D8 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW Navy Midshipmen


MONDAY Maryland in Baltimore, 4 p.m.


SEPT.11 Ga. Southern in Annapolis, 3:30 p.m.


SEPT.18 Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La., 7 p.m.


OCT.2 Air Force in Colo. Springs, 2:30 p.m.


OCT.9 Wake Forest inWinston-Salem, N.C., time TBD


OCT. 16 SMU in Annapolis, 3:30 p.m.


OCT.23 NotreDame in East Rutherford, N.J., noon


OCT.30 Duke in Annapolis, 3:30 p.m.


NOV.6 East Carolina in Greenville, N.C., 3:30 p.m.


NOV.13 Central Mich. in Annapolis, 3:30 p.m.


NOV.20 Arkansas State in Annapolis, 3:30 p.m.


DEC.11 Army in Philadelphia, 2:30 p.m.


WHERE THEY STAND, POSITION BY POSITION


QUARTERBACK Senior Ricky Dobbs is coming off a season during which he set an NCAA single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (27). He also rushed for 1,203 yards and passed for 1,031, becoming the third quarterback in Navy history to run and pass for 1,000 yards in the same season. Junior Kriss Proctor is the backup and performed well during training camp.


RUNNING BACK Fullbacks Vince Murray and Alexander Teich were the team’s second- and fourth-leading rushers last season, so the position is in capable hands again. Last year’s leading rusher at slotback, Marcus Curry, is no longer at the academy, but Navy has a host of younger players ready to step in, starting with junior Aaron Santiago and sophomore Gee Gee Greene. Also in the mix are Bo Snelson and John Howell, both sophomores, and senior Andre Byrd.


WIDE RECEIVER Navy does not throw much, but when it does, senior Greg Jones figures to be heavily involved. Jones started every game last season, catching six passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. Mike Schupp, another senior, emerged from training camp as the other starter. Schupp started nine games last season and is a particularly strong blocker.


OFFENSIVE LINE Senior bookend tackles Jeff Battipaglia and Matt Molloy anchor a unit that fully expects to regain the title of No. 1 rushing team in the country after falling to fourth last season. Junior center Eric Douglass started a handful of games last season. Brady DeMell, who started a game at center last year, is at right guard, and sophomore Josh Cabral, who played just 15 snaps last season, is at left guard.


JOHN MCDONNELL/THE WASHINGTON POST Quarterback Ricky Dobbs, shown helpingNavy defeatMissouri in the Texas Bowl, could even be mentioned in theHeisman conversation if theMids overachieve. For Midshipmen, expectations are great midshipmen from D1


last season, the most in NCAA history by a quarterback, ran for 1,203 yards and passed for 1,031 despite playing the final six games with a broken kneecap. Dobbs became the third quarterback in school history to run and pass for at least 1,000 yards in the same season, and he’s on the cusp of establishing a handful of other career milestones at Navy. Dobbs had surgery to repair the


kneecap on Jan. 21, three weeks after he ran for 166 yards and three touch- downs and passed for another in a 35-13 victory over Missouri in the Texas Bowl. He did not participate in contact drills during spring practice and was back at full speed for training camp in early August. Dobbs has been the most conspicu-


ous recipient of national adoration in the wake of his record-setting season, duringwhichNavywent 10-4,marking the third time in school history it had won that many games. Last season opened with Dobbs amassing 239 yards fromscrimmage and accounting for four touchdowns against Ohio State’s No. 5 defense. Although Navy lost, 31-27, in the closing minutes, Dobbs officially had become more than just a regional name after hold-


TOP STORY LINES FOR THIS SEASON


OPTIMISM ABOUNDS Rarely in the history of Navy football have expectations been as lofty as they are entering this season. The optimism stems from the Midshipmen’s notable 2009 season, during which they won 10 games for the third time in program history and came within a hair of upsetting Ohio State. The core of the team that also routed Missouri, 35-13, in the Texas Bowl is back, and that experience has the Midshipmen feeling confident. They received 12 votes in the Associated Press preseason top 25 and have designs on entering the rankings during the regular season.


