Navy Season 1 complete

At the beginning of the season, upheaval was the order of the day, as Liam Johnstone was brought in to coach the Navy Midshipmen. Mired in a slump of epic proportions, having lost the previous three Army-Navy games – the game that defines the teams involved, the Naval Academy decided to move on from coach Schneider and start fresh with a young man from Canada whose understanding of the college game and especially the option is a modern one.

Peter Gunningham was a lock at starting quarterback. Jason Polanco and Scott Sanderson proved early on in training camp that they were nothing more than spare arms. Gunningham is less than that, and more – much more. Possessing quick feet and a willingness to sell out in order to make the play, Gunningham is a thinking-man’s quarterback, which is what attracted Johnstone to the quarterback.
“He may not have the strongest arm but he gets the job done and he shows some flashes. He’s not destined for the pro game, but in the option, where it’s run first and then think about passing, P-gun is the man,” said Coach Johnstone after a game-1 victory. His words would be prophetic as Gunningham would lead the team in rushing yards as he led them to a near-perfect 11-1 season.

Behind Gunningham were the usual suspects: Hec Gervais, a solid, underrated fullback was the workhorse for the squad and his 28 touchdowns were enough to name him to the collegiate First-Team All-Americans. Speaking three words of English outside of football vocabulary, Gervais nonetheless starred for the Midshipmen and made them a consistent threat from the red zone.

Marc Pegram, son of Atlanta Falcons standout Erric Pegram, started the season at Wingback alongside Patrick Donnelly. Neither groused about the prominence of Gervais, as they both understood their roles as option-backs and targets out of the backfield. Said Pegram, “Gun is gonna do what he has to to let us win. He’s got the brain and he and Coach J know what it takes to win. If I run twenty dummy option routes and we win the game, I’m happy.”

Receiver was a point of weakness the season previous, with dropped balls, offensive pass interference calls and an overall lack of precision. Johnstone changed that. Harry Norris and Jack Potter led the nation in yards per catch, and, while their overall totals were nothing that impressive, they contributed to the overall success of the team. Eric La Redo was another solid performer through the air, catching the ball when he was called upon.

Defense was not the sore spot it was expected to be, and the front seven were dominant as the team led the nation in rushing yards against, floating around the 85 ypg area.

F. G. DeSoto is the heart and soul of the defense, his pass-rush technique refined over the summer against Ed Wright and Manuel Starkey, two of the Midshipmen’s better offensive linemen.

Chris Cooper, Hamilton Jeffries and Lamar Brown were the starters in the linebacking corps, and there was never any doubt that they were for real.

“I like to think that Coop and Hammy were the reasons, beyond FG that the defense was able to do what it could. With their coverage skills and smarts, I could send any of the three on a blitz and the others had his back. It’s nice when you have that in the bag.” That from defensive coordinator S. Woods, longtime friend and rival of the head coach.

Marco Gash, Larry Wood, Darnel Spooner and Ray Smith provided secondary support, flying around, knocking down balls, intercepting a few, and being lights-out in run support.

Brian Callahan was everything that was promised, nailing the ball with a marksman’s precision and Don Woods had great numbers, hitting on over 80% of his field goals.

The 11-1 record and Gervais’ individual honours were overshadowed somewhat by a white-washing of a 48-0 loss in their bowl game but Johnstone remains optimistic.
“It’s a whole new season. There’s a lot of recruiting to be done, and if what I hear is any indication, next year’s gonna be a whole lot better.” It remains to be seen what Johnstone means by that but for a team that started the season ranked 97th in the nation and ended just off the charts, a whole lot better is very exciting.

GUNNINGHAM "STELLAR" AS MIDSHIPMEN SINK RAGIN' CAJUNS

Junior quarterback uses multiple tools in victory over UL-Lafayette

Peter Gunningham's progress as a quarterback has been a rocky one, to say the least. He was a long shot to make a Navy roster that boasts such luminaries as Jason Polanco and Scott Sanderson, let alone taking the reins as starting quarterback. However, rare is the occasion that a signal-caller for the Midshipmen will enjoy success on the level of what Gunningham experienced this past week, staking out an early 14-0 lead and then leading his team back from 28-14 to win 31-28.

Gunningham hit another level, running and passing for over 220 yards. Hardly dart-precise, Gunningham was, nevertheless, responsible for a touchdown pass to Potter early in the game and seemed uncannily prescient in his decisions in the option game. Both Pegram and Donnelly had big games, and Gervais, who came into this game with 0 career touchdowns, left with two.

