Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo warned slotback Shun White he would be the focus of the Midshipmen’s game plan to beat Towson in the teams’ season opener on Saturday.
He was listening.
White rushed for a Navy single-game record 348 yards en route to the team’s 41-13 win over Towson.
“There have been a lot of question marks,” Niumatalolo said. “Shun stepped up and I am very proud of him. We told him we were going to ride him as long as we could.”
Towson struggled the entire game to even slow down Navy’s rushing attack as White took advantage of a defensive scheme designed to stop the Midshipmen’s inside runs, continually taking pitches and toss-plays down the side line. White claimed the record on a meager 19 carries, reaching the end zone three times. Navy rushed for 558 yards and four touchdowns on 58 carries as a team, the third-most yards in a game in school history.
“I just told myself I was going to go out there and give my best for the team,” White said. “Every time I got the ball, I was going to run has fast as I could, as hard as I could.”
White’s total is the 17th highest in NCAA history and he is the first player in Navy history to rush for more than 300 yards in a game. The previous single-game record was held by Eddie Meyers, who ran 42 times for 298 yards in 1981 against Syracuse.
“Every time I came over to the sideline I congratulated the offensive line — the run blockers — and the receivers and slotbacks,” White said. “The offense works as a unit and I thought they did a good job today blocking on the perimeter and inside.”
So is White a Heisman Trophy candidate?
“I doubt it,” he said with a laugh.
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