Coming Up Big: The Defensive Plays that Beat Notre Dame

As a commenter pointed out this morning, at this time last week I was less than convinced of Navy's ability to beat Notre Dame. In my defense, Navy's defense had shown very few signs of life this season, and the fact was that it didn't take a Gallup poll organizer to figure out that the vast majority of well informed Navy fans had their serious doubts going into the game. In fact, on the surface it would not appear as though Navy played a very good defensive game, giving up 375 yards and 44 points to an offense which had been previously ranked dead last in the country. But for those who watched this game and who have followed Navy's defensive struggles all year it was more than apparent that the very much embattled Navy defense made major strides against the Irish, and in the end came up big and helped deliver arguably the biggest win in Navy football history.

So often in big games we here that same cliche of "guys made plays" just thrown around. It's a cliche I've come to hate, but one which I can't help but find myself embracing when discussing Navy's timely defensive performance on Saturday. Let's face it, Navy didn't play a perfect defensive game by any means, but when the going got tough these guys never quit, and when the team needed stops the most the defense came up with them. On a day of big plays here are the three biggest from the defense:


Ram Vela Goes Superman




Only two days after the game the image of Ram Vela hurling himself over the head of Armando Allen has already reached iconic status, and rightfully so. Not only has his picture been in the sports section of every major newspaper in America, but the sophomore from San Antonio has already reached cult-hero status at EDSBS.com. Contrary to the captions in those papers, Ram didn't actually register a sack on the play (it was credited to Kahur-Pitters) but the disruption caused was enough, as the play itself gave the Midshipmen a much needed shot of momentum after he has previously whiffed on an easy sack minutes earlier that let the Irish back into the game. Oh yea, and it stopped what everyone thought was a sure fire, game-winning scoring drive for the Irish. To his credit, Ram never quit after the 4th and 14 conversion, and neither did Navy's defense.

Kahur-Pitters Take It In

In my mind, this was really the critical turning point in the game. Navy, trailing by one, had survived a missed Notre Dame field goal late in the third quarter, and as Kaipo-Noa and the offense took the field it looked as though the Midshipmen were going to be able to pull ahead. But Navy's drive stalled at the Notre Dame 29, and Joey Bullen was unable to connect on a 47 yard kick, giving the ball back to the Irish and swinging momentum back in favor of Notre Dame. I don't know about you, but I sure had a sinking feeling at that point, knowing that the offense may have just missed their one opportunity to take the lead. But to their credit, the defense never quit, and Michael Walsh and Nate Frazier crashed down on Evan Sharpley, in the process knocking the ball free deep in Notre Dame territory. Kahur-Pitters, who seemingly came out of nowhere this week to have a huge game, did a good job picking up the fumble and running it in to give Navy their first lead of the game.

The Stand

Navy's final defensive stop will forever be remembered as "the stand." In his post game comments, Coach Johnson told the media that he "sent the house" on the play, indicating that he blitzed all eleven defensive players. It was a gutsy yet calculated move, as Johnson guessed correctly that after failing to throw for the conversion on the previously called back play Wies would not risk throwing it again. The play was made possible by a great push by Nate Frazier up front and a fine job by Blake Carter crashing from the outside, forcing Travis Thomas to cut right back into a slicing Irv Spencer. Great call, great execution, and above all, the greatest defneisve play I have ever witnessed.

Putting It All Together

Last week, I echoed the words of Paul Johnson in saying that Navy's defensive struggles were not all physical, and that if the Midshipmen could just find a way to play with confidence then Navy would be successful against the Irish. This week we saw exactly that, as the Midshipmen defense fed off of the entire team's momentum and played with more tenacity and more speed than we have seen in week's past. Also critical to our understanding of Navy's defensive success are the negative plays forced. Navy had had just five sacks all year until Saturday, when the Midshipmen defense sacked Evan Sharpley a whopping four times for 35 yards. I thought the defensive line did an outstanding job the entire game, in particular Nate Frazier, who overcome weeks of criticism by stepping up and getting penetration in the backfield when it counted. Michael Walsh played a good game to, as did Kahur-Pitters. Wyatt Middleton, who left the game in the fourth quarter with a still undisclosed injury, was having an awesome game in run support, as was Blake Carter, who despite being out of position of a Notre Dame touchdown pass made some greta tackles to prevent long gains. And then there's Irv Spencer, who once again showed that when it comes to playing with fire and intensity, he's on par with the best linebackers of the Paul Johnson era. I could go down the entire list, but at one point another almost every member of Navy's defense made a play which, in it's own small way, helped build up the unit's confidence and contribute to the win. These efforts were no limited to just starters though. Darius Terry, who came in for an injured Kevin Edwards for several plays, made an excellent play to seal of Robby Parris from catching a touchdown pass, while Ross Pospisil and Emmett Merchent came in late in the game and were in on several big stops in overtime. After the Delaware loss, I questioned if Navy's defense was going to get any better this season. I know we need to keep it in perspective (especially against a struggling Notre Dame offense) but after Saturday evening I'm excited to see what the future holds for this young Navy defense.

