Football: A Look at the Rockets' Eighth Opponent - Navy
8/28/2000 12:00:00 PM | Football
In 1999, the Navy football team knocked on the door of success. This year, it hopes to kick it in.
Navy lost six games in 1999 by a touchdown or less en route to a 5-7 season. The Mids lost to bowl-bound Boston College, 14-10, on a touchdown with 7:39 remaining in the game. Against Rice, Navy lost on a 31-yard field goal with 2:27 remaining. The Mids dropped a wide-open pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter against Air Force in losing to the Falcons, 19-14. On homecoming, against Akron, Navy blew a 23-point second-half lead and lost, 35-29. Against Notre Dame, a questionable spot by the head linesman gave Notre Dame a controversial first down on its final drive of the game which led to an Irish touchdown and a 24-21 victory over the Mids. Hawai'i, which also played in a bowl game, hung on to defeat Navy, 48-41, with Navy playing most of the second half without starting quarterback Brian Madden or backup Brian Broadwater.
"I have never been through a season where one team lost so many heartbreaking games," said Navy head coach Charlie Weatherbie. "That is something we really concentrated on in the spring. We worked hard on getting better in the two-minute offense. We have to be able to move the ball when we are behind late in the game."
The Mids return 31 letterwinners from last year's squad, including four starters on offense and six on defense. Navy, however, did lose its punter and kicker.
One letterwinner who is questionable for the 2000 season is starting quarterback Brian Madden, who tore the ACL and both meniscus in his right knee at the end of the annual Blue/Gold Spring Game. Madden had surgery on his knee May 19 and it is not known if or when he will return in 2000. "Although Brian has a lot of healing to do, with his work ethic I would not discount the fact that he might be able to play sometime this season," said Capt. John Wilckens, Navy's team doctor.
The following is a position-by-position breakdown of the 2000 Midshipmen.
Quarterback
Entering the spring, Weatherbie said he had two number-one quarterbacks in senior Brian
Broadwater and junior Brian Madden. Fortunately for Navy, there were two quarterbacks as
Madden went down in the spring game with an injury to his right knee.
"It is unfortunate that we lost Madden and we are hopeful he might be able to play at some point this year. But, whether he comes back or not, we have a great deal of confidence in Brian Broadwater."
Broadwater started the first seven games last year before fracturing his clavicle against Akron. Madden came on to start the final five games, led Navy to a 3-2 record and nearly beat Notre Dame in South Bend.
Broadwater rushed for 626 yards and eight touchdowns on 154 carries in his seven games, and completed 50 of his 107 passes for 806 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Madden, despite starting just five games, led the nation in rushing among quarterbacks with 897 yards and nine touchdowns on 180 carries. He completed 27 of his 59 passes for 325 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Sophomore Christian Chapman, who started at quarterback on the junior varsity last year, enters the fall as the second string quarterback. There is also the possibility that Ed Malinowski, who played quarterback last year but was moved to safety in the spring, could be moved back to quarterback.
Fullback
The Mids are loaded at the fullback position with the return of
starter Raheem Lambert and backups Marlon Terrell and Pat
Haines, all juniors. Lambert rushed for 790 yards on 133 carries with six touchdowns,
including a 79-yard jaunt against Rice. Terrell also showed some flashes last year, carrying the
ball 30 times for 108 yards and one touchdown. Haines, meanwhile, is a hard-nosed runner
who carried the ball 25 times for 107 yards and a touchdown.
"I feel real good about our fullback situation," said Weatherbie. "I think Raheem has the chance to be the best fullback we have ever had here and Terrell and Haines are good tough runners."
Lambert, who had offseason shoulder surgery, was held out of contact drills for most of the spring, which gave Terrell and Haines an opportunity to get more reps.
