End of Season Awards

Offensive MVP: Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada

I don't know if you can say enough good things about Kaipo and his continued development within the system. After an impressive ending to the 2006 season much was expected of the Hawaiian signal caller in 2007, and by all accounts he delivered. Statistically Kaipo shined, completing over 50% of his passes for 952 yards and eight touchdowns, while rushing for another 12 touchdowns and 834 yards. But it was what didn’t show up in the statistics which made all the difference. It was his decision making and knowledge of the system which allowed Navy’s offense to reach it’s highest output in year’s, while it was his leadership and energy which helped to keep the team together even in tough situations.

Honorable Mention: Reggie Campbell, Antron Harper, Eric Kettani

Defensive MVP: Irv Spencer

One can only wonder what Navy’s defense would look like in 2008 if Irv Spencer had another year. The senior from Oakwood Village, Ohio was a force in the middle for the Mids this past year, recording 95 tackles (team lead), 57 solo tackles (tied for team lead), 8.5 tfl (second on team), and a team high seven pass breakups. Simply put, Irv was a beast on an otherwise uninspiring defense for Navy this year, and brought a refreshing energy and enthusiasm to the defensive unit.

Honorable Mention: Matt Wimsatt, Michael Walsh, Chris Kuhar-Pitters

Defensive Breakthrough Player: Wyatt Middleton

In a season which saw the secondary undergo a complete transformation due to injury and inconsistency, the Navy defense did get a pleasant surprise with the emergence of freshmen free safety Wyatt Middleton this past season. Middleton, a plebe who attended NAPS last year, finished second on the team in total tackles with 88 and tied Irv Spencer for the lead in solo tackles with 57. While he did not record an interception on the season, he showed consistent improvement against both the run and the pass as the year progressed. I’ve heard a number of people say how Middleton seemed to be out of position for as many good plays he made. I don’t particularly buy that notion, and even if he was you have got to ask the question of “who wasn’t.” In a year which could probably best be described as a “learning experience” for the defense, Middleton was at the top of his class.

Honorable Mention: Ross Pospisil, Blake Carter, Ram Vela

Offensive Breakthrough Player: Eric Kettani

Coming into this season we all new Eric Kettani was good, but c’mon, who actually thought he’d lead the team in rushing? Eric had a monster year in 2007, rushing for 880 yards and 10 touchdowns on an outstanding 5.8 yards a carry. The fact that he virtually usurped Adam Ballard (who had been talked about as having pro potential in his own right) speaks for itself, as Eric brought explosiveness and shiftiness to the fullback position. He’s brought the physical tools of a pro-style running back to the Navy backfield, and has become one of the offense’s most dangerous players.

Honorable Mention: Zerbin Singleton, Anthony Gaskins, Paul Bridgers

Offensive Unsung Hero: OJ Washington

You may be asking why Antron Harper’s name isn’t here. It very well could be, but to me an ‘unsung hero’ is a guy who doesn’t get enough credit for the job he’s done, and if you ask me we’ve all been quick to identify Antron Harper as one of Navy’s best and most productive players. One player who often slips the spotlight however is OJ Washington, the senior receiver from Tacoma, Washington. Ok, so he dropped a few balls throughout the course of the year, but he’s been that solid blur on the outside of every play stalk blocking the wide receiver and allowing for those big holes we see the slotbacks running through. He’s greatly improved his route running over the past couple of years, and even gets into the action receiving (12 catches, 248 yards, 1TD.) He’s been a solid contributor on this team for the past three seasons, and despite returning a fairly veteran group of wideouts next year his services will be missed.

Honorable Mention: Josh Meek

Defensive Unsung Hero: Michael Walsh

The term high-motor is trite and cliché for undersized defensive lineman, and often used to denigrate a player's natural athletic ability and explain away his production by effort alone. My question is why we have to view such explanations as a bad thing. With 57 tackles (t0 TFL) and three sacks Walsh may be a walking cliché for Navy defensive lineman, but something tells me he wouldn’t have it any other way. He was Navy's best defensive lineman in 2007, and returns to lead what should be a much improved line in 2008.

