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see him activate his secondary more as blitzers on early downs to try and force them into 2nd and long. I think it may pay off to be more aggressive on 2nd down too because they are nearly automatic on 3rd or 4th and short (5th in the nation in Power Success Rate, 84.9%).
It's Navy. They are never a fun team for a defense to play. But Temple did a fantastic job of shutting them down by getting plenty of penetration into the backfield and tackling well. The Irish obviously hope they can replicate that on Saturday.