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October 21, 2005 > Sports > Football to play resurgent Navy team

Football to play resurgent Navy team

By Adam Tabakin | Thresher staff

The football team will conclude its four-year series with the United States Naval Academy at 5 p.m. Saturday at Rice Stadium, after the scheduled Sept. 24 meeting between the teams was postponed due to Hurricane Rita.

Rice (0-5, 0-3 Conference USA) is one of the five teams in NCAA Division I-A without a win, and Navy (3-2) has won all three of its games in October. Head coach Ken Hatfield said Navy is a much different team now than it would have been Sept. 24 when the Midshipmen were still winless.

“Both of us are very similar in a lot of things we do,” Hatfield said. “They’ve got more confidence now, naturally, by winning.”

The Midshipmen and the Owls are two of the three remaining teams — along with Air Force — that run an option-based offense. Rice’s rushing attack has averaged 206 yards per game but has fallen well short of expectations, Navy is fourth in the nation with 267 yards per game on the ground.

After facing several potent passing attacks in recent weeks, the shift to defending the option is a demanding one, even for a team that runs the option.

Charlie Rizzo was promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator after a 41-28 loss to East Carolina University Oct. 8, replacing Roger Hinshaw, who is now safeties coach. Rizzo had an immediate impact in his first game as the players mirrored his intensity.

But in order for Rice to have a successful outing against Navy, the defense must turn the corner. Currently, Rice is worst in the nation in scoring defense and fourth-worst in total defense, and through five games, the Owls have forced just two turnovers. No other team in Division I-A has forced fewer than five.

With the defense’s inability thus far to create turnovers for the offense, Rice has continued to rely on ball control to give itself scoring opportunities. Fullbacks have always been a large part of Hatfield’s option offense, and the tandem of junior Andrew Cates and sophomore John Wall have combined to average 63.6 rushing yards per game. Cates, the starter, said he and Wall are supportive of each other.

“We just help each other out,” Cates said. “It’s not really a competition per se. I’m happy for him when he scores or has a good run.”

Hatfield said he hopes sophomore center David Perkins, junior running back Mike Falco and senior running back Thomas Lott will return to game action Saturday. All three have battled injuries this year, and only Perkins has seen any playing time this season. Their places in the starting lineup have been temporarily filled by freshman center Austin Wilkinson and freshman running back Tommy Henderson.

“One of the guys who has played as well as anyone on this team is Tommy Henderson,” Hatfield said. “You see some of the catches he has made — he is really a gifted athlete. He has good running skills, but he has great hands.”

Senior placekicker Brennan Landry has been another bright spot for the Owls. With 166 career points scored, Landry is an extra point away from tying Derek Crabtree (Jones ‘02) for third all-time at Rice and for first among kickers.

Hatfield said he hopes Rice fans remain positive.

“You hurt for [the team] because … you want them to have some great experiences,” Hatfield said. “They’ll remember the people who encouraged them, because anybody can say something negative — that’s always the easy thing to do. … You appreciate the people who can appreciate the things [the players] are getting done rather than what they’re not.”

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