Navy sophomore Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada said in the preseason that he would do whatever was asked of him to get on the field. He added, though, that his preference would be to play quarterback.
Kaheaku-Enhada should get his wish this weekend. He likely will be the starter when Navy (5-2) faces No. 9 Notre Dame (6-1) Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Midshipmen coach Paul Johnson also hinted that fellow sophomore Jarod Bryant could also get some snaps under center in the team?s first game since starting quarterback Brian Hampton suffered a season-ending knee injury Oct. 14 in a 34-0 loss to Rutgers.
Johnson said his team has gotten over the initial shock of losing Hampton and is ready to move on and rally around whoever is the team?s quarterback the rest of the season.
“That is water under the bridge,” Johnson said. “That?s old news now. Move on. We?ve had plenty of time to get through that. We haven?t played a game yet, but we?ve practiced. Until you mentioned it, I hadn?t even thought about it.”
Although Kaheaku-Enhada and Bryant are both in their second years at Annapolis, the former has a slight edge in the competition to start since he is already versed in the complexities surrounding the triple-option offense. Kaheaku-Enhada ran that offense while playing at Kapolei High in Hawaii. His coach there, Michael Carter, brought the system with him after playing quarterback at Hawaii, where Johnson was the offensive coordinator in the early 1990s.
Still, whoever is under center won?t have an easy task. Notre Dame has beaten the Midshipmen 42 straight games, including 42-21 last season. Kaheaku-Enhada said while having the extra week of practice was nice, part of him wanted to get back on the field right away following the Rutgers loss, Navy?s worst defeat since Connecticut beat them, 38-0, on Nov. 16, 2002.
“You don?t want to dwell on a loss for that long, but having the extra week of practice gives us a chance to get everything right,” Kaheaku-Enhada said. “I have an opportunity to show I can run the offense. I just need to make sure that I play within myself.”
Navy notes
» Either Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada or Jarod Bryant will be the first Navy quarterback to get their first career start against Notre Dame since Brian Madden faced the Irish in South Bend, Ind., in 1999.
» In that 1999 game, Madden rushed for 168 yards on 34 carries as Navy led, 24-21, before Notre Dame scored a late touchdown to win, 28-24.
» Neither Kaheaku-Enhada nor Bryant established much of a rhythm against Rutgers. Kaheaku-Enhada was 2 of 6 passing for 28 yards while Bryant completed 2 of 10 for 20 yards.
