Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo announced Sunday night that Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada would be out of the lineup when the Midshipmen take on the Cardinals at 7 p.m. Friday. The game at Scheumann Stadium will be televised by ESPN.
September 5, 2008
MUNCIE --
Navy starting quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada early in the week was thought to be out of the game with an injury. On Thursday, it was determined he will travel and be in uniform.
He isn't expected to play because of a partially torn hamstring but could be available for emergency duty. Jarod Bryant is expected to fill in for the second week in a row and direct the Mids' offense, which led the nation in rushing the past three seasons. SeniorJarod Bryant will start again for the Midshipmen this week. He ran for 75 yards last week but also fumbled at the Towson 10-yard line in the second half
Dr. Jeff Fair, the team physician, initially diagnosed that Kaheaku-Enhada would need four to six weeks to properly heal. It has been just over three weeks since Kaheaku-Enhada suffered the injury during an intra-squad scrimmage on Aug. 9.
Last season, Ball State handed Navy a 34-31 loss after defensive end Brandon Crawford blocked a Navy field goal in regulation, and BSU placekicker Jake Hogue kicked a 24-yard field goal to win the game in overtime.
• Two costly fumbles, two blocked field goals and the defense’s inability to get a key stop added up to the 34-31 loss
Quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada sped 80 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Fullback Eric Kettani rambled 71 yards for a score in the fourth quarter. They were the two longest runs by the Midshipmen in a game where they rushed for 521 yards against the Cardinals. Kaheaku-Enhada ran for 117 yards in the first half against Ball State last September, then sat out the second half with an injury. Bryant took over Navy's triple-option offense and ran for 77 yards in the final two quarters.
Kettani will be on the field. In reality, it doesn't matter who carries the ball in Navy's triple-option offense. Every runner it fits into its scheme is capable of making a big run any time he gets the ball.
Navy has led the nation in rushing each of the past three years, and it will be a threat to do so again this year after running for 558 yards in last week's opener against Towson. Slotback Shun White bolted for a school-record 348 yards in that game.
First-Time Starters
• Navy had seven players make their first-career starts against Towson, including five on offense.
• Tackle Jeff Battipaglia (Newtown, Pa.), center Ricky Moore (Waldorf, Md.), guard Curtis Bass (Pearland, Texas), wide receiver Curtis Sharp (Columbia, S.C.) and slot back Cory Finnerty (Ventura, Calif.) all started for the first time on offense, while outside linebackers Corey Johnson
(Anderson, Ind.) and Craig Schaefer (Fairfax, Va.) made their first-career starts on defense.
The Navy defense gave up one score in Towson’s only trip to the red zone (1.000), which
was a touchdown (1.000)
BSU Defensive end Brandon Crawford said that having played against Navy last season should help the Cardinals in today's game. At least they'll have a reference point for what the Midshipmen want to do. "It's a whole different monster than a normal offense," Ball State linebacker Bryant Haines said of the Navy attack. "The hard part is simulating it in practice."
Ball State's defense will look to do a better job of getting off the field this week. Last week, Northeastern converted 8-of-17 third downs into first downs.
QB Nate Davis didn't throw an interception last week, running his streak to four straight games. He has 51 touchdown passes and just 14 interceptions in his career.
14 of Ball State's 22 starters were starters last season
By DOUG ZALESKI • • September 5, 2008
The Star Press - Muncie, In
Prediction: Ball State 48, Navy 40
This marks the first Ball State home football game to be nationally televised on ESPN.
This is an unbelievable opportunity for the Cardinals to show fans from Bangor, Maine, to Nogales, Ariz., and everywhere in between, what their football program is about. The average Joe, Top 25 voters, NFL folks, and future potential recruits will all tune in to see the Cardinals play. It will be an enormous benefit to the program if they give a great performance.
Road Warriors
• Navy is 23-13 (.639) in games played away from Annapolis over the last five years, the country’s 11th-best mark.
• The Mids are 33-6 (.846) over the last seven years when scoring 30 or more points in a game.
……..Navy scored 30 or more points 11 times in 2007 (8-3)
• The Mids are 7-22 (.250) over the last seven years when allowing 30 or more points in the game.
……..Navy gave up 30 or more points eight times in 2007 (3-5).
