That pressure signaled a dramatic turnaround from previous encounters with spread offenses. Take, for instance, Southern Mississippi, which rang up 63 points against Navy a month ago, or East Carolina, which had quarterback Dominique Davis complete 40 of 45 passes in a 38-35 win two weeks later.
In both games, the Midshipmen’s front seven rarely made appearances in the backfield, thus allowing those frenetic offenses to thrive. Not only did the pace frequently have Navy backpedaling, but it also prevented substitutions for a winded unit.
“Obviously the key to playing good pass defense is getting pressure,” Green said. “That was one of the biggest factors last weekend allowing us to be in position to break on the ball. We had good pressure from our front. We had some guys close to the quarterback when the ball was thrown, and that’s the most important thing in having the chance to play on the back end.”
The defense has more of the same in mind Saturday, when Navy faces Southern Methodist’s run-and-shoot attack that Coach June Jones installed when he took over the program in 2008. The Mustangs are ranked 15th nationally in passing offense this year and have scored at least 38 points seven times, including a 45-24 victory over Tulane last weekend.
Last season, Navy all but neutralized the run-and-shoot during the second half of a 28-21 victory over SMU. The Mustangs’ only touchdown after the break came on Kyle Padron’s 10-yard pass to Aldrick Robinson to tie the game, and although SMU ran 66 plays to Navy’s 64, it held the ball five minutes less.
“You definitely want to get in the quarterback’s face,” senior defensive end Jabaree Tuani said. “If a quarterback has to think about where pressure’s coming from or running out of the pocket and just not being able to sit there, it’s definitely going to give your defense a chance to get off the field or be able to make the quarterback throw a bad pass.”
It’s not so much about sacks either, according to Green, as it is making the quarterback uncomfortable by rushing just three or four players. Linebackers then can concentrate on helping defensive backs in coverage against spread formations that at times include five wide receivers.
From high atop Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Green watched his charges accomplish just that against Troy. The change of scenery allowed Green to get a better perspective of the personnel groupings the Trojans sent onto the field and how best to counteract them.
Green suggested switching his vantage point to Coach Ken Niumatalolo last week after Navy’s defense had been bullied repeatedly, beginning with a 35-34 loss to Air Force on Oct. 1. Niumatalolo signed off on it, and instead of Green giving the signals directly to his players, that job fell to assistants Dale Pehrson and Tony Grantham on the sideline.
“He told me he had been thinking about it, thought he could see things quicker, make calls quicker, see personnel changes, and it worked out,” Niumatalolo said of Green moving to the press box, where you can bet he’ll be at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas.
“Not that we’re superstitious or anything,” Niumatalolo said.
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