The You Tube Fallout

Scenes from the weekend of Navy football fandom:

God I Love This Game

Where should I start? Where can I start? I mean seriously, after 43 years, more than double my life mind you, where could I possibly start?

I guess the only place to start is at the end, more specifically the play you’ve by now seen a million times, and, if you’re like me, could see a million times again. It was a play that probably never should have happened to be honest, a play that was born from a questionable pass interference penalty that seemed to once again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. But after 43 years, three overtimes and a fourth and goal stop called back, Navy’s much aligned defense wasn’t going to settle for another week of woulda, coulda, and shouldas, and wasn’t about to let the window slip away.

It was a fitting end to a game which Navy fans are already calling one of, if not the best finishes in the program’s long history, as Navy’s much maligned defense stood tall and stopped Travis Thomas in the backfield on a second fourth and goal in the third overtime. It was, as it has been said many times today by many different people, the stuff of which legends are born, and I consider myself both extremely blessed and extremely fortunate to have witnessed it in person.
When I got back from the airport this morning I read that Coach Johnson gave the team three keys to success in his pregame speech. He told them, three strait times, to believe that they could win. Never was a cliché more apt or appropriate, and never have they rung more true. Navy won this game for a lot of reasons, many of which we will undoubtedly look into in the coming days, and not the least of which was the final stop on fourth and goal.

But if you ask me, Navy won this game because in the end the Mids wanted it more, and because in the end players like Ram Vela decided that they didn’t want to be the guy who was remembered for missing an easy sack that allowed the Irish to climb back in. It was because a guy like Nate Frazier played his ass off all game, and that what looked to be a hodgepodge of defensive backs before a game showed up and made plays when it mattered.

As I look back on this game, typing this report while watching my taped copy for the second time this evening, I can’t help but stare at disbelief at the screen for a moment, asking myself if this really happened, if I was really there. But watching those vital snapshots, the images of Vela over Allen and Kahur-Pitters rumbling into the endzone let me know that what we saw last night was something that we as Navy fans will never forget.

There have been some people who’ve already started saying that this win doesn’t mean as much because of Notre Dame’s 1-8 record. These people have no idea what they are talking about. As Coach Johnson said last week, this is still Notre Dame, still bigger and stronger, still faster and more athletic, and still filled with 43 years of winning tradition over the Midshipmen. For an outsider, it may have been hard to see a David vs Glioth matchup in a showdown of 1-7 and 4-4 teams, but make no mistake about it, that’s what it was yesterday, and will be for some time to come. But for one time, just one time, David came out top, and in the process vindicated 43 years worth of balls to the walls never-say-die Navy football players. And to think, all it took was a little belief, and a defense that refused to quit.

God, do I love this game.

Ram Vela

One of the best things about an "off" week like this is that you inevitably hear a little more about individual players outside of the football field. Unfortunately for most teams, this kind of news usually comes from the police blotter, and in the case of Navy sophomore Ram Vela, it almost came from the, uh, national defense blotter.

What I'm referring to is last year's visit to the White House, is which Ram was inexplicably pulled over by security guards and subsequently interrogated. I kid you not:

I was about to walk in and the lady checking my ID saw my name and said into a microphone that "he's here" and she asked me to step to the side so I stepped to the side and a secret service agent came and just started hammering me with questions about where I was from, when I was born, just a bunch of questions. He had a piece of paper with him and I was able to see it and it had my name and I guess the guy who they thought I was matched up to me completely. He had the same name, same height, same weight, everything. They were looking for tattoos on my hand and everything. It was pretty scary. I didn't know what to think. I thought maybe I didn't pay a traffic ticket or something and there was a warrant out for me that I didn't know about. Finally they let me go in with the team. It took about 15 minutes and all the guys really gave me a hard time. Everybody thought I had a secret life. I guess the guy they were looking for lived in Minnesota. His name was Ramiro Ray Vela and that is my name. His nickname was even Ram like mine."

Aside from being extremely weird and probably more than embarrassing for Ram, this kind of story cracks me up. Maybe the only thing funnier than that is Ram's outlook at his constant position changes.

"I was a recruited quarterback, played some receiver and slot back at the prep school, then came here and started out as a slot back, was moved to corner, tried to play safety and that didn't work, moved back to corner and now I'm at outside linebacker. I'm wondering if the defensive line is next."

Just a haunch, but I think Ram may have found his spot at the outside linebacker "raider" position. In his six tackle effort last week Ram showed off his speed and instincts that at times seemed reminiscent to former Navy great David Mahoney. With Buddy Green digging deep into the depth chart, he may have finally found a player that has the ability to match up well in both run support and pass coverage. Ram also gives Buddy Green and his defense a player that can get into the backfield when coming on the outside, which could come in handy down the road as Navy's young defense begins to mature. I know we have a long way to go on defense, but the point is that the talent is there, it just has to be developed and refined. It probably won't happen this year, but at some point the players from the class of 2010, including guys like Vela and Tony Haberer, are going to come together and turn in a complete performance.