The defense was far from air-tight, however, they flexed their muscle when the game was on the line, stopping QB#5, WR#82 and RB#32 on three straight plays when a stop was desperately needed, and then held on when Navy regained the lead, early in the fourth quarter. Cooper and Smith both had timely interceptions, ending dangerous Lafayette drives and sending the Ragin Cajuns home, one loss richer.

Next for the Midshipmen, after their bye week, is a date with SMU, a team that, historically, has had Navy's number. It remains to be seen if Gunningham can stay as hot as he has, but it is well worth the wait.

RESET BUTTON HIT

Johnstone Excited at the Return of Gunningham

Earlier today, it was announced that Liam Johnstone will be returning to the coaching spotlight of the Navy Midshipmen. Given the coach's checkered past with the team, it's unclear why Johnstone was offered a second chance, though it's suspected that respected players Peter Gunningham and F. G. DeSoto had more than a little to do with it."What can I say? They've got a short memory card," Johnstone quipped at the press conference where his starters were named.

Peter Gunningham, unsurprisingly, will lead the charge at quarterback. Hec Gervais, always a Navy staple at fullback, will plough the way for wingbacks Monty Pegram and Pete Donnelly. Receivers Norris and Potter will start, with T. J. Moon in the slot.

On defense, Philpot is sitting on the bench for now, with F. G. DeSoto, Walker Dean and Sam Wynn starting. At linebacker, Lamar Brown is back for another round, as well as Chris Cooper and Hamilton Jeffries. In the backfield, Doug Pratt was barely beaten out by Ray Smith for the #2 cornerback spot behind Darnel Spooner. Larry Wood and Marco Gash round out a secondary that hopes to shut down opposing offenses with more success than their predecessors.

Good luck to the Navy Midshipmen as they set sail for another season of excellence!

Coach Johnstone Fired!

Coach Liam Johnstone of the Navy Midshipmen has been fired.
After three beleaguered years of injuries, disinterest by the public and just a general failure to get the job done, the young coach has been replaced.
His first season did not net any wins for the Navy Midshipmen, mostly simulated by a coach eager to get to recruiting his players, his way. However, the second season was not simulated at all and that season, the Midshipmen failed to have a winning season and the embarrassment of that was capped off by an inability to beat perennial rivals, Army.
Early in the third season, Navy lost Senior wide-receiving standout T. J. Moon and Freshman quarterback Brent Giles for the season. Seeing that the end was coming, and learning, first-hand, that Junior quarterback Scott Sanderson could not get the job done, Johnstone decided to simulate his third season. However, this being a contract year, Johnstone would have done well to pull it together and right the ship, so to speak. He didn't, and his unemployment speaks for itself.
Caught in a dilemma, Johnstone could have taken a job with another low-prestige college, Army, Temple, possibly UL-Lafayette, but Johnstone instead decided to walk away from the game and start over.
"Maybe I'll write, maybe I'll get a job in the mill. Most likely, though, I'll just hit the "reset" button and go through it all again.
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It's a new game, but the passion is the same

Despite a bitter first season for rookie Head Coach Liam J, the Navy Midshipmen have had a strong second season under the hard-nosed young man from Canada. A few disappointments have hindered the success of the team, not the least of which being the lack of development of quarterback Peter Gunningham who had actually regressed from the time when Johnstone took over. However, the entire team has been to the bottom of the well and, going into the last game of the season against perennial rival Army, the Midshipmen have undergone a renewal of sorts.

Gunningham looks like the man that Johnstone expected when he came to Navy, executing the option offense with alacrity and an attention to detail that has left some stunned. He enjoyed the best passing game of his career last week against Central Michigan, throwing for 100 yards. In the weeks previous, Gunningham's feet have carried the offense, carving opposing defenses for a team high 600 yards.

Freshman fullbacks Chad Rice and Max Starks have struggled some, holding on to the ball, but their status as walk-ons has not held them back from amassing huge gains up the middle. Under-used speedster Mo Thomas and his strong-side counterpart at wing-back Jim Vance continue to be solid contributors when called upon. T. J. Moon continues to be the team's leading receiver, despite the fact that he is the team's third wide-out and only sees the field in obvious passing situations.

On defense, Pratt and Spooner continue to shut down opposing teams' passing games, despite the fact that the pair combine for only two interceptions this year. Brown, at linebacker, is the team's best defender, and, as a freshman, this is a great sign. Walker and Philpot are a pair of bookends that Johnstone wishes he could hold onto for longer but he knows the college game and that complete turnover is inevitable.

This team has a better chance at the Blue Grey game this Saturday than they have in a long time.