When the Duke defense lines up against Navy Saturday, it won't be too tough to figure out the Midshipmen's offensive game plan. Stopping it, on the other hand, will be a whole different matter.
Navy boasts a befuddling triple-option attack that could present major difficulties for a Duke run defense that ranks 70th nationally. The Midshipmen, meanwhile, lead the nation in rushing with 378.7 yards per game, and are fresh off a 521-yard rushing effort in an overtime loss to Ball State last week.
"We've got our work cut out for us," Duke head coach Ted Roof said. "When you make a mistake against an option offense, you pay for it immediately because they're reading you. It's not like they have to call to the press box and [say] 'Hey, the guy didn't do this last time, or didn't do that.' It's all in the read, so if you make a mistake, you're going to pay instantly."
Navy returns four members from a backfield that ran for 435 yards in a 38-13 drubbing of Duke last season in Durham. The Midshipmen's dangerous quartet of quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, fullback Adam Ballard and slotbacks Shun White and Reggie Campbell combined for 354 of those yards. Stopping this group will require Duke's defensive players to stay with their assignments and not be fooled by misdirection plays.
"There has to be someone for every phase of the game-the dive, the quarterback and the pitch phase," Roof said. "If you miss a tackle, or if you're supposed to be a quarterback player or a pitch player, and you bite with your eyes on the dive, you can't get there. That's the discipline. You have to really be disciplined, not only with your assignment, but with your eyes."
Due to the complexities of Navy's option offense, Roof noted the difficulty in accurately simulating the Midshipmen's offense with a scout team. Monday's team meetings were heavy on film study as Duke's attempted to familiarize themselves with the Navy offense.
"It's unlike anything we play against, which makes it tough to get it simulated in practice with the scout team," Roof said. "[Its] execution is not going to be anywhere close to what Navy is going to give us."
The Blue Devils are not alone in their struggles to prepare for the Navy option. Some of the Midshipmen's other opponents have employed unusual strategies to gear up for Navy's attack. Rutgers, which defeated the Midshipmen 41-21 earlier this month, began preparations for Navy as soon as its summer training camp opened and the players spent at least some time each week familiarizing themselves with the option.
The Blue Devils are hoping that junior fullback Clifford Harris can provide a credible representation of Navy's Kaheaku-Enhada in practice. Harris saw some time last season as a run-oriented quarterback, and he and the rest of the scout team have done a fine job this week, junior defensive end Ayanga Okpokowuruk said.
Even last year's embarrassing loss may pay dividends for Duke this season. Okpokowuruk said that he feels more confident about facing the Midshipmen's unique option attack for the second time it in a game situation.
"It's just so fast, the way they come out," Okpokowuruk said. "Before you know it, you're looking at the sky. [But] as the game went on, you kind of got used to it.... I feel like I'm better prepared this year. I know what they're going to do."
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