In Opener, Navy's White Did a Lot With a Little

In many ways, the most remarkable thing about Shun White's school-record rushing performance in Navy's season opener last Saturday wasn't the total number of yards he gained against Towson -- though 348 yards is a staggering figure, the 17th-best rushing effort in NCAA division I-A history. The truly impressive number is 19 -- the carries White needed to amass his yardage.

The Navy record that White broke -- Eddie Meyers's 298 yards against Syracuse in 1981 -- was accomplished on 42 carries. The 16 players who rank above White on the NCAA list needed an average of 40 carries to reach their lofty totals. (Texas Christian's LaDainian Tomlinson holds the single-game record of 406 yards, which he got on 43 carries.)

"He's a special kid," Navy Coach Ken Niumatalolo said of White, a senior. "I don't know if we'll ever see that again, especially with what we do."

Indeed, depending on how Ball State defends Navy's triple-option offense tonight in a nationally televised game, White could end up with just a handful of rushes and a fraction of the yards he gained against Towson. He said he would be fine throwing 20 blocks, instead of getting 20 carries, against the Cardinals.

Nineteen carries are a lot for a slotback in the triple option. Consider that Reggie Campbell, who is considered the best slotback of Navy's triple-option era, averaged only 5.5 carries per game during his senior season (2007), and had only four games (out of 47) in which he had more than 10 carries.

White and Niumatalolo were quick to point out that White's performance last week was because of a combination of factors: Towson's decision to focus on stopping fullback Eric Kettani, quarterback Jarod Bryant's ability to make the right read and pitch, and fellow slotbacks Bobby Doyle and Cory Finnerty making terrific blocks.

"We kind of figured that if we could just do that -- put Shun in spots where he could succeed -- he'd get it done," Niumatalolo said.

Over the past two years, White had proved to be an effective weapon; he entered the season averaging 9.4 yards per carry (129 carries for 1,219 yards), a school record. But he was playing in the shadow of Campbell, who has graduated.

Campbell could tell before the game that White was ready to play. He knew that White had patiently waited for three years to become the team's top slotback, and he knew that White was itching to run the ball after two preseason scrimmages in which he barely played. When he saw White pick up 21 yards on his first touch against Towson, he knew that it was going to be a good day for his successor.

"You just get a feel. Whenever you get a big chunk of yards on your first carry, it gives you a whole lot of confidence," Campbell said. "It relaxed [White]. Then it's just go out and take care of all your assignments and play hard, and that's the result you get."

White's calling card at Navy has been his speed; he has spent this past spring going from class to outdoor track practice to football workouts. At the Patriot League outdoor championships, he won the 200 meters (21.72 seconds) and finished second in the 100 (10.77). But he needed to learn other skills to succeed at slotback, where Campbell and Zerbin Singleton preceded him.

"I wanted to be as elusive as" Campbell, White said. "This past Saturday I made a couple of guys miss, like the safety in the alley, and I was real excited about that. . . . Zerb is a devastating blocker. I used to stay after practice when I was a young freshman and sophomore, and me and Zerb used to go through techniques, trying to help me become a better blocker. Now I'm excited that I'm one of the best blockers on the team."

Both Singleton and Campbell were on the sideline against Towson, and having his two mentors there meant a lot to White. Singleton, who was assisting the offensive coaches, gave him tips on reading the Tigers' secondary. Campbell, who was tracking down injury updates for the sports information department, provided encouragement, reminding White to have fun and joking that he was "running to Memphis today." After the game, White was worn out. He had touchdown runs of 33, 87 and 73 yards -- those runs alone would have given him a new career high in yardage.

"Nineteen carries is not a lot, to be honest, though it is for a Navy slotback. I carried the ball way more times in high school," White said. "I was pretty tired after the game, but it was the next morning when it really hit me. I was a little sore. I came in and sat in the ice bath, just tried to relax and get my legs back and get my mind right for Ball State."