slowing navy’s offense a priority for uab heading into aac opener

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - September 26, 2024

One of the biggest strengths of the Navy offense is the unknown is often disguised as the known.

A good example came during last week’s 56-44 AAC victory over then-nationally ranked Memphis. On the play, Navy quarterback Blake Horvath faked a handoff to Brandon Chatman on a play designed to go around left end. After the fake, Horvath ran around right end, outraced the Memphis defense and turned the play into a 90-yard touchdown run.

“The 90-yard run by Blake was a new wrinkle, that looks like a play we had run,” said Navy head coach Brian Newberry, whose team comes to Protective Stadium for an AAC game against UAB with kickoff slated for 11 a.m. “That’s the beautiful thing about what we’re doing, adding those wrinkles every week. There are certainly things we’re going to do every week. You got to figure out a way to make it look a little different, whether it’s the formation or motion or shift, something like that, moving the o-line around, forcing the defense to adjust. It’s a lot of eye candy, a lot of moving parts but it’s simple for our players.”

After three games, Navy has one of the best offensive groups in the country. It begins a running game that produces 307.3 yards per game, which is second best in the AAC (behind Army’s 356 ypg) and fourth best in the country. Navy can also gash a defense with the pass, as it did last week against Memphis when Horvath was 9 of 12 for 192 yards with two touchdowns. Navy is fourth nationally in passing efficiency. Overall, Navy is 21st in the country in total offense, averaging 470.7 yards per game. The Midshipmen are tied for first in red zone offense, scoring touchdowns in all 11 red zone trips, 10th in scoring offense (47.7 points per game) and tied for 22nd in third down conversions (50 percent).  

“One reason I like what we’re doing on offense is it’s so unique and different and we’re showing so many different looks,” Newberry said. “It’s hard for a defense to be super aggressive. You got to go play assignment football, which is a lot of moving parts. It tends to simplify what people do defensively. Not to say people aren’t going to pressure us and try things. But it tends to slow people a little bit when you do the things that we’re doing.”

Drew Cronic, who was 28-17 as the head coach at Mercer the past four seasons, is in his first season as Navy’s offensive coordinator. He didn’t tear up what the Midshipmen did on offense a year ago but has brought some different looks to how Navy attacks a defense. But UAB head coach Trent Dilfer said on Monday that the Navy offense still begins where it always began.

“The QB follow runs, you know, all the creative wing T/triple option stuff is where it starts,” Dilfer said. “That's where they force you into a box. That's where they're best at. But now, they can open you up and play more of the traditional spread game too. Now, it all starts with personnel. They've done a great job to find personnel, to find guys that can run the wing T, be wing players, be inside run players, be B-C gap runners, be physical blockers and also go run verticals and run option routes and run get-open stuff is. It takes some unique personnel.”

Last year, Navy had 269 rushing yards in a 31-6 victory over the Blazers. Even though the Navy offense has some differences, UAB linebacker Everett Roussaw Jr. said last year’s experience is helpful for the Blazers.

“It definitely helped us a lot, just already being able to get our feet wet with that type of offense,” said Roussaw. “That type of game, we already know what it's going to be. We’re going to have to play disciplined, be physical, be sound, just perfect the small things. Everybody has to do their job. We got to try best to go one play at a time and just to reset after that. So, it's definitely a good experience being able to play them again and just being already familiar with what they do.”

Fellow linebacker Michael Moore, who also played against Navy last season, agrees that last year’s experience has been helpful in preparation, even though he sees some differences.

“A lot of things are going to be repetitive,” Moore said. “And that's what we have to work on this time, knowing what to do in there, and knowing that you have to keep doing that over and over and over again for four quarters.”

When asked if the repetition is what makes the Navy offense so successful, Moore took it one step further.

“That is one half of it, the other half is, they like to move around,” Moore said. “So you have pullers, misdirection, motions, shifts. It's all to make you look one way, keep looking that way and then all of a sudden they run the ball the other way. You just have to focus on what you have to do, know where we're at and then attack your keys.”

What is discomforting, though, is UAB has struggled against the run over the past 15 games. The Blazers are currently 113th out of 133 FBS team in rushing defense, allowing an average of 197 yards per game. Over the past two games, losses at ULM and Arkansas, the Blazers allowed a combined 475 yards and six rushing touchdowns.

“It's not just been the past two games, against equal or better opponents than us it's been our Achilles heel,” Dilfer said earlier this week. “So yeah, we took a close look at scheme, personnel, technique (during the bye week). You know, we looked at it from a fundamental standpoint as well. I guess that fits into technique. But you know, at the end of the day, stopping the run is destroying blocks, running to the football, tackling. We have to do a better job of block destruction. Our length, added length this year, should help with that. And it has the times, you know, it shows the times it has. Running to the football, I think we're good, not great yet. And I think tackling, we've been better, but not as good as we need to be.”

Solving the problem will continue past this week’s assignment.

“You continue to make small little changes over time,” Dilfer said. “And those become big changes if you stick with them and you're consistent. But we're still in the small little changes over time phase. To think that we're gonna shut down Navy’s run game, I think is probably an unrealistic expectation. I think you have to limit the damage, contain it, and you got to win the big downs. The one thing that they do consistently is win the big downs, the big situations. So you have to find a way to win those downs.”