DOBBS FOR HEISMAN Ricky Dobbs has gotten passing attention for the Heisman Trophy this season, and though it’s doubtful he’ll be invited to the Downtown Athletic Club in New York for the award ceremony, the senior quarterback could graduate with a host of meaningful rushing and scoring records. In order for Dobbs to receive serious consideration for the Heisman, Navy must pull off a transcendent season in which it loses perhaps only a game or two, or in the best-case scenario finishes undefeated.


CONTINUE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF’S SUPREMACY The Midshipmen are aiming for their eighth straight Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. Navy has not lost to another service academy since 2002, when Air Force beat the Midshipmen, 48-7. Navy has not lost to Army since 2001, when the Midshipmen finished 0-10. The defense has not yielded a touchdown to another service academy in 12 quarters plus one overtime and has not surrendered a touchdown to Army in 12 quarters.


ing his own and then some against Buckeyes counterpart Terrelle Pryor. That Dobbs is generating any con-


sideration for the Heisman Trophy speaks to the state of a program that went 0-10 in 2001. But while Dobbs’s Heisman candidacy is something of a long shot, Navy’s march toward a


historic season has far more legitima- cy, thanks to his supporting cast. In the triple-option offense, which


starts with the offensive line and running backs, both positions of strength. Bookend tackles Jeff Batti- palgia and Matt Molloy are back for their senior seasons, and center Eric


Douglass started four of the final five games last year. The Midshipmen have six players


who are threats at slotback, with sophomore Gee Gee Greene the cur- rent projected starter. At fullback, senior Vince Murray, the Mids’ sec- ond-leading rusher last season, started eight games, and junior Alexander Teich, the team’s fourth-leading rush- er, started the other six. The Midshipmen, however, are far


more than just the triple option, as indicated by their 18th-ranked scoring defense (19.4 points per game) that stiffens even more when opponents advance inside the 20-yard line.With- in that distance, Navy gave up 34 scores on 48 tries, the sixth-best average in the country. “The legacy has been built before us


for the past seven, eight years,” Batta- paglia said. “There’s been guys who’ve come and graduated, and now I see themon Facebook. They’re out serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and firing missiles off submarines. For me per- sonally, Iwant to do it for themand for the guys before us and for the senior class as well. We’ve put in four hard years, andwewant to finish it the right way.”


wangg@washpost.com


DEFENSIVE LINE Junior left end Jabaree Tuani is the stalwart of the group, having started 13 of 14 games last season and logging 54 tackles, including5½ for a loss and3½sacks. The other starter at end is senior Billy Yarborough, who played in all 14 games last season and started the home finale against Delaware. Seniors Shane Bothel and Chase Burge both are candidates to start at nose guard.


LINEBACKERS The unit is the most inexperienced on the team after the graduation of all four starters. Taking over on the inside are senior Tyler Simmons, who played extensively last season, and junior Caleb King. Junior Aaron McCauley and senior Jerry Hauburger are the starters on the outside in Navy’s 3-4 base alignment.


DEFENSIVE BACKS The Midshipmen have plenty of experience here, beginning with senior co-captain and safetyWyatt Middleton, who started all but one game last season. At free safety is Emmett Merchant, also a starter in all but one game. Kevin Edwards is the right cornerback and started all 14 games last season. The newcomer to the starting secondary is cornerback Kwesi Mitchell, one of the fastest players on the team.


SPECIALISTS Senior Joe Buckley is coming off a season in which he was 10 of 13 on field goals and 44 for 44 on extra points. Buckley kicked a 50- yard field goal againstWake Forest and had a 47-yarder against Air Force. Junior Jon Teague will handle kickoffs. Senior Kyle Delahooke enters his third season as the punter after averaging 43.1 yards per attempt last year. Teich is first on the depth chart at kick returner, but Greene and Snelson could share those duties as well. Junior Gary Myers is the punt returner. He appeared in 13 games last season at wide receiver.


