Navy rushing attack too much for IU defense

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The losses continue for the Hoosiers (2-5, 0-3) as Navy (4-3) defeated IU by one point at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, 31-30.

Navy is one of four schools (Georgia Tech, Army and Air Force) to run the triple option in the country.

“It’s definitely a different offense,” junior cornerback Greg Heban said. “It’s something we have worked on since last spring. It’s a really difficult offense to prepare for.”

The Hoosier coaching staff and players said they knew Navy would run the ball a lot.

Before the game, the Midshipmen ran the ball 305 times out of 392 offensive plays (78 percent of their offense). They are 13th in the nation in rushing yards with 235.3 per game.

This week’s win for Navy was no different.

Fifty-seven of Navy’s 70 offensive plays were on the ground.

Those 57 runs stacked up a total of 257 rush yards.  

Fifth-year Navy Coach Ken Niumatalolo started freshman quarterback Keenan Reynolds to run the offense.

Reynolds ran the ball the most for Navy with 17 rushes for a total of 66 yards and one touchdown.

Senior slotback Gee Gee Greene recorded the most rushing yards for the team with 88 off of 15 carries.

Heban said the Midshipmen can use a variety of options in their offensive attack.

“It’s definitely confusing because they have three options,” Heban said. “One lapse with your eyes and not being disciplined can be the difference in a play.”

Three other Midshipmen, senior slotback Bo Snelson, sophomore fullback Noah Copeland and junior slotback Darius Staten, all ran the ball for more than 23 yards apiece on a total of 22 rush attempts.

While the triple option was prepared for months in advance, Heban said, “We won’t see this the rest of the year.”

This was not only the fifth consecutive loss for the Hoosiers, but also the third time in a row they lost by four points or less.

“We’re going to keep working to get over the hump,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “We just need to keep cleaning up, coaching up and keep moving.”