So many scoring chances, so many missed opportunities.
That is the best way to summarize Navy?s 41-24 loss at No. 15 Rutgers on Friday. Three interceptions, including two in the end zone, cost Navy dearly in a game the Midshipmen could have won?even after allowing Rutgers running back Ray Rice to rush for 175 yards on 37 carries.
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Between the turnovers against Rutgers and the missed tackles and penalties at Temple the previous week, Navy coach Paul Johnson said he team will have to play significantly better if the Midshipmen (1-1) are to defeat Ball State (1-1) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday evening at 5.
Ball State (1-1) defeated Eastern Michigan, 38-16, on Saturday.
“Anytime you make as many mistakes as we did, you?re not going to beat a decent football team,” Johnson said. “We made a lot of mistakes and we are not going to survive if we turn the ball over against anybody. In the red zone, that took away points from us.”
In the loss, Navy junior quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada became the first Navy quarterback to throw for three interceptions in a game since Chris McCoy during a 21-17 loss to Notre Dame in 1997. Prior to Friday, Kaheaku-Enhada had just one interception in 56 pass attempts.
Kaheaku-Enhada said he is extremely frustrated by the turnovers, which Rutgers converted into 17 points.
“We got the ball moving a little bit here and there, but turnovers shut us down,” Kaheaku-Enhada said. “I made some poor decisions [Friday].”
A bigger issue for Navy Saturday against Ball State is who will play on defense, as both senior safety Jeff Deliz and junior linebacker Clint Sovie left the game with ankle injuries. Deliz and Sovie are two of the few experienced players from last year?s unit that led Navy to a record of 9-4.
Rutgers? 41 points were the most allowed by Navy since a 42-21 loss to Notre Dame in 2005.
However, several Midshipmen said they gained invaluable experience by playing Rutgers in front a capacity crowd of 43,514 in a game that was televised nationally on ESPN. Navy will play on national television several times this season, including games at Pittsburgh on Oct. 10, at Notre Dame on Nov. 3 and against Army at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 1.
“You get to see the deer in the headlights,” said senior linebacker Irv Spencer. “You see the lights and you realize you have your family and friends watching. The young guys, you could see it in their face. They were really nervous and weren?t as confident. We are going to work on that next week. I give them credit for stepping in when they had to and trying to make plays.”