Honerable Mention: Greg Thrasher

Special Teams Player of the Year: Zerb Singleton

I’ll be honest; it wasn’t a great year for the Navy special teams unit, but then again I may have just wanted an excuse to sneak Zerbin Singleton in here somewhere. I am of the firm belief that Zerbin cannot be praised enough for everything he has both overcome and accomplished on and off the field. He’s a bright spot in a sport which is constantly bombarded with cheating scandals, off the field suspensions, and over the top on-the-field antics. He’s a solid all around player in every aspect of the game; a disciplined tackler, determined runner, and heady receiver. He is, to borrow a phrase from the heading of this blog, one of those few players who makes this game “most nearly itself.” It’ll sure be weird not seeing #28 out there next year, but we all know that bigger and better things await him.

Honerable Mention: Reggie Campbell, Corey Johnson, Craig Schaefer

Saturday Scrimmage Report: 8/18 Edition

Well, I just got back from another great morning down at the stadium, and as promised have the full report of all the action. Official press release from NavySports.com can be found right hyah.

We'll start off with the first team offense, and the very good news that quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada is out of his neck brace and managed to play two series'. It's a good thing to, because with Kaipo-Noa in the game the first team offense is almost unstoppable, as demonstrated by the fact that they took the ball right down the field on the first series for an early touchdown. The offensive line clearly got the best of the defensive line early in the game, and Adam Ballard ran extremely well in a style which could only be described as "gashing." Kaipo-Noa did not throw the ball often, but as was the case last week he looked comfortable in the pocket and put the ball right on the money. He clearly has a hold on the number one job. Most of the option plays were keepers or pitches to Zerbin Singleton, who had a fine game. Reggie did not touch the ball and saw limited action, although he did throw some very nice blocks. Shun White had (I believe) one catch but was otherwise not featured today. Ballard was the star for the first team offense, running 11 times for 80 yards, with 79 of those yards coming on the first series.

As for the number one defense, let's just say things improved once Kaipo was out of the lineup and Ballard was no longer the focal point. I was impressed by the defensive line as the the scrimmage wore on, especially as far as getting penetration into the backfield goes. There are still some issues that need to be resolved as far as the inside running game goes, but both Nate Frazier and Chirs Kahur Pitters were able to get into the backfield and cause some disruption. Nate also really impressed me on a screen in which the 285-lb sophomore ran down Eric Kettani after "feeling" the play develop (albeit ten yards downfield.) Pitch Right's pick for "surprise defensive player of the year" Matt Nechak had another solid outing with eight tackles, including two for a loss and a sack, while former basketball star turned safety Corey Johnson looked good in run support with ten tackles. Watching the defense play out there today got me thinking. I know there are some obvious concerns but I like that a lot of guys are getting reps in practice and I like our chances for the season. There is a good deal of sideline to sideline speed our there and in general the pursuit was outstanding. There was certainly some major hitting going, a point established early by Ketric Buffin, who amazes me with his ability to cut down much larger players in the open field. I'm also getting really excited about the linebacker unit, which I've maintained all offseason is still the strength of the defense. Matt Humiston and Michael Walsh look like they are going to be solid players on the outside this year. And speaking of linebackers, we've got some very talented and aggressive backups waiting in the wings, including guys like Tony Haberer and the aforementioned Matt Nechak.

Plebe Ricky Dobbs continued to impress, as he showed off precision accuracy and great elusiveness within the pocket. He threw a bullet to Mike Schupp who made a nice move to get into the endzone late in the scrimmage. Dobbs has been working with the second and the third teams, but for those of you keeping track of the quarterback competition for 2009, I think we've found our favorite. In fact, he may even move to third string before the end of camp. I hate to say this because I know how hard Troy Goss has worked, but I think his catch-22 continues considering how well Dobbs has been playing. As for Troy, well, he did show some real courage running the option today, and looked more aggressive running the football than I've seen in the past. However he and the other backup quarterbacks (including Dobbs) need to show better care in taking care of the football. I don't know what it was today but we seemed to have a lot of trouble on exchanges from center and to the fullback. These are basic tenants of the offense, and seeing the ball on the ground that many times is not encouraging.

Some more random tidbits: T.J. Thiel has quietly emerged as one of the better reserve receivers on this team, and could be putting himself in line for playing time this season... Speaking of wide receivers, plebe Mike Schupp showed off some good hands and athletic ability, although he did blow a blocking assignment on an early end-around...Plebe Wyatt Middleton is an explosive and aggressive player in the defensive secondary, and has great nose for the football... I thought he did an excellent job in run support today... Bobby Doyle took a real shot on the scrimmage and had to be directed off the field, but I sat at his table during lunch and he seemed to indicate he was o.k...Speaking of banged up slotbacks, I ran into our good friend Greg Shinego who thanked me for all the publicity and said he'd be ready for Temple on the 31st...Last week's star Andre Byrd was not in the lineup today, likely due to a problem with his paperwork going through the NCAA Clearinghouse...A fellow I was chatting with behind me during the play asked me if I had already graduated the Academy, to which I responded that I'm just a local fan who attends a nearby University. I bring this up because it's a far cry from when I met GoMids.com's David Ausiello, who pegged me as a freshmen in high school. Both of course are forgiven, as I know it's sometimes difficult to gauge the age of a, uh, vertically challenged individual.

