No playing on the computer or partying.
Navy slotback Shun White had only two things in mind after the coaching staff canceled practice for two days following a 33-27 win over Air Force: going to class and resting.
“We played six games in a row so it’s about time to get a break,” the senior said. “No video game playing at this school — just work and sleep.”
And that approach has the Midshipmen at 4-2 entering their homecoming game against No. 24 Pittsburgh (4-1) on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
“We are refreshed,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “The pace of the academy is so fast, not to mention we had some tough ball games, it was good for the kids to get off a little bit and get away from the football complex.”
Navy began the season with a 41-13 rout of Towson, but dropped its next two — a 35-23 loss to now-No. 25 Ball State and a disappointing, 41-31, defeat at Duke. But on Sept. 20, the team began to turn its season around.
The Midshipmen trailed Rutgers, 14-6, at halftime in front of a school-record crowd of 37,821 before rallying for a 23-21 win. Navy used the momentum to upset then-No. 16 Wake Forest, 24-17, in Winston-Salem, N.C., marking the Midshipmen’s first victory over a ranked team since 1985. Last week, Navy won its sixth straight game against Air Force. The Midshipmen can claim the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy for the sixth straight year with a win over Army on Dec. 6 in Philadelphia.
One of the biggest reasons for Navy’s three-game winning streak is White’s leadership. The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder is the team’s leading rusher with 698 yards and four touchdowns on a meager 77 carries — an average of 9.1 yards per attempt. His stabilizing influence has helped the unit overcome the loss of senior starting quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, who has missed parts of six games with a partial left hamstring tear and is out indefinitely after re-aggravating the injury against Wake Forest.
“I can get the ball or not,” White said. “At Wake Forest, I had 20 yards, but I didn’t care, we just beat the No. 16 ranked team in the country. Of course if I I do touch it I am going to make a play, but if I don’t, it doesn’t matter as long as we win.”
UP NEXT
Navy (4-2) vs. No. 24 Pitt (4-1)
When » Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Where » Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
TV/Radio » CBS College Sports Network; 1090 AM
Tickets » Available
