Navy football coach Paul Johnson said earlier this season that the one element missing from his team?s offense were the big plays that had become commonplace in previous seasons. Much of that stemmed from Navy?s inability to establish a passing game and get the ball more in the hands of speedy slot back Reggie Campbell.
Both problems, though, became things of the past following last Saturday?s 41-17 win at Connecticut. There, Navy (4-1) managed to jump-start its passing offense and get Campbell involved. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Brian Hampton connected with the junior on a 77-yard touchdown pass. The play represented the sixth-longest pass play in school history.
That play, along with a 68-yard scoring scamper by Campbell to start the second half and an 81-yard second-quarter touchdown run by fullback Adam Ballard, put this week?s opponent, Air Force, on notice that Navy?s offense can hurt an opposing defense in a number of ways.
“We made some plays,” Johnson said. “We had guys make plays. Brian made plays, Reggie made plays, and the receivers were blocking their tails off downfield. We were fortunate because they had a lot of guys near the line of scrimmage, so when you broke one, there was nobody there.”
Navy compiled 605 yards of total offense against Connecticut, including 464 yards on the ground against a team that had the 10th-best defense in the country going into the game. The Midshipmen know they will need more of the same Saturday when they travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., to face Air Force (2-1), a team that is eighth in the country in rushing defense (65.7 yards per game).
Despite inconsistencies in the passing offense, Navy has a chance to surpass nearly every offensive total of the previous three seasons, all of which ended with the Midshipmen claiming the Commander-in-Chief Trophy and qualifying for a bowl game. This season Navy has more points (150), rushing yards (1,786) and first downs (110) through five games than in any of the previous three years.
“We had some pretty big plays and are moving in the right direction, but we also had a lot of drives stopped because of penalties, which gives us something to work on for this week,” Campbell said. “If you ever think everything you need to do is done, that?s when someone steps up and beats you.”
NAVY NOTES
» The Mids got whistled for 12 penalties for 110 yards at Connecticut. That total more than doubled the number of penalty yards against Navy, which had just 12 penalties for 92 yards in the first four games.
» Navy is on pace to break the school record for most rushing yards in a season (4,202) and rushing yards per game (323.2). Currently, the Mids are averaging 357.2 yards a contest.
» Reggie Campbell enters this week with 297 yards and four touchdowns rushing and 118 yards and one touchdown receiving.
