Midshipmen defense looks to bedevil Duke

“What put the icing on the cake for me was a sign that read: ‘Navy Who?’” he said. “I mean, who are we right now? We have to go out and show people and earn some respect. Playing here at Navy, we aren’t just going to get it.”

Deliz and the Midshipmen (1-1) have their first shot at redemption against Duke (1-1) on Saturday at noon at Wallace Wade Stadium. Navy has won four straight against the Blue Devils, including a thrilling, 46-43 win in Annapolis last fall that the Midshipmen won on a 44-yard field goal by Joey Bullen as time expired.

“Guys need to do their job, that has been our biggest emphasis,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “If we can get to the point where guys are doing their assignments and doing it at 1,000 miles per hour then we will get good results.”

The Midshipmen struggled with their assignments last year, as Duke junior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis accounted for five touchdowns and was 23-of-36 passing for 428 yards to lead a unit that amassed 506 yards.

 Lewis has thrown for 397 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another score in two games this fall.

Navy also will have to defend freshman receiver Johnny Williams, who caught 11 passes for 135 yards last week in a 24-20 loss to Northwestern.

Navy’s defense was inconsistent against Ball State. The Midshipmen yielded 488 yards of offense — 326 passing, 162 rushing — as the Cardinals (2-0) were a stunning 5-of-6 on third-down conversions.

Navy, however, intercepted two passes and committed just one penalty for six yards.

Deliz said playing against a spread offense for the third straight week — Navy beat Towson, 41-13 in its season opener — will be beneficial.

“We put ourselves in good positions at times, but we didn’t make plays,” Deliz said. “Coming off a game like Ball State we aren’t going to see much different going into Duke so we just have to execute and everyone has to do their job.”

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