At the Blue-and-Gold cookout after the scrimmage I was able to talk to some players and hear some interesting tidbits. First off I sat across from Nate Frazier at lunch and man let me tell you that guy enjoys his meals (as can be expected.) I don't think I heard more than a few words out of him the entire time. I sat next to Jordan Reagan, who confirmed that Greg Thrasher would be suspended for the first game because he "broke some team rules." Apparently, he's working with the scout team in the meantime. Eric Kettani was also nearby, and we chatted for awhile about the blog, the new Supe, and the fate of Army week. He said that as far as he knew, all the football players signed their "two-for-sevens."

Overall, most of the players did voice their disappointment that movement orders for Midshipmen have been cancelled for several of the away games. Most of the guys understood the need to improve discipline and were fine with several of the measures taken, but they couldn't get over not having a large contingent of Mids in the stands for Temple and Rutgers. In addition, a lot of the guys were worried about Army week, in particular the rumors that it may not exist anymore. I happen to share some of their concerns, and just hope that the Academy can maintain the outstanding support of the football program without having to sacrifice discipline. I'll have more thoughts on this particular matter early next week.

Well, that's about all to it. This scrimmage was not a whole lot different from the last one in what we can take out of it. The number one offense is going to move the ball, that much is apparent, but I think the defense is coming along. It will be really interesting to see how they do against a non-option offense, especially considering all the athletic ability in the linebacking corps and secondary. All in all, there is progress being made and guys working hard to solidify or push for positions, and the team is finally starting to come together.

I'll do my best to answer questions or give my thoughts if anyone has any comments.

Ultimate Navy Preview 2007: Fullbacks

Today we continue our preview of the 2007 Navy football team, taking a look at one of the positions that makes Navy's offense unique among Division I college teams. While the fullback position has been reduced to a lead blocking role if not altogether abandoned for an extra wide receiver, in Paul Johnson's triple option the fullback still thrives as the main ball carrier. Here's the rundown on this year's three-deep:

Adam Ballard: The heir apparent to Kyle Eckel, when Ballard has been healthy he's been an unstoppable force up the middle for Navy over the last two seasons. After rushing for 668 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore in 2005, Ballard figured to be a sure 1000 yard rusher last season and probably would have been had he not missed the majority of several games with various injuries. He nevertheless managed to rush for 792 yards and three touchdown on 5.1 yards a carry. At 6'1, 223 he has the size and strength to break arm tackles and flat out bulldoze the occasional defensive back, while he sports good speed and vision which have paved the way for several long runs in the past. More than anything else, he's a reliable back who takes care of the football and advances the ball, rarely losing yardage and always keeping opposing defenses honest. I talked to him three weeks ago and he says that he's recovered and ready to go from a broken right fibula he suffered against Army, so expect him to be 100% going into the opener. An interesting statistic to note is that Navy has never lost a game when Ballard has rumbled for over 100 yards. His unique combination of strength and athleticism make him an ideal fullback in Paul Johnson's offense I look for him to have a big year in 2007 and finally eclipse the 1000 yard rushing mark in a single season.

Eric Kettani: Navy fans have been ecstatic about the ascent of junior from Kirkland, Ohio, and with good reason. While he only ran 229 yards and a touchdown last season, it's been the nature of his yards which have really attracted attention. He's one of the most physically gifted Navy players on the roster, running a sub 4.6/40 while owning a bench press max close to 400 power. But even with these workout warrior type numbers, it's his ability to see the field and find the hole that really makes him a good runner. Eric also possesses good hips and great balance, traits which make him all the more difficult to tackle. He had an awesome spring and while he doesn't have the experience or numbers of Ballard, his athleticism may force the coaching staff to utilize him on a more frequent basis in 207.

Kevin Campbell: Talented player who looks to continue the recent tradition of Navy fullbacks. He won't see much, if any time behind the likes of Ballard and Kettani this season, but could be a key figure going into 2008.

