Navy Midshipmen: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
Navy Midshipmen: Key To The 2022 Offense
The running game has to be even better.
If you’re Arby’s, and your entire branding is about making roast beef sandwiches, then they had better rock.
Navy runs the ball as well or better than anyone in the country, but that’s all it does offensively. Being 8th in the nation in rushing was great, but the 3.9 yards per carry were by far the fewest of any of the top 62 rushing teams – no one else was under four.
By comparison, Navy averaged 226 rushing yards per game. Air Force averaged 328, and Army averaged 281.
Navy has to do what it does, only more.
Navy Midshipmen: Key To The 2022 Defense
Make more big things happen.
Overall the defense was good and should be even better at times, but it needs to help the cause with more big plays, more takeaways, and more sacks.
There wasn’t a lot of pressure into the backfield – it was among the worst defenses in the nation in sacks and tackles for loss – and the lack of takeaways were a part of that.
The terrific 2019 team that won 11 games came up with 22 takeaways. The 11 win team of 2015 came up with 27. Last year’s four-win team generated 14, with 12 of them coming in five games.
Get closer to 20 and watch how the team’s overall fortunes rise up.
Navy Midshipmen: Key Player To The 2022 Season
RB Anton Hall, Soph.
Or ANY of the options to step in at fullback.
One of the keys to all the service academy option attacks is a big, thumping fullback that establishes the inside to get the defense to take that one extra half-step lean between the hashmarks – and then comes that the pitch that busts wide open on the outside.
This Navy offense – at the moment – doesn’t have some 260-pound tone-setter who sends linebackers to the cold tub.
Hall, Logan Point, and Mike Mauai ware all decent-sized running backs, but they’re all under 200 pounds, unlike 220-pound Isaac Ruoss and 230-pound James Harris who combined for over 1,000 yards and seven scores last year.
Navy Midshipmen: Key Transfer
LB Johnny Hodges, Sr.
Like we did for the other service academies, we reversed it. This is usually to highlight the star transfer coming in who’ll change things up, but since that’s not really how Navy works, here’s the guy transferring out who’ll hurt.
The 6-2, 228-pound Hodges was fifth on the team in tackles with 50 stops in just nine games. He’s just the type of active, quick veteran this linebacking corps could use, but he’s off to TCU.
Navy Key Game To The 2022 Season
Memphis, Sept. 10
Of course … Army, but what kind of a season is this going to be?
Navy showed against BYU to start 2020 and against Marshall and Air Force last year – losing those two by a combined score of 72-10 – that it wasn’t even close to ready. This year it starts things off against Delaware – not a breeze, but a should-be win – and then comes the conference opener against Memphis.
Navy has lost three in a row in the series and in four of the last five years. Win this, and the team should be 2-0 with a good week off to prepare for road games against East Carolina and Air Force. Lose, and the pressure is on to survive the first four games.
Navy Midshipmen: 2021 Fun Stats
– Sacks: Opponents 30 for 165 yards – Navy 16 for 117 yards
– Time of Possession: Navy 34:48 – Opponents 25:12
– 3rd Quarter Scoring: Opponents 98 – Navy 34
Offense, Defense Breakdown
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Navy Top 10 Players | Navy Schedule