FanHouse AdamBallard

Projected Starting Fullback: Adam Ballard (792 yards, 5.1 avg, 3 TDs)

In the Mix: Eric Kettani (229 yards, 1 TD, 4.3 avg)

Rest of the Pack: Nic Jesse, Kevin Campbell, Patrick Shannon, Jack Hatcher, Glen Wood.

Projected Starting Slot Backs: Reggie Campbell (706 yards, 7.1 avg, 5 TDs) Shun White (578 yards, 12.0 avg, 5 TDs), Zerb Singleton (191 yards, 6.8 avg, 1 TD)

In the Mix: John Forbes (Did not play in 2006), Greg Shinego (13 yards), Bobby Doyle (11 yards)

On the Radar: Greg Garden, Cory Finnerty, Scott Oswald, Frank Rizzo, Luke Lagera, Ram Vela.

2006 Review: Ranked as the 13th best backfield in the country by Phil Steel magazine before the season started, Navy's backs did not disappoint in 2006, once again playing a huge role in an offense that finished first nationally on the ground. Adam Ballard, Matt Hall, and later Eric Kettani teamed up at the fullback position, with Ballard leading the way with 792 yards and 3 TDs despite being hampered by injuries all season. While Matt Hall started out strong, he ultimately relinquished his second string role to Eric Kettani, who came on strong at the end of the year and has a bright future ahead of him. The slotbacks were lead by both Reggie Campbell and Shun White, who bring big-play potential to the offense every time they touch the ball. While Zerb Singleton has started every game and contributed both running and blocking, the biggest surprise of 2006 was Shun White. White proved an excellent compliment to the speedy Campbell, averaging an insane 12 yards per carry. Senior Trey Hines provided quality depth as the fourth slot back, and played well when he saw time.

For Navy fullback Adam Ballard an injury plagued season came to head on Saturday when, on his second carry of the day, a defender rolled over his right ankle, in the process fracturing his right fibula. My own medical opinion (which consist of one Anatomy/Physiology course during my Junior year of High School) says that this isn't as serious as a fractured tibia, but will nevertheless keep him out well into the off-season. My very own Mother, who is something of an expert in the field of all that medicine/injury stuff, confirmed that Ballard may be back for spring practice at the earliest. That means Eric Kettani and Matt Hall, who have been providing quality depth all season, will get the chance to carve up Boston College's defense on the 30th. Ballard was scheduled to have surgery earlier today.

Ballard told the Annapolis Capital he actually fractured his left ankle two weeks ago against Eastern Michigan, as opposed to the original report of an high ankle sprain. He also said that he "figured I could play with one broken ankle, but playing with two is a little tough." Fine words of wisdom were never spoken.

On a completely separate and unrelated note, I'd thought I'd point you all in the direction of the latest Polls. Navy receiver four votes in the latest AP Poll, ranked ahead of the likes of South Carolina and UCLA. The Mids also received a full two votes in the coaches poll, which on first inspection is actually double what Maryland received. And that, my fellow fans, deserves a much spirited "Hoozah!"

Those who follow the writings of this blog have by now, I'm sure, determined that I harbor something of a man-crush on Navy fullback Adam Ballard, who quite simply is a beast of a football player. Not to be compared with Dan Patrick's infamous man-crush on Derek Jeter, I still take every opportunity to provide some insight on Ballard's on-the-field accomplishments.

Of course by this time you're probably aware Ballard suffered an ankle sprain in last week's game, and is currently questionable for Saturday's showdown with Temple, yes Temple. Originally my though was that Paul Johnson may want to sit the big man, you know, give him a well deserved breather and an extra week to prepare for the big Army-Navy game. Of course, I thought wrong, as Johnson debunked any notion of "resting" his injured players in yesterday's presser.

If they can play, they will play, and if they can't, they won't and we will play somebody else. That's just the way it is. There is no use stressing over something you can't control...He will have to make a lot of improvement between now and Saturday to play. I would be surprised if all three of them (Ballard, Rossi, Sharp) played.

Well, that's about all their is to say about that. Coach Johnson is comfortable going with sophomore stud Eric Kettani if Ballard can't go, and we all know Matt Hall could get some snaps as well. I'd really like to see Matt get the call to start, because you know it's senior day and all, but winning is of course the most important thing. Ballard did pratice today, although not in full pads. I dunno, we'll see, after all the bigger injury might be Rossi, who has been a fixture of navy's offensive line for the past two years. I don't expect the Mids to have too much trouble with Temple, but I've always been scared of those reckless one or two win teams.