Overall: This looks like the best group of fullbacks under Coach Johnson, and certainly one of the better groups in the modern era at Navy. Ballard is a flat out beast who has the experience, talent, and battering ram mindset you want in a starting fullback, while Eric Kettani may be the closest thing to a pro style tailback on the roster. A young but promising group of sophomores round out this bunch, making it not only very good, but very deep.

Grade: 9.5

CFN Previews Navy's 2007 Campaign

Well, it's that time of year again. Collegefootballnews.com, the only 365(ish) day-a-year college football website not run by the World Wide Leader, has released its 2007 preview of the Navy Midshipmen. The preview is really not that bad, as the folks at CFN seem to have finally come around to the idea that Navy is a legitimate Bowl team, and that as long as Paul Johnson is at the helm, the Mids are "here to stay" so to speak in the world of college football. There are, however, some interesting comments made by writer Pete Fiutak, who doesn't seem to lack a solid grasp on the backup personnel on this team. That's not really surprising, and I don't hold Mr. Fiutak particularly responsible for several of these misconceptions, since, let's face it, the guy is doing previews for 119 teams. Still, let me address these issues, and try to establish some clarity.


The attention given to Navy's slotbacks is admirable and warranted, but I think sometimes the "big media" loses sight of just how important the offensive line and receivers are in order to produce those huge lanes for the slotbacks to take advantage of. I'm not questioning the speed or athleticism of a Reggie Campbell or a Shun White, and I'll be the first to attest that both of those individuals, along with Zerb Singleton, have the ability to make guys miss in the open field and to outrun opposing defenses. Yet without good execution beginning with the QB-FB mesh, and moving to the outside, these gains would be impossible.


This leads to perhaps my biggest disagreement with the article, which gives the Midshipmen receivers a grade of 3.5. O.J. Washington and Tyree Barnes may not be Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight, but they both do a solid job in stalk blocking and are athletic enough to make plays when Navy does decide to throw the ball. As mentioned before, Greg Sudderth also has a chance to be a real productive receiver in both the blocking and receiving facets of the game, and I liked how the article made mention of his athletic ability. The receivers do, generally, a good job in what they are suppose to do, and can only be as effective in the passing game as the quarterback allows them to be. After all, how many times did we see O.J. or Jason Tomlinson streak wide open down the field last year, only to be overthrown? To be perfectly honest, I think our wideouts are better than people think, although I do agree that depth is something of an issue. For what it's worth, I give this unit a grade of a 6.


Mr. Fiutak makes another questionable point with FB Eric Kettani, who he says isn't "near the talent Ballard is." While everyone knows I'm a huge Adam Ballard fan, Mr. Fiutak obviously misses the mark with Kettani, who coach Johnson believes will continue to give Ballard a run for his money during the fall practice sessions. Kettani is an explosive runner with great hips and tremendous vision, and plays with good pad level which allows him to bounce off tacklex at will. While Mr. Fiutak calls backup fullback the weakness of this team, I have to think its actually a major strength, and would venture to say that even the third string fullback, Kevin Campbell, has a real upside as well. Furthermore, Mr. Fiutak overestimates the role of Matt Hall, who was really being phased out as a backup for Kettnai midway trough the year due to fumbling problems. And while Ballard should have a monster year, I think Kettani has more NFL potential, if only because he fits the mold of a a pro set "running back" better than Ballard.


Other than those points, like I said I think Mr. Fituak did a very good job. He seems right to draw the success/fail mark at around eight wins, and points out (as he's done in the past) that the most important game of the season really comes in the October matchup against Air Force. Unfortunately this will most likely be the only Navy preview out for some time, until the summer guides come out sometime in June (including the all important Phil Steele magazine.)

Spring Game Report

The sun was shining on Saturday afternoon in Annapolis, Maryland, as Navy’s Blue team bested the Gold team in the intrasquad matchup at Navy-Marine Crops Memorial Stadium in front of, well, I’d say a few hundred folks, give or take. And while the game was more of a reward for the hard work of the past month or so, for what it’s worth I took some notes, and have recorded my impressions below.

