In the most frustrating of his four full seasons at Navy, coach Ken Niumatalolo got one of his most satisfying wins Saturday at FedEx Field 27-21 over Army. Beating the overmatched Black Knights in previous seasons, when the Midshipmen’s triple-option offense was in high gear, was hardly a monumental achievement. But doing it this year, amid adversity and self-doubt and against an inspired team determined to end its losing streak in the series, was another matter.
Keeping Navy (5-7) together after losing five games by a combined 11 points and failing to win the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy or make a bowl game for the first time in eight years wasn’t easy, especially considering the complications.
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In a nightmarish October in which Navy went 0-5, fullback and co-captain Alexander Teich was suspended for a game, kicker Jon Teague was suffering a bad case of the yips, slotback Aaron Santiago was out with a broken arm, quarterback Kriss Proctor was struggling to keep his left (throwing) elbow in its socket and the team’s best player and co-captain, defensive end Jabaree Tuani, was rendered ineffective by a series of injuries.
But throughout the season, Niumatalolo stood by his star-crossed players. On Saturday, all played key roles, especially Teague, who drilled the decisive field goals in the fourth quarter.
“[Coach] said, ‘I’m so happy for you, so happy for you.’ He must have said it five times,” Teague said. “That’s what makes him great. He cares so much about us.”
– Kevin Dunleavy
