Kettani Prepared to Carry the Load

Senior Eric Kettani is prepared to take the majority of snaps at fullback this season for Navy, if need be. He's trying to keep his body fresh right know, knowing that he has four months of hard, physical work ahead of him.

"You've got to start loving the ice bath," Kettani said after practice on Wednesday. "Yesterday, I was in there four times, 15 minutes apiece. Fifty-five degrees. Put some headphones on and relax."

Kettani led the Midshipmen in rushing last season with 880 yards and was second on the team with 152 carries, but he split time with Adam Ballard (141 carries for 665 yards), who has since graduated. Coach Ken Niumatalolo said at media day that he was prepared to have Kettani carry the load this season -- similar to what Kyle Eckel did in 2004 (235 carries for 1147 yards) -- but he also emphasized the need to find a capable back-up to the 6-foot-1, 233-pound Kettani.

Freshman Alex Teich, who was one of the standouts in last week's scrimmage, has taken the early lead in that competition. He played slotback last year at the prep school before a thumb injury forced him to miss the final half of the season (though he still managed to kick extra points for the team). But he was moved to fullback at the start of preseason practices, in part because of his toughness.

"We like his feet, and his breakaway speed," Niumatalolo said. "We're not looking for the neckroll, 260-pound guy that can't move and runs straight ahead. We're looking for an athletic, tough strong guy. Guys like Kyle and Eric, those guys are hard to find. They're big and strong and have good feet. That's the prototype that we're looking for. [Teich is] not as big right now, but he's got really good feet."

Teich was happy with the move. He played running back at Caney Creek (Tex.) High for three seasons and was capable of both explosive runs (during his senior year, he ran for 150 yards on just seven carries in a blowout playoff victory) and grinding it out (he often got more than 30 carries a game).

"I'm used to the wear and tear of getting pounded," said Teich, who is 6-feet and 200 pounds. "I like running north-south, not so much east-west. I like to make one cut and go and get downhill."

Injuries Force Quarterback Shuffle

Injuries to two of Navy's top three quarterbacks have forced Niumatalolo to make a significant change to Saturday's scrimmage: The quarterbacks will not be live. Starter Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada is sidelined with a hamstring pull and third-string Ricky Dobbs is nursing a sprained shoulder, leaving the Midshipmen with just three experienced signal-callers: senior Jarod Bryant (the starter), senior Joe Taylor, and junior Greg Zingler (Severna Park).

"We'll put Jarod Bryant in a bubble if we have to," Niumatalolo said. "That's going to be different for us -- as you can see, we hit our quarterbacks. We want them to get ready with what it's going to be like during the season. That's kind of always been our approach, but we can't take that chance any more. With Kaipo being hurt at this point, Jarod's stock has risen dramatically."

Other injuries to the Midshipmen, however, have been "a blessing in disguise," according to Niumatalolo. Returning slotbacks Greg Shinego (hand) and Andre Byrd (leg) have not been playing, which has allowed the coaching staff to look at some younger players, like freshmen Corey James, Aaron Santiago, Jarren Brown (C.H. Flowers) and Marcus Curry. On the most recent depth chart, James was listed as the third-string slot back behind Bryant and Byrd.

"We really like our young slot backs," Niumatalolo said. "They have been fed to the wolves and have handled it pretty well. The young slot backs are very athletic."