Navy quarterback Brian Hampton may only be 2 for 9 passing for six yards over two games this season, but he has not lost faith in his ability to run the Midshipmen?s offense.
That was the sentiment he shared following a second straight shaky performance during Navy?s 21-20 win over Division I-AA Massachusetts Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.
“I?m still confident throwing the football,” said Hampton, who had just 38 yards on 15 carries after racking up 149 yards on the ground a week ago.
The quarterback position remains a question mark for the 2-0 Midshipmen as they prepare for their first road game of the year Saturday at Stanford. Along with his passing woes, Hampton also had two pitches batted down, fumbled three times and lost one of them. Backup Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada may have led Navy on two of its three scoring drives, but he also had three fumbles and lost one of them.
Navy almost always finishes with more rushing than passing yards and is 0-3 under coach Paul Johnson when vice versa is true. Still, Johnson knows he needs at least some semblance of a passing game. At the same time, Johnson said his team?s offensive miscues go deeper than just Hampton?s play on the field.
“Don?t lay all of this on Brian,” Johnson said. “[Kaheaku-Enhada] put it on the ground at the end of the game. It?s frustrating because those guys have the ability. Brian has the ability.”
Kaheaku-Enhada, who rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries against UMass, was not pleased with his performance either and knows there is much more work to be done if Navy is to have a fourth-straight winning season.
“We need to come out and execute,” Kaheaku-Enhada said. “I thought we had a pretty good week of practice, but it comes down to executing in the game. UMass flew around out there and played pretty well. The pace of the game was the same as it is during practice. That didn?t affect me as much as our offense not executing together.”
Navy notes
» Brian Hampton went 0-for-3 passing against UMass Saturday. Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada finished the game 1-for-4 for 21 yards.
» Kaheaku-Enhada?s completion to Jason Tomlinson was the first of his collegiate career.
» The Midshipmen are now 4-1 against I-AA teams under coach Paul Johnson.
