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Statistically speaking, it wasn't the best day for the Navy defense. Yet despite giving up 343 total yards against a struggling UConn offense, the Navy defense made key stops and forced timely turnovers to help carry the team to a 41-17 victory at Rentschler Field this past Saturday.

Rob Caldwell led the assault with 11 tackles, while omnipresent David Mahoney compiled nine tackles and a forced fumble. The pressure on the Quarterback may have been the best of the season from Navy's "D." UConn's Quarterback Matt Bonislawksi was clearly rattled, and the Navy defenders (especially LB's Rob Caldwell and Tyler Tidwell) did a great job delivering a lick on Bonislawski after the ball was released.

The Navy defense did a great job early, forcing key turnovers which allowed the Mids to seize the momentum and never looks back. After forcing a quick three and out on the games first possession, the Midshipmen defense came back onto the field and stripped UConn tailback Deon Anderson on a screen pass. The Navy offense capitalized, going up 14-0 in front of a stunned Rentschler Field. Then, on the very next possession, David Mahoney stripped Terry Caulley on a draw play, adding insult to injury for a UConn offense which had difficulty finding it's way all game.

While the two turnovers were key in terms of setting up scores and establishing momentum, Navy could have easily piled on the hurt as the game went on. I counted three separate occasions where Navy players had excellent opportunities at interceptions. The first, in the first quarter, saw quick slant slam into Rashawn King's chest and bounce to the turf. Early in the second half Jeremy McGown made a great jump on a Bonislawski pass which should of been a pick-six, but instead allowed to ball to bounce right off his hands. Linebacker Clint Sovie should have also intercepted a fourth quarter pass, although had difficulty bringing down the ball with a large arm cast. While none of these went the other way, it shows that the defense was in the right place, and that the secondary is playing an increasingly opportunistic style of play.

Above all, the Navy defense was physical and didn't allow big plays, which is what this team needs to do if it's going to win games. Well designed blitzes disrupted the offensive rhythm, and the run defense did an excellent job of not letting Caulley and friends reach the second level. The Mids did benefit from several dropped passes and a clearly sub-par performance by Bonislawski, but I nevertheless got the impression that the defense is playing better then in year's past. With strong individual performances and a good sense of discipline, don't be surprised to see this defense stand tall the rest of the season.

Discipline, needless to say, is something of a hallmark at a military academy. Yet you wouldn't know it by watching a tape of Navy's 41-17 win over UConn on Saturday. The Midshipmen, who routinely finish amongst the least penalized teams in the country, committed a staggering 12 penalties for 110 yards. That's more penalty yards then the Mids had in the first four games of the season combined (101), which in and of itself was already fairly high by Navy standards. So what's going on here? Head Coach Paul Johnson didn't even need to be asked about the issue after Saturday's game, skipping right to the problem in his opening statement.

We had 12 penalties in four games coming in and we had 12 today. We have to get that corrected. I didn't even know what team I was watching. That's not like us. I think on the couple of holding calls we had on offense, their defensive ends are really good players and we had a hard time blocking them. We challenged our guys. Connecticut was supposed to be pretty good on defense and I think they are. It was a challenge for our guys to answer the call.

I noticed this as well. Most of the holding calls came in passing situations. Despite playing poorly against the run, it was obvious that UConn's down linemen were studs, and big Matt Pritchett and Zach Gallion were having some difficulty in pass protection situation (also apparent with two sacks on Hampton.) Hopefully this will work itself out, but I'd watch this situation closely, especially against teams with strong defensive lines (ie. Rutgers, Notre Dame, and even Duke.) Looking at the tape a second time, it looks like this pressure also contributed to the false start calls, with Navy's guards trying to get a step on the defender.

The more concerning penalties were the personal fouls, in particular the two late, helmet-to-helmet hits. Both were really unnecessary, and came from defenders making a cardinal sin on defense- leading with your head. This is a basic facet of the game, and hopefully this was only a one time deal which won't rear it's ugly head again. Had Navy lost this game, the story here would have been penalties, and how they killed Navy drives and extended UConn drives. It's not often that you can beat another team so soundly with those kind of penalty yards, especially when you're playing against an opportunistic team. Navy will not be so fortunate the next time team discipline breaks down.

I love message board chatter, especially when it's coming from a Big East message boards. Shortly after Navy's 41-17 shellacking of UConn yesterday, the Big East message boards erupted in debate about how bad UConn is, which inevitably led to some discussion of how good Navy really is. So far, the results are mixed.

