Arguably one of the turning points in the Navy football team?s 38-14 loss to Notre Dame Saturday was the Fighting Irish picking up a first down after a 15-yard late-hit penalty on Midshipmen linebacker Rob Caldwell.
Without the penalty, Navy ? which trailed, 24-14, at the time ? would have stopped Notre Dame for the first time all game. Instead, the penalty kept the drive alive, and the Fighting Irish scored a touchdown five plays later and never looked back.
That play represented one of the biggest flaws in Navy?s defense this year. Opponents have converted 47 of 105 third-down opportunities, including 19 of 39 conversions in the Midshipmen?s three losses.
Navy coach Paul Johnson said stopping teams on third down is going to be crucial for the Midshipmen?s success the rest of the season, including Saturday at winless Duke.
“What killed us was their making plays on third down,” Johnson said after Saturday?s game. “We did a good job of forcing them into third-and-longs, but to their credit, they converted them.”
Allowing drives to continue on third down has only exposed Navy?s weakness on defense even more, especially in the secondary, where the Midshipmen (5-3) allow 228.8 yards a game, giving them the 92nd-ranked passing defense in the country.
“It?s so disappointing,” Navy senior cornerback Kennan Little said. “You?re out there so long, and then they get to a third-down play. You know if you can make one play, you can get off the field, and if they convert it, it hurts your heart.”
Senior linebacker Tyler Tidwell said stopping opponents on third down is especially important for a team like Navy, which must minimize its mistakes in order to make up for the physical disparity service academy teams face against opponents from traditional colleges.
“That?s demoralizing for any defense,” Tidwell said. “That can take the wind out of your sails. That is something that has hurt our defense the last two years in giving up third-and-longs. We saw that again [Saturday], and that is something we have to work on. You?re not going to beat a team like Notre Dame by letting them convert on third downs all day long, which we certainly let them do.”
NAVY DEFENSIVE NOTES
» Cornerback Kennan Little and nose guard David Wright ? both seniors ? had career-highs with 10 and eight tackles, respectively. Also, senior linebacker David Mahoney?s first-quarter sack of Notre Dame?s Brady Quinn gave him nine this season and 19 for his career. Both are second all-time in school history.
