Entering Saturday?s game at M&T Bank Stadium, the Navy football team was a heavy underdog, in part because of an inexperienced quarterback. However, the play of sophomore Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada had little to do with Navy?s 38-14 loss to No. 11 Notre Dame.
“I thought he did some good things,” Navy coach Paul Johnson said. “He was moving the ball well with the pitches.”
Kaheaku-Enhada marched Navy (5-3) down the field in its first drive, and he seemed relatively unfazed despite a favored opponent and a divided “home” crowd of 71,851 on a breezy afternoon in Baltimore.
“When I got on the field, I just tried to block everything out,” Kaheaku-Enhada said. “And that helped me today.”
His trick was keeping to the same routine he?s done for the past two weeks ? stay with the practice mentality.
“I just went out and did was we practiced ? take advantage of what they were giving us,” Kaheaku-Enhada said. “That?s all we can do.”
Kaheaku-Enhada made his first start at quarterback, replacing senior Brian Hampton, who injured his knee in the Midshipmen?s 34-0 loss to Rutgers on Oct. 14.
“After the first snap, I settled down,” he said. “The guys did a great job in practice this week of making me feel comfortable.”
And while he represented the extent of Navy?s offense with his two rushing touchdowns, he felt he could have played better. He?ll look to improve upon his passing consistency at practice this week before the team travels to face Duke (0-7) Saturday at 1 p.m.
“I definitely need to go back this week and polish that up,” Kaheaku-Enhada said of his throws.
He protected the ball well and committed no turnovers while going 2 of 5 passing for 25 yards and adding 42 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
“I think he did great,” junior slot back Reggie Campbell said. “He was composed. He didn?t really get frustrated too much.”
But Kaheaku-Enhada?s Notre Dame counterpart, senior Brady Quinn, went 18 for 25 for 295 yards passing and three touchdowns, and he got the win.
“I?d give myself an F. We lost,” Kaheaku-Enhada said. “As a quarterback, you want to lead your team to a win.”
KAIPO UNDER CENTER
» The Navy offense totaled 271 yards rushing, much of which came on sophomore quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada?s execution of the option attack.
» Navy was out-passed, 295-43, by Notre Dame, but that isn?t uncommon, as the Mids average just 52.2 yards per game through the air.
» Of Navy?s 19 first-down plays, 16 came via the run. The Mids were 5 of 12 on third-down conversions.
