Week 2 Position Grades

Quarterback: D

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Even though other factors went into his three interceptions (ie. Meek blew a block on the first) it was still Kaipo-Noa who threw all three of them. I can understand the speed of Rutgers' defense probably made him feel like he had to get the ball out faster, but he needs to show better recognition in the passing game. He also made some poor reads on a few plays, and was inconsistent with his decision making in terms of when to keep. Despite the fumble, I thought Jarod made the most of his possession, but let's get one thing straight. Kaipo is still the number one guy, and unless he plays poorly over the next two or three games, we shouldn't even get into this nonsense about replacing him. Hampton bounced back in the third game against Stanford last year, and I expect Kaipo to do the same against Ball State.

Slotbacks: C+

Reggie, Zerb, and Shun combined for just under 100 yards, but didn't provide the big play that Navy could of really used in this game. Reggie was fairly active in the pass game, and did a good job bringing down the first quarter touchdown pass. Just as a wishful fan, I'd like to see Reggie get his hands on the ball more, but the ability of he and the other slotbacks making big plays is dependent on the perimeter blocking and the reads of the quarterback, which both need to get better.

Fullbacks: B

Considering Navy couldn't establish the fullback at all last year, I thought Adam and Eric did a good job teaming up for nearly a hundred yards. It's obvious at this point that Eric hits the hole faster than Adam and runs more like a "true" running back. Adam is probably tougher to bring down and a better blocker, and did a decent job grinding out some tough yards against a very stout middle of the Rutgers defense. I think we're going to see The Kettani-Ballard combination continue, and I think we're going to grow to like it.

Wide Receivers: C

Perimeter blocking was no good. Greg Sudderth has ability at wideout if we can get him the ball, but otherwise a quiet day as far catching the ball goes.

Offensive Line: C

It's the same story for the rest of the team, this unit just needs to find a way to get better. To be fair, it's very difficult to block Rutgers' athletic defensive line, which obviously led to numerous problems getting the option establish established Friday night. They weren't horrible in pass coverage (allowing one sack) but the unit didn't do anything great either. This probably would of been an acceptable performance against any other team on the schedule, but Rutgers' defense is another story.

Defensive Line: D

We don't ask a ton of penetration from our defensive line, but the coaching staff does expect gap responsibility and control, something that the line did none of on Friday night. Nate Frazier did basically nothing, while outside of Bookout's big hit I can't remember anyone getting their named called. Thank God the rest of the schedule doesn't have an offensive line like Rutgers.

Linebackers: D+

Things went from bad to worse with the loss of Clint Sovie, and you could tell that this unit just never recovered. Matt Humiston, who I've been high on all offseason, had trouble tackling Rice in the open field, while Irv Spencer was out of position on occasion. More than anything else, these guys were just getting blocked and weren't putting themselves in good position to make tackles.

Secondary: C-

Outmatched from the beginning. Tackling was not very good, and the lack of pressure on Teel really left this unit out to dry. With no pressure on Teel the zones expanded as the receivers got downfield, and Navy's defenders just aren't athletic enough to run with these guys all game. There is no reason Greg Thrasher should ever be matched up on man coverage with anyone on a fly pattern.