Navy

[ArmyRoadFan7]

Navy is the favorite to win the CiC in my mind. They have 2 senior quarterbacks and a lot of starters returning. They have Air Force at home and play Army in the most friendly environment possible for a neutral site game. Kraft and Belichick will roll out the red carpet for them and we will get the sh*t end of the stick on everything.

We have a new offense with very inexperienced quarterbacks trying to run it. Air Force has also lost a lot of key players.

[PrideandDream]

Navy lost primarily because Notre Dame was not just better but superior across the board.

Cut blocks didn't hurt Navy. Negative plays like the fumbled pitch hurt them. Missed passes hurt them. Not pounding the fullback and running true flexbone hurt them. Their inside game wasn't bad when they actually tried to run the fullback or qb. However early they ran what looked like the old full house with 3 backs in a line. they ran split backs which really was more veer option. They went shotgun. They did all kinds of stuff to try to find something. And that hurt them more than anything else in my opinion. Their defense wasn't getting any help but also when you let ND get 6 yards a carry they are gonna eat you alive especially with a QB like Hartman and skill guys they have. Now having said that I didn't see ND shooting themselves in the foot either. So there was hardly any room for error on Navy's side. Bottom line, if you could still cut block the outcome of this game is no different. Many times the Navy ball carrier on the perimeter is out there one on one with the defender and ND made great open field tackles. In other words Navy had paired up a Navy player and a ND defender one on one. ND was faster, bigger, and fundamentally sound against Navy for the most part. Navy showed no real offensive identity from my perspective. I'm not sure that offense is very good at anything based on what I saw. They will beat average or bad teams but they are gonna struggle against any team with better talent and coaching if things don't improve.

PD

[Dong Fong '09]

navy just simply hasn't been a good football team since 2019. even with a terrible team last year, they were still able to play notre dame competitively.

not sure how to read into the game the other day, but pretty wild they couldn't put together a better performance against a big name on opening weekend in ireland. hopefully this is a disaster of a season for them.

i still can't believe that 2021 navy team beat us

[PrideandDream]

Looking deeper at the play by play.

ND had 8 possessions and scored TDs on 6, missed a FG on 1, and ran out the clock in the 4th on the last. Navy didn't force a single punt.

Navy first half had 3 possessions with 28 plays which included 3 plays for no gain, a 2 yard loss on a run, and an incomplete pass on 4th down and a missed FG. They also had a false start on the last possession. That's 6 out of 28 that had zero production. Can't win that way.

Navy second half had possessions and 28 plays but 15 were on the last drive when the game was clearly decided.

The first two possessions were 3 and out and both included a negative play one for 2 yard loss and one for a 9 yard loss on a sack.

Navy's third possession of the 2nd half was a 7 play drive that included two incomplete passes and a 24 yard loss on a bad snap.

Navy's final possession was a 15 play drive. In eleven of those plays they moved the ball all the way to the Notre Dame 4 yard line and Navy had 1st and Goal on the 4. Think about that. Then here were the next 4 plays:
1st Down took a sack and 10 yard loss
2nd Down had a 1 yard run
3rd Down had an incomplete pass
4th Down kicked a field goal.

The bottom line is they were dominated by ND. Especially defensively. Offensively they just didn't stay on track and execute. Getting fancy at the end cost them a touchdown.

PD

[ArmyRoadFan7]

Finally, it'll be interesting to watch the zooms in a week, because they claim to have made zero changes to their under-center triple option (although they have a very patsy schedule)...
[/quote]

Air Force doesn’t run a pure triple option offense. Their offense doesn’t use any cut blocking. Navy moved away from the triple option a few years ago also.

[monkensminion]

Navy is the favorite to win the CiC in my mind. They have 2 senior quarterbacks and a lot of starters returning. They have Air Force at home and play Army in the most friendly environment possible for a neutral site game. Kraft and Belichick will roll out the red carpet for them and we will get the sh*t end of the stick on everything.

We have a new offense with very inexperienced quarterbacks trying to run it. Air Force has also lost a lot of key players.

By no means am I an expert, but I would be very surprised if Navy won the CIC trophy this year. They are not very good and have not been good for some time. Air Force will take care of them pretty easily I think. Regardless of venue.

[FSUBulldog0]

Finally, it'll be interesting to watch the zooms in a week, because they claim to have made zero changes to their under-center triple option (although they have a very patsy schedule)...

Air Force doesn’t run a pure triple option offense. Their offense doesn’t use any cut blocking. Navy moved away from the triple option a few years ago also.
[/quote]
I don’t watch a ton of Air Force football other than the Army games but my understanding is that Air Force went away from cut blocking about 10-15 years ago. Calhoun likely brought the zone blocking techniques he used in the NFL to Colorado Springs with him.

[ArmyRoadFan7]

Navy is the favorite to win the CiC in my mind. They have 2 senior quarterbacks and a lot of starters returning. They have Air Force at home and play Army in the most friendly environment possible for a neutral site game. Kraft and Belichick will roll out the red carpet for them and we will get the sh*t end of the stick on everything.

We have a new offense with very inexperienced quarterbacks trying to run it. Air Force has also lost a lot of key players.

By no means am I an expert, but I would be very surprised if Navy won the CIC trophy this year. They are not very good and have not been good for some time. Air Force will take care of them pretty easily I think. Regardless of venue.

Hopefully you are right and they are not very good but they played Air Force really tough last year in Colorado Springs.

[RABBLE]

Don't pile on me because it is Notre Dame. It should not be done for any team. Pooching is bull crap and should be eliminated completely. Of course, the NCAA is a bunch of screwballs anyway. You take it where it comes from.

The Hartman situation you accurately describe tells you all you need to know about the state of college football today. I viewed 2021 as the last year of college football as we knew it. But that’s a different discussion. Did you watch Navy get dismantled yesterday? If so, what did you think?

[RABBLE]

Don't pile on me because it is Notre Dame. It should not be done for any team. Pooching is bull crap and should be eliminated completely. Of course, the NCAA is a bunch of screwballs anyway. You take it where it comes from.

The Hartman situation you accurately describe tells you all you need to know about the state of college football today. I viewed 2021 as the last year of college football as we knew it. But that’s a different discussion. Did you watch Navy get dismantled yesterday? If so, what did you think?

Navy looked bad but Notre Dame looked good. College football should be just three years like it was when I was younger. First year players were barred from the varsity and it should be that way today. One can prove his worth in three years to my way of thinking. This covid rule, injury extensions, extra years for practically any reason, have ruined the game.
If one desires a pro career, earn it in three years of college ball. Otherwise go out in the world and earn a living and let the next man up to try to prove HIS worth in the pros.
Hartman is the real deal but then, combined with talent and a 6- year learning curve, he should be the real deal.