Running Back
Senior Josh Bock and junior Rashad Jamal enter the fall as the starters, but any number of guys
could get the start come Sept. 2 against Temple. Sophomore Gene Reese, who saw extensive
playing time last season despite his plebe status, is expected to see plenty of playing time. Reese
has tremendous speed and will be a threat out of the backfield. Reese carried the ball 12 times
for 28 yards as a freshman.
Four other players will also compete for playing time. Junior Terence Coleman and sophomores Soso Dede, Michael Darnell and Donnie Fricks showed in the spring they have the ability to compete for playing time.
"Gene Reese showed what he could do when he got a chance last year," said Weatherbie. "Now that he has gotten through plebe year, he should be even better this year.
"The other six guys all have the ability to play on the collegiate level," said Weatherbie. "Whoever produces when they get a chance will see the most playing time."
Wide Receiver
The Mids lost starters Travis Williams and Matt O'Donnell to graduation, however, junior
Brandon Rampani returns as Navy's big-play receiver. As a sophomore, Rampani caught 14
passes for 276 yards and four touchdowns. Seniors Brian Williams, Billy Hubbard and Jon
Fagins, along with sophomore Chandler Sims, will compete for the other starting position in the
fall with Williams leading the pack. Junior Harry Spencer, who missed all of last season,
including spring ball, with a back injury, should be ready for the fall.
"Time and time again Rampani came up with big catches last year. I expect him to have another great season this year," said Weatherbie. "The other spot is wide open. I think all three guys can do the job, and then Spencer is kind of a wild card for us. He certainly has the ability if he can get healthy."
Offensive Line
At first glance, the offensive line looks like it should be weaker than it was last year with the
loss of All-America center Terrence Anderson, All-East tackle Kostas Hatzidakis and 11-game
starter Jarrett Davies at guard. However, Weatherbie believes there won't be any fall-off from an
offensive line that helped pave the way for the nation's leading rushing team. The Mids led the
nation a year ago, averaging 292.2 yards per game.
"I feel like our line will be every bit as good this year as it was last year," said Weatherbie. "We have five senior starters who all have experience in game situations. I think we will surprise some people up front."
Navy's starting tackle duo is made up of seasoned vetetrans Hoot Stahl and Ron Winchester. Stahl has the size (6-6, 300 pounds) and quickness to play on the next level, while Winchester started six games last year.
At guard, Navy returns starter Philip Yeh, as well as Scott Swantner, who played in every game last year and earned one start.
Center Chad Adams, who played in six games a year ago, will get the nod at center.
Others competing for playing time include Dan Venuto and Travis Peace at guard, John Jeffery at tackle, Brian Schulz at center and Steve Mercer at tight end. Grant Moody, who sat out last year after transferring from Pittsburg State in Kansas, could also be in the mix at tight end.
Defensive Line
An unanswered question for Weatherbie's staff heading into the fall is who will replace nose
guard David Ryno, who graduated in May. Sophomore Andy Zetts won the job in the spring
and will be challenged by junor Alan Thompson.
The defensive end spots will be manned by senior Brad Wimsatt and junior Michael Wagoner. Wimsatt started all 11 games last year and recorded 58 tackles, including nine tackles for a loss and seven sacks. Wagoner will have big shoes to replace in Gino Marchetti, who led the nation in fumble recoveries last year with five. Wagoner recorded 28 tackles last year, including four that lost yardage.
"This is one of the areas where we need some people to step up," said Weatherbie. "Wimsatt and Wagoner are going to be very good, but we need to find a starter at nose guard and some backups at defensive end."
Linebacker
What the defensive line lacks in depth, the linebacker corps
more than makes up for. The Mids should be solid at outside
linebacker and are loaded at inside linebacker.
Junior Shaka Martin had a sensational sophomore campaign and is looking to have an even bigger 2000 season. Last year, Martin recorded 66 tackles, including a team-high 13 tackles for a loss and a team-best eight sacks. Senior Rashad Jones will have the first shot at the other outside linebacker position, though he will be pushed by senior Justin Jordan and junior Justin Cramer.
