Navy quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada and fullback Adam Ballard enter today?s game against rival Army at M&T Bank Stadium believing they have something to prove.
Kaheaku-Enhada had what he considers one of his worst performances of his career in last year?s 26-14 victory over Army. The junior completed 1-of-6 passes for 11 yards and rushed for 64 yards on 15 carries at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
“I didn?t have very good game at all and that was pretty obvious,” Kaheaku-Enhada said. “I just have to go out and do my job, run the offense and have fun. Against Army is the only game where I?ve ever been nervous. The biggest thing that got to me was the history and the rivalry. I don?t see that happening this time.”
Ballard also doesn?t have many fond memories from last year?s game, as he broke his leg during his second carry early in the first quarter in his team?s fifth straight victory over the Black Knights.
Ballard, a 6-foot-1, 236-pound senior from Lewisville, Texas, returned this season and played in all 11 games, starting six. He has rushed for 588 yards and 5 touchdowns on 122 carries, but said his success this season would be diminished if Navy (7-4) loses to Army (3-8) in front of a national television audience on CBS.
“We?re all ready to play,” Ballard said. “We?ve been working hard for two weeks and we know what we?ve got to do. This game is big for me and all the seniors on the team. I wanted to come out and have a big game last year in front of my family, but unfortunately, I got hurt. Now I feel like I have to redeem myself.”
Navy senior linebacker Irv Spencer said the game represents an opportunity for the defense to redeem itself in a season in which it has allowed 435 points ? one shy of the school record set in 2002. Navy?s defense allows an average of 39.6 points a game, which ranks 117 out of 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams. Army averages 18.2 points per game, which is one of the lowest outputs in the country.
However, both beleaguered units showed improvement in their last game. Navy?s defense is coming off one of its best performances of the season in a 34-24 win over Northern Illinois on Nov. 17. On the same day, Army scored the most points it had all year in a 49-39 loss to Tulsa.
“We started to make more plays and have been in the right position and not had so many missed assignments in recent weeks,” Spencer said. “That?s the biggest key for us now. We don?t want to be part of the team that has Navy?s winning streak against Army snapped.”