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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2010


TERRAPINS NOTEBOOK Maryland is shuffling players in an attempt to get up to speed BY ERIC PRISBELL After a season in which the Maryland


football team allowed too many big plays and finished 100th nationally in scoring defense, coaches addressed one of their primary weaknesses: speed. They shuffled players to put them in


better position to use quickness. They urged others to return leaner. And they found freshmen who added an instant jolt of athleticism. Linebacker Adrian Moten said all but


two defensive players have run a sub-5.0 40-yard dash. That, he believes, will translate into a quicker and more effec- tive defense in the second year of coordi- nator Don Brown’s blitzing scheme. “I just can’t wait until we get last year


over and start this year,”Moten said. Among the significant defensive


moves: Fifth-year senior Drew Gloster shifted from linebacker to defensive end and is expected to start; redshirt fresh- man Bradley Johnson went from line- backer to defensive end before spring practice, giving the Terrapins a speed rusher; and sophomore Justin Anderson


moved from defensive tackle to anchor (strong-side end), givingMaryland more athleticism and strength at the position. “We felt like after last season that we


had to get faster on defense with what Don wants to do,” Coach Ralph Friedgen said. “We’ve been trying to move some of our parts around to put them in position to make plays for us.” Friedgen also cited the development of


two tackles — sophomores Joe Vellano and Zach Kerr — as key. Kerr has been playing as consistently well as he ever has, Friedgen said, and his sub-5.0 time in the 40 was particularly impressive considering he is 6 feet 2 and 320 pounds. “That’s pretty darn good,” Friedgen


said. “There are guys playing on Sundays who can do that.” Vellano, the team’s overall standout


during spring practice, is a high-energy player who exhibits a consistently strong work ethic. In addition, sophomore nose tackleA.J. Francis is down to 292 pounds after playing last season at 315 and is running better than he did last season. The secondary is inexperienced, but coaches expect improvement because


players are faster. Redshirt freshman Avery Graham and junior Trenton Hughes are cornerbacks who can run a sub-4.5 40. Dexter McDougle, who is competing with Hughes for one starting corner slot, has impressed in camp, as well.


And two freshmen defensive backs,


Matt Robinson and Titus Till, have made such a mark that Friedgen said both could see action in their first seasons. Starting cornerback Cameron Chism, meantime, is still recovering from a hamstring pull that has limited his par- ticipation in camp, but Friedgen is hope- ful the junior will play in Monday’s season opener againstNavy. With the return of starting linebackers


Moten, Alex Wujciak and Demetrius Hartsfield, the unit promises to be the strength of Maryland’s defense. One young player to watch is freshman David Mackall, a physical player who enrolled in classes in January. “He is going to be one of the guys you will be talking about,”Moten said.


Wait and see on Ferrara Friedgen expects to make a game-time


decision on sophomore place kicker Nick Ferrara, whose progress has been slowed by a groin pull as well as on-field struggles. If Ferrara sits, punter Travis Baltz, a seniorwhohas never attempted a field goal in a college game, would perform place kicking duties. Friedgen called the situation unre-


solved, saying that Ferrara’s injury has prevented him from solidifying the posi- tion in practice. After having what Fried- gen called an “exceptional” freshman season, in which he made 18 of 25 field goal attempts, Ferrara’s technique has been inconsistent throughout camp and too many kicks have been blocked. “To be a good place kicker, you need to


be 70, 80 percent efficiency,” Friedgen said. “To me, he can be better there. I would like for him to be the place kicker and for Travis to be the punter, but I’ve got to go with who is getting it done, too.”


Words to live by Friedgen said his biggest challenge


with his young team is getting players to understand what it takes for them to break through and win following a disas- trous 2-10 season.He said his mantra for


JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST


Maryland place kicker Nick Ferrara has been slowed by a groin pull andmay not playMonday afternoon againstNavy.


the season is: “What’s the difference between good and great? Great is consis- tently good.”


prisbelle@washpost.com


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