Needless to say, the UConn fans are going crazy. For the most part though, a lot of the fans are writing doomsday scenarios on their own team and giving the Mids comparatively little credit. One fan called Navy a "not an all that good team," which I guess would make UConn a "God awful" or "Dude were horrible" team. Many are maintaining it was UConn's own defensive inconsistency, as opposed to Navy's offensive execution, was the deciding factor in the game. Amazingly, the issue of Navy's "easy" schedule came up again. Many a UConn fan maintained Navy's success comes only at the hands of weak Div I-A programs. Ironically, I guess we can now consider UConn one of these teams.

Rutgers fans don't exactly know what to make of the romp, although right now are leaning more to the side of "UConn is just that bad." One fan was adamant that the Navy triple option, which torched UConn for over 600 yards, wouldn't work because Rutgers recruits kids from New York. I kid you not, here is the logic of a Mr. NewRo:

I'm 100% confident the Navy option won't work vs us. The reason for this you ask? Well its because of Courtney Greene. This is a guy who played in southern New York. Where every team runs the same damn triple option that Navy runs. If we have Court play pitch like in high school. All the rest of the D has to play is fullback and the QB. Courtney will light up any wingback that they try to pitch it too. Its what he does.

Ok, welcome to college football Mr. Ro, where the game works a tad bit faster then what you see from your local pimply faced 15 year olds. Nevertheless, several Rutgers fans have expressed concerns over Navy's option, insisting that if the Scarlet Knights overlook the Mids, they will pay the price.

Meanwhile, the West Virginia fans seem to think the Mids deserve the Tire Bowl, and in general, took the UConn lose pretty well. Considering that WVU isn't exactly in position to finish third in the Big East ,(at least not at this point) this isn't exactly a surprise, but it's good to see the team getting some recognition, especially from fans of the fourth ranked team in the country.

Lastly, and most importantly, we can safely say "no" once again to any idea that Navy will join the Big East. Some BE fans (and I don't blame 'em) think that Navy would be a perfect ninth member for the conference, but the reality is the Academy is in a great situation with it's Independent Status. I'd take an 8-4 season with a Bowl game over a 6-6 season and a middle-of-the-pack finish any year.

May I, for starters, say how much of an idiot I am. A week after grumbling about the ineffectiveness of Navy's offense and how much trouble this team was in, the Mids proved me wrong in grand style with a 41-17 smack-down of UConn. In what can only be described as a dominating offensive performance, the Midshipmen put up 605 yards in the box score, including 464 yards on the ground.

A 77-yard Brian Hampton touchdown pass to Reggie Campbell from the first play of scrimmage set the tone. On the play, Coach Johnson had Hampton make a "dummy check" for a pitch play to the motioning slotback. Picking up on what they presumed to be a genuine audible, the UConn defenders jumped the fake, allowing Reggie Campbell to get behind the safety. Hampton made a reverse pivot to freeze the defense, then gunned the ball downfield to Campbell, who made a great cut and picked up a block from Jason Tomlinson to get to the outside and score.

Navy's offense didn't let up though, and took advantage of a UConn fumble to punch the ball in minutes later on a 29-yard Brian Hampton run. Hampton was excellent in this game, showing off his toughness and breaking tackles to compile 181 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. His management of the offense wasn't too shabby either, as the senior quarterback avoided the turnovers and botched pitch attempts that have caused Navy to struggle early this season. He received some great help from the offensive line, which despite several holding penalties did a great job run blocking. UConn's defense keyed in on fullback Adam Ballard early, but the bruising back was used largely as a decoy in the first quarter. He carried the ball only three times for 88 yards, most of which came on a mad 81-yard dash which he nearly took to the house. It appeared as though he injured his hand on the play, but backup Matt Hall was an effective 38 yards on eight carries in relief. Reggie Campbell, par usual, impressed on the ground, taking the first play of the second half 68 yards to the house to give Navy a decisive 27-10 lead. From that point on it was all Navy, as a battered UConn defense more or less gave up against the option.

Keep in mind that this season-high performance came against the fourth best team against the run in the country. While UConn certainly isn't that good, this has to bode well for a Midshipmen team which will take on Air Force, Rutgers, and Notre Dame within the next four weeks. Hampton once again showed great improvement, and the balanced play-calling and usually flawless execution made the Triple Option Offense seem practically unstoppable. With the win today, Navy improves to 4-1 for the season, just two wins away from clinching a Bowl bid.

