Navy

[KsJoey]

We have the defense and players to match up well against Navy, IMO. Quality DEs, quick DBs. Only concern is we've had tackling issues at times. But I think this game of strengths will go in our favor. No way they're getting 300 yards on the ground.

[hilltopwildcat]

We have the defense and players to match up well against Navy, IMO. Quality DEs, quick DBs. Only concern is we've had tackling issues at times. But I think this game of strengths will go in our favor. No way they're getting 300 yards on the ground.

I was also going to mention tackling. We'll need to make more tackles on the initial contact and quit tackling shoulder pads.

[PurpleWildcat]

We know that Navy is going to be very disciplined and probably won't be doing a lot of trash talking. I wonder if that will actually help calm our guys down and not get so many of the stupid personal foul calls they have gotten for celebrating. Hopefully it will help them focus more and not celebrate so much after every play made (Lance Robinson), routine or not. Maybe that's just me being and old fart, but it does get old.

With the way our corners have played this year, even the backups, I think we will be able to load up against the run and not have so many in coverage. With both AJ Parker and Walter Neil going down, I have been impressed with the backups. Yes, Robinson celebrates too much after every one of his plays, but dang he has been good.

Yes, it would be nice to be at a bigger name bowl, but at the beginning of the season I bet most of us would have thought this was the best bowl we could get to. I think this is a great match up and I can't wait.

[farrout10]

Bowls rated 1-38 by CBS
10. Liberty Bowl -- No. 23 Navy vs. Kansas State -- Dec. 31, 3:45 p.m.: I'll understand if this game isn't everybody's cup of team, but I'm all about it. What we have here is an option team in Navy going against a Kansas State team that doesn't run the option, but runs the ball almost as often as an option team. The clock is never going to stop. It's going to be physical. The players will be sore when it's done. I'm going to love every minute. BS

[AJcat7755]

One thing that needs to be pointed out is that service academies require their players to maintain a certain height to weight proportions as part of their future service. While during the football season, the requirements are relaxed a bit, it still limits the type of players they can recruit. In addition, after their season, most of the players have to cut a lot of weight, specifically on the line, in a few months before graduation in order to be eligible for service, which results in them starting to cut around bowl time. This is part of why they run a unique offense, because they have smaller, and more agile, OL.

This will be a game where KSU is not facing a team that is significantly bigger on the lines. The question is if KSU is athletic enough to keep up with the triple option.

Ken Niumatalolo is 5-5 in bowl games:
2007 - Lost to Utah (8-4). Navy was (8-5)
2008 - Lost to Wake Forest (7-5). Navy was (8-5)
2009 - Beat Missouri (8-4). Navy was (10-4)
2010 - Lost to San Diego State (8-4). Navy was (9-4)
2012 - Lost to Arizona State (7-5). Navy was (8-5)
2013 - Beat Middle Tennessee (8-4). Navy was (9-4)
2014 - Beat San Diego State (7-5). Navy was (8-5)
2015 - Beat Pittsburgh (8-4). Navy was (11-2)
2016 - Lost to Louisiana Tech (8-5). Navy was (9-5)
2017 - Beat Virginia (6-6). Navy was (7-6)

[stlcatfan]

I wonder how much of an asset Coach Norwood will be to Navy since he coached at K-State last season. Of course, I wondered the same with Miss. State and TCU with their K-State transfers and we seemed to come out okay.

[tmcats]

this will be a quick game.

[wild@nite]

I wonder how much of an asset Coach Norwood will be to Navy since he coached at K-State last season. Of course, I wondered the same with Miss. State and TCU with their K-State transfers and we seemed to come out okay.

Completely different staff, so I'm guessing that takes away any asset he would be. Not sure what we do that we did when he was here. Different blocking schemes, different offensive language, completely different defense.

[Tbonespop]

I wonder how much of an asset Coach Norwood will be to Navy since he coached at K-State last season. Of course, I wondered the same with Miss. State and TCU with their K-State transfers and we seemed to come out okay.

Its interesting, we beat every team we played that PLAYERS transferred to, but we lost to every team on the schedule the previous COACHES changed to. I don't see Texas getting much of anything on us to help them, but I could definitely see WVU and OSU having a leg up on us with the coaches they got from us. They knew several of our linemen extremely well, and I could see that benefiting them. Of note, Coach Malone helped us out for sure against MSU. So there may be something to the former coaches having an influence, but not likely from the players.

[stlcatfan]

I wonder how much of an asset Coach Norwood will be to Navy since he coached at K-State last season. Of course, I wondered the same with Miss. State and TCU with their K-State transfers and we seemed to come out okay.

Its interesting, we beat every team we played that PLAYERS transferred to, but we lost to every team on the schedule the previous COACHES changed to. I don't see Texas getting much of anything on us to help them, but I could definitely see WVU and OSU having a leg up on us with the coaches they got from us. They knew several of our linemen extremely well, and I could see that benefiting them. Of note, Coach Malone helped us out for sure against MSU. So there may be something to the former coaches having an influence, but not likely from the players.

That's a good point. I was thinking Coach Norwood has a good knowledge of many of our players strengths and weaknesses from having coached here. I'm sure he will be (like Coach Malone was in the MSU game) an asset to Navy's game prep for us.