2011 Navy Midshipmen Football Preview

The football program at Navy is in quite a groove. The Midshipmen have been bowling in each of the last eight seasons. Head coach Ken Niumatalolo, who has seamlessly taken the baton from program architect Paul Johnson and not missed a beat all the while, has proven more than capable of leading the Naval Academy gridiron brigade into the next decade. Navy has won at least eight games in each of the past eight seasons as well, a defining display of not just excellence, but consistency and longevity that were nowhere to be seen in the late 1990s, when the world of Annapolis football lay in tatters. The Mids have shown a tremendous ability to regroup and restructure when personnel changes transpire, whether that be on the sideline or between the painted lines.

In 2011, Navy must replace do-everything quarterback Ricky Dobbs – that’s clearly the first order of business in the state of Maryland. Dobbs was the key cog – the foundation and fulfillment, the alpha and omega, the source and summit – of anything and everything the Midshipmen did on offense during the past two years in Annapolis. The baton will pass to Kriss Proctor, who has taken dozens of live-game snaps over the past few seasons when Dobbs was injured. Coaches are comfortable with his ability, and the idea of returning eight offensive starters should make for a smoother than normal transition. However, what still remains to be seen is if Proctor can make the mental adjustment to being the man everyone else in the huddle looks to when crunch time arrives. Being the every-down quarterback – the expected captain – of a formidable offense carries with it a unique set of responsibilities, and until Proctor walks through the fire of a full season with his teammates, observers won’t fully know exactly what they’re getting as a new chapter of Navy football – the post-Dobbs one – unfolds.

The defense returns just five starters and the eternally undersized Midshipmen must continue to fight and claw on every play during the season. The independent schedule from Navy in 2011 offers a solid balance of BCS and non-BCS competition. The Mids travel to South Carolina in week three to take on a Gamecock team that should be in the running for the SEC East title. Road contests against Rutgers and SMU should offer two good barometers of how far the Mids will go when the mid-season point arrives. Navy travels to South Bend to take on Notre Dame two day before Halloween.

The biggest priority for Navy in terms of tangible on-field achievements this year will clearly be the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. Navy held the coveted piece of hardware the past eight seasons, but Air Force took it back last season by defeating the Mids in Colorado Springs. This year, Navy gets a home contest against Air Force in the first week of October, followed by the annual Army-Navy contest - in Landover, Maryland, not Philadelphia - on the final Saturday of the regular season. If Navy adds to its bowl collection, wins at least nine games, and takes back the CIC Trophy, the 2011 season will be fondly remembered in all households where “Anchors Aweigh!” is sung.

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