I guess I’ll begin with the quarterbacks, since that’s where these reports usually start out. Both Kaipo-Noa and Troy Goss sat out, which made for an interesting matchup between Jarod Bryant on the Blue team and Greg Zingler on the Gold team. Both however, were marked with a degree of inconsistency, although one would think Zingler was much more inconsistent than Bryant. Jarod made some good throws, including the game’s only touchdown, going 9-15 for 135 yards on the day. As noted before, Bryant has really improved in the running the option, although he did make a few mistakes in the scrimmage, including a fumbled exchange and a couple of poor pitches. With all the talk about his arm strength, I think we as fans underestimate his athletic ability, and a performance like the one he had today reminds us that when it comes to eluding tacklers, Jarod is second to none on this team. He shows good quickness at hitting the hole, and really impressed me with his ball fakes and head fakes. His reads were shaky at times, and I thought he could have gone to the fullback more when the defense walked people up from the ends. While he’ll get another chance to challenge Kaipo during fall practice, he’s a solid number two quarterback for the time being. Zingler was, well, up and down. I thought when he threw the ball well his receivers failed to make plays, and when he threw the ball poorly bad things happened (five picks, although one was clearly not his fault.) He did not get a ton of help from the Gold team offensive line, but than again he held onto the football way too long at times and was unable to avoid sacks.

The fullbacks, as you can expect, played well as usual, although Adam Ballard left the game in the second quarter with a limp. Eric Kettani continued to impress, bouncing off tackles and picking his way through the Blue defense for. Kevin Campbell also did well, rushing for. 35 yards on 1 carries.

At the risk of making a statement much too broad, Reggie Campbell really seems like he’s on another planet in terms of pure, unadulterated athletic ability. Maybe it’s the fact that he out-jumped Jeff Deliz (who happens to be five inches taller than Reggie) on a pass downfield, or maybe it’s the fact that he simply eludes tackles at will, but the guy is special. He did not see a ton of time in the game, but, as always, he was electric whenever he touched the ball. Zerb Singleton played well in limited time as well, and Jon Forbes showed some good moves.

I was very much impressed with Greg Sudderth, who looks much more comfortable as a receiver than he did at defensive back. Sudderth showed us all why he was so highly touted out of High School during the Blue-Gold game, getting separation downfield and picking up tough yards after the catch. I think he’s going to solidify his spot as the team’s third receiver, and could even push an often injured Tyree Barnes for playing time in the fall. He certainly has the big-play potential in the receiving department, and is showing himself to be a decent downfield blocker.

Speaking of wide receivers, how about O.J. Washington? He nearly makes a great catch on the first play of the day, and avoided the obvious drops that plagued many of the backup wideouts. We all know he’s excellent blocker, but the strides he’s made in the receiving facet of his game have really come alive. He is clearly the number one guy at receiver, and is probably one of the only “sure things” on the offensive depth chart.

As mentioned before, the other wideouts played somewhat inconsistently. Nick Henderson did show the ability to create separation, but also fell down on a route which led to a pick. The blocking by the receivers could also improve as well/

Both teams showed a couple of different looks in the defensive backfield, and despite having a fairly quiet day, FS Jeff Deliz has probably earned the starting job with a solid overall spring. 5-7 Darius Terry showed some ability at corner with an interception, as did rising senior Jordan Reagan. I’m really high on Reagan, who is also one of the fastest players on the team. He’s a smart player with good athleticism who also shows the ability to come off the edge on blitzes. He recorded one interception in the game, and has put himself in a position to further challenge for playing time this fall.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of watching the game was the battle that was going on between NT Nate Frazier and C Antron Harper. And when I say battle, I’m not exaggerating. These guys have gone after it all spring, with the 5-11 Harper really taking it to the highly touted 6-3 Frazier. Frazier made some good plays in the backfield as the game progressed, but you could really see him having problems with Harper early, even when the converted center was isolated on him. This is great news for both players, who will instrumental on their respected parts of the line next year.

The play between the “O” and “D” lines was, in my estimation anyway, very back and forth. I guess that’s what you can expect in a game like this, which Johnson has continually said was “just for fun.” Still, the offensive lines on both teams committed several penalties, including some silly false starts that must be corrected.

At linebacker, Clint Sovie continued to distinguish himself, as did Jon Alvarado, who shows a real ability to read plays and come off of blocks. He finished the day with 13 tackles and two sacks. Matt Humiston was also impressive, and has the athletic ability necessary to anchor the outside linebacker position. Jesse Iwuji, Scott Reider, and Arti Pauls all made some eye-opening hits, as did Ross Pospisil, who had eight tackles and two sacks.

Overall, it was a good day to get out and watch a little football, and considering the team avoided any major injuries, a good day in the development of this particular team.

I’ll be back later to share more thoughts on both the Spring Game and Spring Practices in general. Until then you can read the official release of the game from Navysports.com or head over for continued coverage at GoMids.com.