"Shaka can be a force for us at outside linebacker," said Weatherbie. "The other spot is pretty wide open. Rashad has the ability to be a good player, but Jordan and Cramer have the ability to push him."
Not only do the Mids return their top-three inside linebackers in seniors Daryl Hill and Mike McGee and junior Ryan Hamilton, but junior Jake Bowen, who played as a sophomore in 1997, is back from a two-year Mormon mission.
Hamilton was third on the team in tackles last year with 101 and had nine tackles for a loss, four sacks, five passes broken up, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Hill was in on 61 tackles, including five tackles for a loss and three sacks, while McGee contributed 51 tackles a year ago. Bowen had 15 tackles in 1997 as a reserve. Sophomore Josh Brindel will also compete for playing time.
Hamilton missed all of spring ball after having offseason knee surgery, but returns this fall at 100 percent. Hamilton sitting out allowed Bowen the playing time he needed to get ready for the season after not playing football the past two years.
"I am real excited about our inside linebackers," said Weatherbie. "Hamilton, Hill and McGee all had good years last year and they should be better next year. Adding Bowen to the mix will make us even better."
Defensive Backfield
The secondary should be every bit as good as the linebacker
corps with the return of starting cornerback Davede Alexander
and All-America candidate Chris Lepore at free safety.
Alexander had 57 tackles, a team-high three interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown against Notre Dame, and a team-high nine pass deflections last fall and will provide leadership in the secondary. Senior Mike Wiedl is the expected starter at the other corner, but will be challenged by juniors Marcus Jackson and Jeff Gaddy.
Lepore had spectacular junior season with a team-high 127 tackles, four tackles for a loss, two sacks, one interception, three passes broken up, one fumble recovery, three forced fumbles and a blocked punt. He has been named a First-Team Preseason All-America by Athlon and Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook. Juniors Matt Brooks and Ed Malinowski will back up Lepore at free safety. Malinowski, a former quarterback, had a great spring in the secondary, but could be moved back to quarterback in the fall because of the injury to Madden.
Weatherbie feels like he has three strong candidates to replace Jamie Doffermyre at strong safety in sophomore Clyde Clark, junior DeJuan Cromer and senior Brian Bourgeois. Bourgeois also could see time at free safety.
"I feel as good about our secondary as I have in a long time," said Weatherbie. "Lepore is a big-time playmaker, an All-America candiate, and I think you will see Alexander continue to make more big plays next year. Clark, Cromer and Bourgeois all have good ability and all three enter the fall with a chance to start."
Specialists
The biggest question mark entering the spring was the kicking game where the Mids lost starters
Tim Shubzda and Tray Calisch. Senior Brian Williams, who is also a starter at wide receiver,
won the punting job and David Hills won the placekicking duties in the spring.
"I actually feel pretty good about our kicking situation," said Weatherbie. "Both Williams and Hills were pretty consistent in the spring and I have great confidence in them heading into the season."
Schedule
The Mids will find out right away what kind of season they will have, as the first six games will
pose a challenge for Navy. After opening up at home against Temple, Navy will play
three-straight bowl teams, traveling to Georgia Tech and Boston College and playing host to
TCU. Navy will then hit the road to play service academy rival Air Force and will play host to
Notre Dame in Orlando. The Mids will end the season with home games against Rutgers,
Toledo and Wake Forest, another bowl team from 1999, and a road game at Tulane. The Mids
will host Army December 2 in Baltimore.
"I think we have a great schedule this year," said Weatherbie. "It is a bowl schedule. We have some key games early against some great football teams. We are really looking forward to playing Notre Dame down in Orlando and we have a great home schedule with two bowl teams coming to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in TCU and Wake Forest. We are excited to have the Army-Navy game in Baltimore. That is going to be like a home game for us, especially since we finally get to play them on grass. This team has a chance to play in a bowl game and the schedule gives us the opportunity to play some good people. If we are able to win those games, we will belong in a bowl game."
