Limited Option Is Only One

Army Must Contain Navy or Lose Series-Record 6th Straight

Navy has won five consecutive football games against Army twice since 1945. The first instance came from 1959 to '63; the final margins of those games were 31, 5, 6, 20 and 6 points. The second is current, and the final margins have been 46, 28, 29, 19 and 12.

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The Midshipmen (7-4) have enjoyed the upper hand in the rivalry since Paul Johnson became their coach in 2002. In the rivalry's 107 years, neither team has won six in a row. Navy has a chance to do it today in the 108th meeting, before a sellout crowd at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

The challenges that face Army (3-8) are the same that face most of Navy's opponents. Navy's option-based offense forces the defense to be extremely disciplined; that was never more evident than in the Midshipmen's 26-14 win last season.

That game turned because one Army player made one mistake. The score was tied at 7 in the third quarter when an Army defensive end tackled junior quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada for a two-yard loss on an option play. The defensive end had chased Kaheaku-Enhada down through backside pursuit. Technically, it was a mistake: Backside defensive ends are told to remain "at home" on option plays until they are certain the play is not a reverse or counter.

The following play appeared to be the same call to the same side of the field. The defensive end again mistakenly chased Kaheaku-Enhada -- and this time, Navy took advantage. Wide receiver Jason Tomlinson, a senior last year, took the ball on a reverse and, because the defensive end was out of position, got to the outside and scored on a 33-yard run to give Navy the lead to stay.

A similar fate befell Air Force in its 31-20 loss to Navy earlier this year. Falcons outside linebacker Hunter Altman mistakenly tackled a fullback on an option play midway through the fourth quarter.

Instead, Kaheaku-Enhada had the ball -- and he scored on a 78-yard touchdown run for the clinching points.

"It comes down to being disciplined and being where you are supposed to be and being able to concentrate through the whole game so there are no lapses," Army Coach Stan Brock said. "When there is a lapse, they exploit it."

Overall, though, Army's defense had a much-improved effort against the Midshipmen last year. Navy finished with 264 rushing yards, 63 below its season average and its lowest total in the series under Johnson.

Army used a 4-3 defense for most of the game, with a middle linebacker stationed two yards deeper than the other two linebackers. The Black Knights used the same alignment when they faced the closest approximation to Navy -- division I-AA Rhode Island -- on Sept. 8. Army held the Rams to 158 yards on 60 carries and won in overtime, 14-7.

"They run a lot of the same stuff and the same formations," Johnson said of Rhode Island. "That was a good preparation for them. [Army] played well, it was 7-7 at the end of regulation. They did a great job."

Army senior middle linebacker Brian Chmura, a key defender in that game, enters today with motivation far beyond ending his team's losing streak in the series. Chmura's father, a lieutenant colonel in the Army, was given a temporary leave of absence from his post in Iraq and will be in attendance.

"Quite a few of our players have parents who are either in Iraq, gone to Iraq or on their way over," Brock said. "The kids understand. . . . Not only will that affect Brian, but all the people around him. I know it's affecting us as a team and those things are now brought to the front of the line and we understand how big this game is and how important this game is."

Chmura likely will be a focal point today one way or another. Facing Rhode Island's option scheme, Chmura made nine tackles but also several bad reads. For example, the Rams' longest rushing play -- a 16-yard gain by fullback Joe Casey -- was made possible after Chmura raced past Casey because he believed the play was an option pitch to the outside and not a run up the middle.

If Chmura and the Black Knights make the same mistakes today, Navy almost certainly will take advantage. The Midshipmen have a chance to become the first team in NCAA history to lead the nation in rushing three consecutive years.

"In our goal-line package, we really only run three plays," Navy senior center Antron Harper said. "But it probably looks like 12 different plays with all the different formations and things we do off those three plays."