Whoa Nellie, the George Forman Bowl is at stake! Actually, when you look at the schedule of Noon starts today, this looks like one of the best games on TV. I'll be tuning in for the MASN coverage of the game, but for fans not living in the Mid-Atlantic area, remember that you can see the Midshipmen take on the Huskies through ESPN Gameplan or ESPN Plus in selected areas.

11:42- Apparently commercials are still running for Navy season tickets, even though we only have two more home games.

12:00- Gametime! Already the commentators are saying that Ballard is the key for the Navy offense. Somebody's been reading this blog...

12:06- Mids kick off, as usual. Here we go...

12:07- A three-and-out for the Navy defense! Great pressure on the last two plays, this is an encouraging sign.

12:09- TOUCHDOWN NAVY! Reggie Campbell on a huge pass play! Great call, great execution, great stuff! Holy heck what a nice throw by Hampton!

12:16- Fumble by UConn, and Navy has the ball! Irv Spencer gets the recovery, with Mahoney jarring it loose. Great effort all around!

12:19- TOUCHDOWN NAVY! Brian Hampton does a great job looking off the defender on an option keeper for the score.

12:25- WOW. Terry Caulley makes a great run for a first down on a third and ten, but a fumble at the end sends the ball right back to Navy!

12:28- What the heck! Three consecutive penalties for the Mids put the offense at -25 yards in the last 3 plays. We just killed our momentum! Yep, now we have to punt. That was really a chance to go for the jugular. If Navy goes on to lose this game, it's because of this drive.

12:34- Great play by the Navy defense to get pressure on Bones, and to force a three and out. Don't be surprised to see if DJ Hernandez comes in pretty soon. Navy needs to eat some clock with this drive to keep the defense fresh for later.

God where would our world be if it wasn't for online video sharing software? This is the first of what I hope will be at least a semi-annual series of previews of upcoming Navy opponents, all off which will analyze pre-made and horribly partisan highlight videos of teams that can't possibly be as good as advertised (except those Domers of course). Said videos will provide comparatively little insight into the other team, save for a few "OMG that dude is sick" or "Holy Crap that other guy just got flattened!" Nevertheless, it's better then going in cold in your outlook. So without further adieu, let's do this thing.

Let's not mince words. The Meineke Car Care Bowl is at stake.

And who wouldn't want to play in a game sponsored by a company which calls George Forman their spokes-person? For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, let me break it down nice and simple.

Coming off of last season, this year's Meineke Car Care Bowl was supposed to feature the third place finisher in the Big East and the fourth place finisher in the ACC. However, an off-season deal between Raycome Sports and the US. Naval Academy assured that a Bowl eligible Navy team (at least six wins) would receive priority involvement in the game over the third place finisher in the Big East. Needless to say, the deal was seen as a shot in the face to the entire Big East conference, while the whining on various Big East message boards could be heard for days. Leading the assault were the UConn fans, who apparently thought (and still think) that they have a shot to finish third in the conference. Never-mind those pesky Rutgers Scarlet Knights or the Pittsburgh Panthers, who through four weeks look leaps and bounds ahead of the Huskies. Still, the arguments were made that Navy plays a cupcake schedule and doesn't earn their Bowl games, despite winning the last two against New Mexico and Colorado St.

With three wins as of today, Navy technically could lose both games against Big East opponents (UConn and Rutgers) and still make the Meineke Bowl. Yet in doing so this team would still be subjected to all the talk about how they can't beat winning teams or even middle-of-the-road programs. And while winning is really all that matters, a win over UConn this Saturday would go a long way in silencing the critics. In fact, dare I say, a win over the Huskies would all but assure the Mids of a fourth consecutive post-season appearance.

After a disappointing overtime loss against Tulsa last week, the Navy Midshipmen will load up the buses and head for Connecticut this Saturday, where they will take on the 2-1 Huskies. Connecticut, which if you weren't aware is actually in the Big East , is coming off a somewhat impressive (although incredibly boring) win against a mediocre Indiana team (my apologies to FanHouse blogger Pete Diprimio, but losing to Southern Illinois and beating Ball St. by a single point doesn't bode well for the Hoosiers.) Nevertheless the Huskies sport the fourth best rush defense in the country, along with an impressive running attack highlighted by the most underrated running back in the country in senior Terry Caulley. Caulley was a freshmen All American in 2002 before a major knee injury took him out for the 2003 season and has limited him since. Throughout the first two games this year though, the speedy running back has looked even better then advertised.