Interesting:
Balanced Attack
• Navy did not have a 1,000-yard rusher last season, making last year’s team just the 13th in NCAA history to lead the nation in rushing without a 1,000-yard rusher. Navy also led
the country in rushing without a 1,000-yard rusher in 2006, 2005 and 1999.
In Navy’s 41-13 W, Towson’s Sean Schaefer passed for 330 yards, completing 29 of 47 passes. In the first half, he completed 20 of 31 passes for 225 yards and threw touchdown passes to Casey Cegles for 22 yards and Marcus Lee for 4 yards.
Navy outscored Towson 17-0 in the second half, sacking Schaefer three times and holding the Tigers to 108 yards after allowing 252 before halftime.
Towson was ranked last in the South Division of the CAA conference by HCs and select media.
Northeastern, BSU’s 1st opp, was ranked 5 in the North Division of CAA.
QUOTE-UNQUOTE: "They probably have the best offense that we've seen in a while. They've scored a lot of points against a lot of people. We better strap it on because this is going to be a tough game. They're a good football team." - Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo on Ball State.
Navy defensive coordinator Buddy Green is singing that tune going into tonight's contest at Ball State. The Cardinals possess an explosive offense with so many different playmakers that Green must give his players strict assignments.
Ball State returns all 11 starters from an offense that established single-season school records with 5,640 total yards and 3,704 passing yards in 2007. Leading the way is dynamic quarterback Nate Davis, a second team All-Mid-American Conference selection last season and a definite NFL prospect. The athletic 6-foot-2, 217-pound junior set single-season school records with 3,667 yards passing and 30 touchdowns in 2007.
While the Cardinals employ a multiple spread attack and love to throw the football, they also have an effective running game. Tiny tailback MiQuale Lewis rushed for a career-high 161 yards against Navy last season and added 122 against Nebraska before suffering a season-ending knee injury. The elusive 5-foot-6, 184-pound junior showed he was fully recovered by running for 95 yards and a touchdown in the opener.
"It all starts with an offensive line that is experienced, talented and physical. The center is one of the best we'll see all season and the tackle (Brewster) is a pro prospect," Green said. "They protect the passer very well and come off the ball hard in the run game."
Of course, Ball State has its own defensive concerns after allowing Navy to rush for a whopping 521 yards in last season's game. Head coach Brady Hoke isn't resting any easier after watching the Midshipmen pile up 558 yards rushing in their season-opening 41-13 rout of Towson.
• Four Navy players have been named to the College
Football Writers Association of America All-America Watch
List.
• Quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada (Sr. / Kapolei,
Hawai’i) is one of 33 quarterbacks on the list, slot back
Shun White (Sr. / Memphis, Tenn.) and fullback Eric Kettani
(Sr. / Kirtland, Ohio) are among the 41 running backs on the
list and guard Anthony Gaskins (Sr. / West Orange, N.J.) is
listed as one of the top 41 linemen in the country.
Navy Preseason Honor Roll
Anthony Gaskins
• CFWAA All-America Watch List
Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada
• Davey O’Brien Award Watch List
• CFWAA All-America Watch List
Eric Kettani
• CFWAA All-America Watch List
• Phil Steele’s All-Independent Team
Wyatt Middleton
• Phil Steele’s All-Independent Team
Clint Sovie
• Butkus Award Watch List
• Phil Steele’s All-Independent Team
Michael Walsh
• Phil Steele’s All-Independent Team
Shun White
• CFWAA All-America Watch List
BSU:
Butkus Award: Bryant Haines, LB
Mackey Award: Darius Hill, TE
Rotary Lombardi Award: Robert Brewster, OT, and Darius Hill, TE
Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award : Nate Davis, QB
Outland Trophy: Robert Brewster, OT
Ray Guy Award: Chris Miller, P
All-MAC preseason
First-Team
WR Dante Love
TE Darius Hill
OL Robert Brewster
DB BJ Hill
P Chris Miller
Second-Team
QB Nate Davis
LB Bryant Haines
Overall Career Starts
Offense
BSU: #1 231
Navy: #117 65
Defense
BSU: #28 161
Navy: #63 123
Overall
BSU #3
Navy #110
Navy vs Ball St Tonight
The only way ball state gets stopped is if they stop themselves with penaltys,dropped balls, or fumbles. I see a shootout and that favors Ball ST. (Ball state missed a ton of tackles last year Ball st coach Hoke says they have addressed those issues)
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