I know what your thinking. Eastern Michigan, no big deal right? I mean geez, the perennial MAC bottom dwellers hardly even qualify as a Division I-A school, right? And it sure stands to reason that the nation's top rushing team (Navy, of course) would be able to have it's way with the nation's seventh worst rushing defense (191.6 ypg), doesn't it?

Well apparently not, at least according to Navy head coach Paul Johnson, who shows once again he is the master at talking struggling teams up to unimaginable heights. Here's what the fifth year head coach had to say Monday in regards to EMU:

I think they [Eastern Michigan] have had a tough year as far as wins and losses go, but when you turn the tape on they have been in almost every game and they have lost some real heartbreakers. Western Michigan, who is going to play Central Michigan for that half of the MAC Championship, beat them right at the end by three I think, they lost to Central Michigan by seven in overtime after leading most of the game, they just lost to Ohio, who it looks like is going to win the East side of the MAC, 16-10 on Saturday, so they have lost a lot of close games. They have played a lot of low scoring games. If you look they have some pretty good stats on defense. It's going to be a tough game for us.

I will of course admit that Johnson is right in regards to the fact Eastern Michigan has been competitive and could give Navy trouble on Saturday, but let's not mince words when talking about this EMU team. "Struggling" might be a bit of an understatement, as the Eagles have gone 1-8 and retained their position as a charter member of ESPN's Bottom Ten. Just from looking over their roster, it's obvious the Eagles have some talent, but they've been marred by inconsistent defensive play and almost nonexistent offensive play. What worries me about this EMU team is that it has nothing to lose, and that playing on a pro field in front of a larger then normal audience may awaken some hidden energy and/or ability in the Eagles. Considering Navy has just achieved Bowl eligibility, the Mids are going to have to show they've come prepared for this game and avoid a letdown. If Eastern Michigan seizes the momentum early, things could get way too close for comfort.

We've already established that Navy fullback Adam Ballard is a beast of a man who also does a fine country-western number, so I won't bore you with those details again. Rather, I'd like to introduce you to a concept I like to call The Adam Ballard Effect.

Don't be fooled by the images of Paul Johnson screaming his head off at the junior fullback. Sure the guy could improve his blocking, but it's not like his lack of production over the past two games has been his fault. In fact Ballard only had 10 carries against Notre Dame and a measly six carries against Rutgers, a far cry from the 26 carries the junior had in his 120-yard day at Stanford. While there is certainly a valid argument that the competition has been greater over the past few weeks, the numbers seem to support the notion that the more carries Ballard gets, the more likely Navy will be able to establish the inside running game and have success in the option.

Is Adam Ballard not the coolest fullback ever?

After telling you about the Navy fullback's love for country music last month, I stumbled across an actual performance of his (cowboy hat and all) while browsing around the NBC website.

To watch Adam give his rendition of the Hank Williams Jr. classic "Family Tradition" with a college football spin, check out NBC Sports.com and click the link on the left sidebar which says "Love of Country". As a fine connoisseur of country music, I can say that this wasn't exactly the pinnacle of the Nashville influence, but who's going to argue with a bruising back like Ballard?Let's just say it was a splendid attempt in front of a National TV audience.

Trey Hines, your thoughts?

"Stick to running the ball"

Coach Johnson?

"George Jones is safe for awhile"

Well for what it's worth I enjoyed it. Keep on strumming Adam.

Somewhere, Bronko Nagurski must be smiling.

That's because when 24th ranked Rutgers meets 5-1 Navy this Saturday in Annapolis two of the very best fullbacks in the country will be on display. In a day in age when fullbacks have been reduced to little more then glorified offensive linemen, it's always fun to watch a huge, bulldozer-like player run over defenders. Both Navy's Adam Ballard and Rutger's Brian Leonard fit this bygone era mold, while each brings their own unique and punishing style to their team.

