2014-15 Season Previews – (Independant) Midshipmen
There is never much that will come as a surprise when playing Navy. The program sends out the same kind of roster year in and year out, and plays the same style of game.
Junior quarterback Keenan Reynolds has added a bit of a wrinkle to the scheme, but even he takes off and runs with the ball far more often than he throws it.
His presence has helped boost the program’s win total in recent season, and the team will be looking for another step forward this upcoming season, though the defense could again bring about the Midshipmen’s downfall.
Navy
2014 Gambling Preview: Navy Midshipmen
Coach: Ken Niumatalolo
2013 Record: 9-4
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The Midshipmen will be doing a lot of the same this season, though, the team entered last season with one of its better squads in recent memory and disappointed. This year’s roster figures to be even better, and it all starts at the quarterback position.
Reynolds has earned plenty of national attention in his short time at the helm, and rightfully so. The team’s offensive line has also taken a big step forward, and given the style of play that the Midshipmen employ, that’s a very strong asset.
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The key will be whether the team’s other options on the ground will be able to ease the pressure on the dynamic Reynolds, who stands at only 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds. He’s been able to make some big plays for the team with both his arm and his feet, but he isn’t built to take the kind of beating he receives given his usage within the offense.
That’s going to start with the team’s strong interior running game, and that means hammering Noah Copeland and Chris Swain up the middle. Copeland missed the majority of the second half of last season due to injury, and his absence was noticeable.
Defensively, Navy probably won’t ever be an elite unit, but this year’s edition has some experience in the secondary and enough returning bodies up front to be effective. Generating a pass rush could remain an issue, as the team’s 3-4 scheme hasn’t helped in getting into the backfield.
The team struggled against the best passing teams it faced last season, but this year’s edition should fare a little better in that regard with a little more experience from the men tasked with manning the secondary.
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Senior free safety Parrish Gaines is coming off back-to-back strong seasons and will be called upon to lead the secondary once again this season. But again, getting to the quarterback would make everyone’s job easier.
The team’s defensive line can do a fine job of holding its position up front, which helps in the run game, but that’s going to mean that the team’s linebacking corps, particularly the guys in the middle, will need to make plays.
The team will need to replace its leading tacklers from last season in Cody Peterson and D.J. Sargenti, who combined for 252 tackles. Chris Johnson and Jordan Drake will hold their own at the outside spots, but how James Britton and Don Pearson fare in the middle could determine the success of the unit.
2014 Navy football gambling prediction: 9-3
The Midshipmen have a legitimate shot at a double-digit win season with 15 returning starters. Their two toughest games – versus Ohio State and a neutral site contest again Notre Dame – have seen the opposing program take some serious hits in August.
While coming out on top of either or both of those games is still unlikely, the Midshipmen will at least be competitive in both of those affairs, even if they don’t pick up the victory. Beyond that, their schedule is soft in most spots, in with one of the more impressive squads that the program has put out in recent memory, this could be a big year for the Midshipmen.
2014 Navy schedule:
- 8/30 Ohio State
- 9/6 at Temple
- 9/13 at Texas State
- 9/20 Rutgers
- 9/27 WKU
- 10/4 at Air Force
- 10/11 VMI
- 10/25 San Jose State
- 11/1 Notre Dame*
- 11/15 Georgia Southern
- 11/28 at South Alabama
- 12/13 Army *
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