Keenan Reynolds leads a potent Navy running game. (Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)
On the surface, the Poinsettia Bowl matchup of five-loss teams Navy and San Diego State doesn’t appear particularly enticing in the college football smorgasbord landscape.
But serious football fans – especially aficionados of the Xs and Os – could find a fascinating game Tuesday night when the teams meet in San Diego’s Quallcom Stadium.
While Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo has built his reputation on offense, guiding the confounding triple-option set of the Midshipmen, San Diego State coach Rocky Long is a bona fide defensive guru building his career on finding ways to thwart the innovative offenses of college football.
The triple-option is more throwback than innovation, but Navy’s version has vexed some of the best defensive minds in the sport, which is where Long comes in.
Seven years ago as coach at New Mexico, Long faced the potent pistol offense of Nevada in the New Mexico Bowl. His task in that game was to deal with Wolf Pack quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
In preparation for that game, Long said, “It’s scary. I compare this to preparing for the triple-option because it’s unique and you don’t see it all the time.”
Long handled his fear well. New Mexico shut Nevada out for the first time since 1980, befuddling Kaepernick in a 23-0 victory.
Now Long’s mission is to stop a man who last month broke a record that Kaepernick shared. Navy’s Keenan Reynolds has scored 61 rushing touchdowns in his career – the most in FBS history – and two more than Kaepernick and Nebraska’s Eric Crouch.
Reynolds is at the controls of Navy’s triple option.
The scheme traces its roots to the 1940s, but the Mids’ version is successful for the same reason that spread offenses of this generation work: Lining up more offensive players on the perimeter prevents defenses from loading the box.
To counter such offenses, Long has developed a 3-3-5 set with lots of moving parts pre-snap in the front six. It’s an aggressive defensive scheme that keeps offenses guessing.
But stunts and gambles and odd looks have rarely confused Navy. The Midshipmen are adept at reading what the offense is giving. Sometimes most vanilla and conservative of schemes can be the most successful against Navy.
This isn’t the first time Long has faced Navy. Before taking over as head coach at San Diego State in 2011, he was the Aztecs’ defensive coordinator.
In the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl, San Diego State limited Ricky Dobbs and Navy to 235 yards rushing and 382 overall in a 35-14 win.
Niumatalolo will undoubtedly view film from that game many times before the teams meet on Dec. 23. It will be interesting to see what the Mids do different this time in one of the more intriguing chess matches of this bowl season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
NAVY
–QB Keenan Reynolds. Shoulder and knee miseries and an uncharacteristic bout with turnoveritis threatened to make this a lost season for Reynolds as Navy stood at 2-4 after a traumatic loss at Air Force. But after sitting out two weeks (one game and one bye), Reynolds rebounded in a brilliant four-game stretch rushing for 694 yards and 12 touchdowns, propelling Navy to its bowl berth.
–ILB Jordan Drake. The three-year starter struggled initially with his conversion from outside linebacker to the inside. But Drake (6-4, 220) has been at his best late in the year, making a combined 25 tackles in the last two games. His focus in the Poinsettia Bowl will be on San Diego State RB Donnell Pumphrey, the nation’s third-leading rusher.
–FB Noah Copeland. The senior is in the midst of his best season, rushing for 859 yards with a gaudy 8.2 yards-per-carry average. Along with junior Chris Swain (6-1, 245), Copeland (5-10, 214) forms a potent combination at fullback. While Swain (87 carries, 574 yards) has an edge in size and perhaps even a speed, co-captain Copeland is a complete back. One amazing stat: Swain has not been thrown for a loss this year and Copeland’s losses have totaled only a combined four yards.
SAN DIEGO STATE
–RB Donnel Pumphrey. The sophomore led the Mountain West Conference in rushing and was the only Aztecs player on the all-conference first team. Considering his modest dimensions (5-9, 170), Pumphrey’s workhorse production was amazing as he carried 255 times for 1,781 yards (6.9 per carry) and 19 touchdowns. Another amazing aspect was his consistency as his lowest output was a respectable 13 carries for 85 yards
–MLB Calvin Munson. It’s hard to imagine how the sophomore didn’t make the Mountain West first or second team. He’s tied for the team lead in tackles (78) and has a knack for big plays, leading the Aztecs in tackles for a loss (10), sacks (four) and interceptions (four) returning them for 145 yards and a touchdown. Coming out of high school in Missouri, Munson chose San Diego State the St. Louis Cardinals who drafted him in the 31st round.
–PR Lloyd Mills. After seeing action in only one game as the freshman, the sophomore made the Mountain West second team this year as a return man. He averaged 12.1 yards per punt return with one touchdown. He also plays WR, catching 22 passes for 310 yards. Mills also threw a completion for 15 yards.
BOWL HISTORY: This will be the 11th bowl game in the last 12 years for Navy and its fourth strip to the Poinsettia Bowl after it was reestablished in 2005. In that year, Navy defeated Colorado State 51-30. In two Poinsettia Bowl appearances, coach Ken Niumatalolo has lost to Utah, 35-32 (2007), and San Diego State 35-14 (2010). When San Diego State played in that game, it was the Aztecs’ first bowl appearance in 12 years. But it started a run of five straight bowl appearances, a program record.
Prediction: Navy 30, San Diego State 27