UConn will prove a substantial challenge to the Mids, who still haven't knocked off a I-A team with a winning record (It's early, I know.) This looks like a typical strength on strength game, and judging how Navy's offense has worked against defenses' other then Stanford's (statistically, one of the worst in the country,) could be something of a defensive struggle. This is increasingly possible with the recent news that UConn Quarterback DJ Hernandez will sit while backup Matt "Bones" Bonislawski will get the nod. Bones is better pure passer then Hernandez, but lacks the scrambility (not a real word, meaning to run like Michael Vick) of the younger Quarterback. I expect the Huskies to put the ball in the air a little more then usual with "Bones," but for Running Back Terry Caulley to get the ball around 25 times during the game.

The last time these two teams met was in 2002, when UConn, for lack of a better phrase, absolutely steamrolled the Midshipmen 38-0. That was back in Paul Johnson's first season, when Navy finished 2-10, which included a now unthinkable 10 game losing streak. In that matchup, the Huskie defense held Navy's now infamous triple option offense to a truly pathetic 35 yards rushing and only 82 total yards. While this isn't the same Navy team that played in 2002, the unfortunate part of this matchup is that this isn't the same UConn team either. Both of these teams have upgraded their talent in the past few seasons, and both have become accustomed to winning. UConn even went to a Bowl in 2004, beating MAC champion Toledo 39-10. Fortunately the Mids will be playing as the underdogs, a role which has been very good to the team in recent memory. Double Fortunately (I just made that up), the Mids are 10-1 the last four seasons after coming off losing efforts, with the one loss coming against Stanford after the Maryland game last season. Then again, what do statistics mean? Navy had won something like 13 straight games when the Mids scored first until last week, when, despite an early 7-0 lead, Navy eventually fell to Tulsa. Statistics aside, this is going to be a tough game for Navy to win, even if the offense is clicking.

May I, for starters, say that I am a complete idiot. A week ago I was drawing up worst-case scenario plans and hollering about how the Navy offense had lost it's way. After an anemic finish against Tulsa, I was (along with many of you) beginning to lose confidence in the ability of Brian Hampton to lead the team to the goals they had set for the season. While maybe not putting these concerns fully to rest, yesterday's offensive onslaught against a good UConn defense certainly makes things look better.

The 41-17 performance was easily the most complete game Navy has played all season. Starting with a a strong defensive showing which forced a three-and-out followed by a quick strike, 77-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Campbell, the Midshipmen dominated this game from the get go. The offense was absolutely electrifying, led by strong performances by Quarterback Brian Hampton and slotback Reggie Campbell. Hampton showed his athleticism and toughness all game, running for 182 yards and three touchdowns while passing for 141 yards and a touchdown to complete the day. His management of the offense was nearly flawless, making the necessary reads and pitches to allow for the rest of the offense to execute brilliantly. Once again, Reggie Campbell was a focal point of the offense, rushing for 101 yards on five attempts, including a career high 68-yard scamper in which he outran the entire UConn secondary. Adam Ballard, who was used mostly as a decoy in the early stages of the game, had three rushes for 88 yards, with 81 of those coming off a mad dash in the second quarter. He later suffered a stinger which left his hands numb and was replaced by Matt Hall, who looked effective with 38 yards on eight carries. By the end of the game, the Mids raked up a total of 464 rushing yards, a season high.

The impressive thing was that all of this came up against what had been the Nation's fourth best defense against the run. The first play from scrimmage was a brilliant play call, in which Johnson had Hampton make a "dummy check" for a pitch to the slotback. Picking up on this, the UConn safety, along with most of the defense, jumped to the right side of the field, while Hampton made a reverse pivot to find the streaking Campbell. The 5'6 slotback made a great move to allude the two defenders in open field, and picked up a nice block from Jason Tomlinson to get to the outside. The funny thing is, the UConn defenders were looking for the play.

"We told our team to be alert for the play-action pass on the very first play," said eighth year UConn Coach Randy Edsall. Big East Defensive Player of the Week Danny Lansanah agreed, saying that "you knew it was coming."

The play set the tone for the game, and kept the UConn defense honest enough to allow the Midshipmen running game to get under it's feat. Despite a multitude of dumb holding penalties, the Midshipmen offense just kept chugging away, which is testament to the winning mindset these players have developed. With the win, the Midshipmen improve to 2-0 against BCS conference teams this year, and to 4-1 overall.