Navy linebacker Ram Vela loved to harass Jeff Deliz as the safety worked to shed the 20 pounds he gained when he was sidelined with a broken right foot last season.
“I have been teasing him about moving to linebacker since last year,” Vela said regarding his teammate’s increased bulk around his belly. “I think he would be a great fit for the position. I always tell him he is going to come to meetings with us and he’s always like ‘no way, man.’”
Deliz has shed most of the weight, but the 5-foot-11, 210-pounder regularly moves toward the line of scrimmage to replace an outside linebacker in the nickel package, a role he thrived in two years ago.
The defensive formation is used to counter teams that pass frequently or are in an obvious passing situation, especially on third down when more than four yards are needed for a first down.
“Sometimes, I catch [defensive coordinator Buddy] Green going ‘When you are down at striker, er I mean nickel back,’ and I’m like, ‘I know coach, I know,’” Deliz said with a laugh after a recent practice. “Anything I can do to help the team — they could put me on the defensive line if they wanted to.”
Deliz and the Midshipmen (6-4) look to secure their sixth straight winning season against Northern Illinois (6-5) at Huskie Stadium tonight at 7 on ESPN Classic. The Huskies, who lost to Navy, 35-24, last year in Annapolis, are coming off a dominating, 42-14 win against Kent State and average 26.2 points per game.
“We are walking into a hornet’s nest, I truly believe that,” Coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “They were a tough team for us to beat last year and they didn’t have anything to play for when we played them. That was one of our harder games last year.”
But Navy’s defense also is greatly improved from last season.
The unit is allowing 25.7 points per game, 10.7 fewer than last season, marking the sixth-biggest improvement nationally.
Deliz suffered a fractured right foot when it got stuck in the turf at Rutgers Stadium during the eighth play in the second game of last season. The pain was so excruciating it impaired his walking, causing him to withdraw from school.
But now he’s back, and so is Navy’s defense. Deliz has a team-high 71 tackles to go with a sack and interception and has Navy on pace to score its hat trick: A victory over Army, keep the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy and appear in a bowl game.
“He gives us a little more speed,” Green said of Deliz, who is listed as a starter at safety or linebacker for tonight’s game. “He has been very productive there and made a lot of plays in the passing and running game.”
