Navy Duo Making Gains As a Way of Competition

Navy fullbacks Adam Ballard and Eric Kettani rotate on a series-by-series basis. That rotation will change if one "develops a hot hand," according to fullbacks coach Chris Culton.

And the best news for the Midshipmen (1-2) entering their game against Duke (1-2) tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Annapolis is that either is capable of going on a hot streak.

Ballard, a 6-foot-1, 236-pound senior, has six 100-yard games in his career. His last one came in a 38-13 victory over the Blue Devils last season (he finished with 103 yards and two touchdowns).

Kettani, a 6-1, 233-pound junior, rushed for 126 yards on nine carries in a 34-31 overtime loss to Ball State last week.

Ballard enters with 195 yards rushing; Kettani has 189.

"They are the kind of fullbacks you want for that offense," said Omar Nelson, a radio analyst for the team and a former fullback in Coach Paul Johnson's option-based offense. "They're both strong and they have good size, and mixing them both in will keep them fresh. . . . Competition works well for everyone. I'm sure they're both rooting for each other but they also want to outdo one another. And that's how it should be."

Off the field, however, the players are relatively different.

"On the weekends, Eric dresses like P. Diddy," Ballard said. "He wears the painted-on shirts with the collars popped. . . . I like hanging out in a tavern, kicking back in an old pair of jeans with something to sip on."

Their paths to the academy were equally different. Kettani played soccer as a youth, though he turned to football in eighth grade following an accumulation of yellow and red cards.

These days, he confounds teammates with a daily "animal fact" gleaned from years of watching the Discovery Channel.

"He's always been like that," said his mother, Collette. "He loves the Discovery Channel and loves 'Jeopardy' and Trivial Pursuit. . . . He also loves puzzles. He used to sit there for hours with puzzles."

Ballard's football career began when he rushed for 2,355 yards and 22 touchdowns for the freshman team at Marcus High in Lewisville, Tex. These days, teammates say he reflects that he is a laid-back English major.

"He loves to go out and listen to his country music," senior center Antron Harper said of Ballard. "Kettani is more of a jokester. He's always cracking jokes. But when it's time to work, those two work like no other."

Ballard acknowledged he has had a slow start to the season; he had his first fumble in his college career in a 30-19 victory over Temple in the season opener. Because of Kettani, however, the Midshipmen have not been hurt by it.

And if both get going at the same time, the Midshipmen might be hard to stop.

"When Adam runs behind his pads [i.e., runs low], he's a very, very hard fullback to tackle," Culton said. "Eric is kind of the same way, but I think he's got an extra gear. . . . When they're both running hard, they can be effective against any defense, as long as they're doing what they're supposed to be doing."