Ballard, who rushed for 668 yards and six touchdowns last season, is a battering ram of a fullback who has been known to run right through linebackers. At 6'1, 223 he's almost impossible for a single defender to bring down, and has good speed for his size. Navy has yet to lose a game when he runs for over 100 yards, and so far this season he has amassed an impressive 574 yards (5.9 ypa.) Ballard, who was heavily recruited as a RB out of High School before he was transitioned to WR during his Senior season, has developed a great sense of vision on the field. He does a great job coming out of the QB-FB mesh and committing to a lane, and does well to square up and drive his legs after contact. This season Ballard has really improved his blocking, and has often been the lead battering ram on critical downs when Navy quarterback Brian Hampton can follow him right through the hole.

Things aren't going so hot for Navy fullback Matt Hall. The former starter has had a bit of a fumble problem this season,a problem which effectively killed a Navy scoring drive against Air Force on Saturday. He's also turned the ball over in key situations against ECU and Tulsa. With these struggles in mind, and a need to provide a relief for Navy's primary bulldozing fullback Adam Ballard, Coach Paul Johnson has decided to insert much-heralded sophomore Eric Kettani into the lineup.

Coach Culton came to me today and we talked about it and he feels like Eric has worked real hard and deserves a chance and he probably does. I'm not giving up on Matt. We need to go back and try to help Matt the best we can. We need to look at all the problems we've had and see if we can fix it, but it's also not fair to Eric to not give him a chance.

Kettani is a 6'1, 230 stud who has looked very similar to Adam Ballard in practice. He has that tough and arrogant running style you love to see out of a fullback, but has been completely untested in his career. When asked about the sophomore fullback, Coach Johnson responded by saying he's a "big guy that's hard to tackle." While I'm excited to see Kettani get his big chance, I also hope that Matt Hall can correct his fumbling "problems" and get back into action. While I've only met Matt once, I can't think of a more humble and all around good guy on this Navy team. He's shown that he can be a reliable back and a tough runner, and would have likely been the starter this season if not for a freak knee injury against Notre Dame last year. Still, the future of the Navy fullback tradition looks bright, with three very talented fullbacks in the rotation.

It seems like Navy just can't get any respect. In fact, two days after defeating rival Air Force on the road, Navy's players and staff are busy defending their 5-1 record after whispers arose of the team being nothing but "lucky."

By now you've probably heard of these so-called "lucky" comments that were supposedly uttered by an Air Force player/coach in Saturday's game. Johnson, who didn't name a specific player or incident, went on to explain how his team gets decidedly little respect from teams they beat.

"You get tired of hearing it every year. Every day we pick up the paper we see something about how it's embarrassing to lose to us, we're the luckiest team in America. It gets old after a while. We've won four in a row, they can call it whatever they want. That's four years in a row now, any way you want to spin it."

I, along with just about every other writer who covers Navy football, have no idea where all this sprang from. Most likely it had to do with some on-the-field trash talk or behind the scenes stuff that none of us regular people see or hear about. When asked if the source of the comment was an Air Force player, Johnson responded with a "sure was." However when Johnson elaborated on his team being the "luckiest team in America," Navy's head Coach maintained that it wasn't just coming form the Falcons.

Random observations, interesting tidbits, and only half-useful insights from Navy's 24-17 win against the Air Force Falcons.

Sack Attack- Never-mind my use of assonance, Navy's defense finally got some major pressure on an opposing quarterback. The Mids sacked Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney five times, and would have had three or four more had Carney not been so elusive in the pocket. David Mahoney, who has had some huge performances against the Falcons in the past, led the way with three sacks, while linebacker Rob Caldwell and defensive end John Chan each notched up a sack.

I Wouldn't Want to Tackle Adam Ballard Either- Navy fullback Adam Ballard, quite possibly the definition of "wrecking ball," had a superb game against the Falcons, rushing for 134 yards on 27 carries. Ballard has a chance to really establish himself as one of the premier fullbacks in all of college football, and looks to be on his way to a Kyle Eckel-like season. Navy is now 6-0 when Ballard runs for over 100 yards.

Three (Hundred) By Land- While it wasn't a 600-yard offensive day, Navy's offense put up a respectable 317 yards. After a slow and sloppy start, the Navy offensive line really started to finish blocks and create lanes all over the field. While their weren't any real big plays for Navy's offense, the Mids did a great job converting first downs and eating up clock. Brian Hampton only had eight yards passing, (a shovel pass to Campbell) but rushed for a strong 105 yards. So I ask you once again, why pass when you can just run for a million yards?