In the years before Paul Johnson became Navy’s football coach, a tough one-point loss to a team that won its conference and a bowl game the prior season would have been considered a “moral victory.” These days, that kind of resultjust leaves a bad taste in the mouths of the Midshipmen.
One week after losing a heart-breaking 24-23 overtime game to defending Conference-USA and Liberty Bowl champion Tulsa, Navy (3-1) looks to get back on the winning track Saturday at Connecticut (2-1).
“We have high expectations of ourselves, just like the fans expect a lot from us,” Navy fullback Adam Ballard said. “Just like the fans, we expect to win every time we step out onto the field.”
Navy not only hopes to rebound from its first loss of the year, but to show what type of program it is today compared to the one that lost to the Huskies, 38-0, in their last meeting in 2002. This time around, Navy faces a team with a similar run-first approach. The Huskies are fourth in the nation with an average of 267.3 yards a game, including 109.3 per contest from tailback Terry Caulley. Navy is first in that category at 330.5 yards per game.
Connecticut?s offensive strategy differs from some of Navy’s earlier opponents, like Stanford and Tulsa, which relied much more on the passing attack. Johnson is aware of this and has planned accordingly.
“You still have to be sound against everything, and I’m sure we will have a good plan on defense,” Johnson said. “We need to stop the run this week. When I say stop it, they are going to get some, but that will be a focal point.”
On defense, Connecticut, which held Indiana to zero yards rushing on 27 carries last week, allows an average of just 12.7 points per game this year. The Huskies also lead the country by coming up with nearly 12 tackles for a loss per contest.
Navy linebacker Tyler Tidwell said practice has gone very well this week. Losing like the Midshipmen did last week, he said, only makes them hungrier.
“No one walked off Saturday feeling good about [Tulsa],” Tidwell said. “I think that loss made us practice with a sense of urgency. We know we could have won that game as easily as we lost it.”
NAVY-CONNECTICUT NOTES
» Navy leads the all-time series with Connecticut, 5-1. In the Huskies? 2002 win, Caulley, who went to Patuxent High (Md.), rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
» Navy is 10-1 the last four years following a loss. The only time the Midshipmen lost two in a row in that span was at the start of last season, when they lost to Maryland and Stanford.