Scrimmage Debrief

It was a great day for the first scrimmage of the preseason at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday morning, as we finally got a break from the heat to enjoy some actual college football (as opposed to, you know, the CFL or something.) First off I'd suggest that everyone check out the official release from Scott S. over at NavySports.com, which includes quotes from Coach Johnson and a nice summery of the events. My thoughts are as followed:

First and foremost, which players were the most impressive? I guess to answer that question we first have to take a scrimmage like this into context. Not only were some of Navy's best players not in the lineup for the day (minor precautionary reasons) but the purpose of the first scrimmage is to find out who can play on the team and who can't. Yes, Reggie Campbell was impressive every time he touched the football, but then again we already knew that. Today was less about getting the ball to the play makers and piling up points than it was about finding out how different groups of players work together and which guys from the second and third team have a shot at breaking out. As far as commenting on the first team offense goes, I will say that Kaipo looked sharp in the pocket today, and although he only completed half of his passes he seems to have more zip on the ball and more confidence in the pocket. It's also worth noting that he had some very good protection up front. Ballard ran strong as usual, and the first team offense line did a good job moving the first team defensive line back (for the most part.) The "D" did do a good job tightening up in the red zone as the scrimmage possessed, but it's more then fair to say the offense is ahead of the defense (as we expected.)

The second and third team offenses however seemed to struggle, particularly with basic concepts like taking care of the football. Readers of this site know that I am an unabashed fan of both Jarod Bryant and Troy Goss, but they each gave it back to the defense while playing with the first team (Jarod threw one to Blake Carter, Troy lost a fumble to Matt Nechak.) Blocking is still inconsistent with both the second and third teams, although their were some nice runs by the slotbacks, particularly Andre Byrd and Greg Shinego. Plebe Greg Jones also did some good things with the third team at slot back, as did Scott Oswald, who while still struggling with blocking assignments is getting better. The receivers need to show more poise and better hands while at the same time understanding their blocking assignments. There is a lot of raw talent on the second team, but it seems like a number of players are still struggling with the basic concepts of this offense.

Alright, on to the important stuff. Possible risers in the depth chart? I think you have to start with two plebes, those being QB Ricky Dobbs and SB Andre Byrd. Dobbs saw time with the second team and looked impressive running the ball. He spent some time at NAPS so it's obvious that he has an understanding of the offense to compliment his great athletic ability. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him listed on the three deep when Monday's depth chart comes out. As for Andre Byrd, he's obviously an outstanding athlete as well and could have a bright future. He reminds me a lot of Reggie Campbell with his running style. His height (5'7ish) allows him to run low to the ground and his patience and quickness are unmatched by the other plebe slotbacks. He's someone to keep an eye on in the future. On defense, Michael Walsh may be entrenching his spot at right end, while Andy Lark has quietly moved up in the order of things and could contend for a backup job. I also think Ram Vela may be able to put himself in contention for the nickel back spot by camp's end.

As for the defensive side of the ball, well, I hate to use this cliche, but they did some good things and they did some not so good things. I thought big Nate Frazier had a very good day, and liked seeing the kind of penetration he was able to get. I know Antron wasn't in there to challenge him, but he was able to cause some serious disruption in the backfield. Chris Kahur-Pitters did some good things as well. I like our linebackers all around. Their were some pads popping and in general they flew to the football well. Coming off blocks quicker is still a concerns (especially against the first team), but for the most part they did a good decent job. Secondary shows some promise. I like Ram Vela at corner and it seems like he's made some major strides since spring, while plebe Wyatt Middleton showed some toughness in on tackles. While were on the subject of hitting, anyone know who layed the wood on Bobby Doyle to cause the fumble Thiel scored on? I don't remember seeing much of this, but apparently Jeff Deliz did some good things as well (2 tfl.) Just as a side note, I tend to focus on the offense more (as most fans do) and it's fairly easy for me to lose track of what's going on in the secondary unless the play is right in front of me.

All and all, this wasn't a bad first scrimmage. It wasn't great, but it wasn't "freaking awful" as Paul Johnson would say. Whenever you have a lot of plebes out on the field (as there were) poise is going to be an issue, as was the case today. The first team offense is still well ahead of the defense, but we all knew that coming into camp. The point is that our defense will be fine. By "fine" I don't mean shutting people out, but there is enough talent and aggressiveness here that teams aren't just going to roll right on down the field. As far as things getting stressed in practice this week, I think it's got to be decision making and taking care of the football on offense. I think Coach Johnson will use Dobbs' play to push Jarod and Troy, who in their own right did some good things today. I think there might also be some attention paid to blocking on the perimeter once the tape is reviewed. That and knowing where you are on the field, as I saw one to many guys run into each other and botch a quarterback-fullback exchange. On defense, it's got to be what it always is. Discipline, tackling, and flying to the football.

That's it for now, at least until I can think of some more stuff I've probably forgotten and left out. I'll be back on Monday with some comments on the latest depth chart, and maybe even some thoughts on all this Maryland nonsense we keep hearing about.