Answering was sophomore defensive end Jabaree Tuani, whose first career interception turned the momentum as Navy seized control and went on to defeat Louisiana Tech, 32-14, before 29,102, Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

With Navy down 14-3 and Tech in possession, Tuani sprawled on the turf to grab a pass that bounced out of the grasp of Bulldogs back Daniel Porter. Four plays later, the Midshipmen scored their first touchdown.

“Our biggest thing is always make sure we take care of the football,” said Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo. “For us to get a turnover, nothing changes the dynamics, the ebbs and the flows of a game faster than a turnover. That was huge.”

It also was unexpected. Tuani (6-1, 265) has already made his mark as a havoc-creating, pass-rushing lineman. But a diving interception?

“Maybe we should move him to fullback,” quipped Niumatalolo.

Even in making six straight bowl appearances, many games for Navy have followed this script. Before taking control, the Mids must size up their opponent and make necessary adjustments. Saturday, with Tech intent on stopping between-the-tackles runs by Navy junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs, the Mids countered with outside pitches to their slot backs.

While sophomore Marcus Curry (15 carries, 124 yards, touchdown) gained his career high, seniors Bobby Doyle (4 carries, 21 yards) and Cory Finnerty (3 carries, 23 yards, touchdown) also found room outside.

“It felt great out there,” said Curry. “Last week (against Ohio State) the defense was trying to stop our running. This week they were trying to stop our passing. We just needed to adjust to what they were doing.”

On defense, Navy (1-1) turned up the heat on Tech quarterback Ross Jenkins (18 of 29, 156 yards). After the junior directed a touchdown drive on the opening series, Navy limited the Tech spread offense to six first downs and didn’t allow the Bulldogs to cross the Navy 40.

The catalyst for the Mids’ defense was Tuani. In addition to his interception, Tuani stopped two other drives on third down, one with a tipped pass, another with a run stuff at the line of scrimmage.

“Coach (Buddy Green) always tells us, ‘Play with emotion,’” said Tuani. “First drive we definitely didn’t do that. As soon as we came out again, obviously I picked it up a great deal and I said ‘Wow.’ After that, I tried to turn it up the best I could.”

Navy senior linebackers Clint Sovie and Craig Schaefer also halted drives with sacks. Junior nose guard Chase Burge stopped another when he flattened Jenkins, forcing a third-down incompletion.

“We came out sleepy,” said junior linebacker Tyler Simmons, who led the Mids with seven tackles. “After that, coach (Green) put some words in our ears.”

After the brigade march-on, the hat trick cheer, the plebe tunnel, and a fly-by from a pair of F-18 Hornets, the Midshipmen came out flat. Tech took the opening kickoff and drove the length of the field. After Jenkins completed 6 of 7 passes for 73 yards, senior Porter finished off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.

After Navy went three-and-out on its first possession, Bulldogs’ junior return man Livas juked the Mids’ coverage, broke into the clear, and sprinted down the Tech sideline on an 85-yard punt return touchdown for a 14-0 lead, just 5 minutes, 58 seconds into the game.

“It took us a while to wake up,” said Dobbs. “I kind of had a feeling we would do that. Once we fell behind we knew we had to convert on every drive.”

Dobbs saw to it as Navy scored on its next three possessions. A 15-yard run by Curry and a 15-yard facemask penalty against Tech set up a 43-yard field goal by junior Joe Buckley.

After Tuani’s interception, Finnerty did the honors taking a pitchout and running 16 yards around right end to make it 14-10.

Then Navy took advantage of a shanked punt by Tech freshman Cade Glasgow, which gave the Mids possession at their own 48, to score the go-ahead touchdown. After Curry swept the left side for a pair of first downs, Dobbs (25 carries, 64 yards) scored his first of two touchdowns to put Navy ahead for good, with 11:10 left in the first half.

Navy continued to move the ball effectively and kept Tech (0-2) from mounting a threat, but didn’t put the game away until the fourth quarter. A 3-yard scoring run by Curry made it 25-14. Midway through the fourth quarter, Dobbs (5 of 8, 103 yards) hit sophomore Gary Myers with a 38-yard pass which set up his own touchdown run which sewed it up.

“This is a big win for us. That is a good football team,” said Niumatalolo. “That’s a team that went to a bowl game and won a lot of big games last year. They’ve got athletes. They’re a well-coached team. We could have played better, but I feel very fortunate we came out of here with a ‘W.’”