Navy, Louisiana Tech look for finishing touch
Navy does it with the run. Louisiana Tech does it with the pass. The designed result is the same: up-tempo, high-powered offense.
So far this season, however, the plans have gone awry. The offenses of Navy and Louisiana Tech have sputtered. When the teams meet Saturday night in Ruston, La., coaches Ken Niumatalolo and Sonny Dykes will look to re-establish their identities.
Louisiana Tech (1-1) and Navy (1-1) have had similar starts. Both have an unimpressive win over an FCS opponent and a disappointing loss to a BCS school.
“We’ve struggled so much on offense,” said Dykes, who is in his first season at the WAC school. “We’re still looking for a rhythm and trying to develop some playmakers.”
As offensive coordinator at Texas Tech (2005-06) and Arizona (2007-09), Dykes guided pass-first spread offenses. But so far this year, he’s already used three quarterbacks, none of them Steven Ensminger, who was named the starter in August but lost the job when he came down with a stomach virus.
After averaging 29.2 points a game in last year’s run-oriented offense under Derrick Dooley, Louisiana Tech has averaged just 18 this season. With five scores (27 points) in nine trips inside the 20-yard line, Louisiana Tech ranks No. 111 out of 120 FBS teams in red zone offense.
Navy has had a similar power outage, averaging 13.5 points a game, less than half of last year’s figure (28.0). Navy has been particularly ineffective in the red zone, scoring just four times (24 points) in 10 drives, ranking last in the FBS.
In 24 carries inside the opponents’ 20-yard line, Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs has gained 52 yards, scored two touchdowns and lost two fumbles. When other Mids carry inside the red zone, they’ve gained 64 yards on 13 rushes with one touchdown.
In Saturday’s 13-7 win over Georgia Southern, all nine plays Navy ran in the red zone were rushes by Dobbs. One produced a score.
“There’s not enough stuff open there, but I’m never satisfied,” Dobbs said of his decisions on the option. “There’s always room for improvement. It’s definitely something to look back on and progress from.”
Dobbs (54 carries, 107 yards) has been hampered by a sore ankle and inconsistent blocking. The line has missed tackle Matt Molloy (concussion), who will not play Saturday. Wideout Mike Schupp (knee) is out until at least December.
“For us to get better offensively, [Dobbs] definitely needs to play better,” Niumatalolo said.
