All week, as Navy's players accepted pats on the back and compliments for the way they played in a close loss at Ohio State last weekend, coach Ken Niumatalolo worried that the Midshipmen might not have the proper mentality when their game against Louisiana Tech began Saturday afternoon.
What he saw in the first six minutes of the game didn't make him feel better. The Bulldogs put together a long touchdown drive, Navy went three and out, and then Louisiana Tech junior Phillip Livas returned a punt 85 yards for another touchdown. But the Midshipmen, sparked by an interception from sophomore defensive end Jabaree Tuani, regrouped and reeled off 32 unanswered points in a 32-14 victory.
"Well, it definitely wasn't the start we wanted at home," Niumatalolo said. "I thought our kids did a great job of continuing to fight."
Saturday's game was Navy's home opener, but it didn't have the same big-game feel as last week's trip to Ohio Stadium. The announced 29,102 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium was roughly a quarter of the size of the crowd inside the Horseshoe, and Louisiana Tech (0-2) didn't offer the same kind of glamour as the Buckeyes.
But the Bulldogs brought size, speed and experience. Seventeen starters, including the entire offensive line, were back from a team that went 8-5 and won the Independence Bowl last season. The Bulldogs also had an idea of how to defend Navy's triple option offense because Louisiana Tech defensive coordinator Tommy Spangler spent 10 years with Georgia Southern, an option team.
The Midshipmen (1-1) gained 393 yards of total offense and had possession of the ball for more than 41 minutes. Unlike last week, when they relied on quarterback Ricky Dobbs and fullback Alexander Teich to run the ball, they turned to their slotbacks for plays. Senior Cory Finnerty scored Navy's first touchdown on a 16-yard run down the right sideline. Sophomore Marcus Curry, who caught two touchdown passes against the Buckeyes, ran for one against Louisiana Tech and finished with 124 yards on 15 carries.
"It's all on the defense and what they do," Curry said. "One game, they're stopping us on the run so we got to air it out. This game, they were trying to stop us on the pass and we were able to get success running the ball."
Dobbs, who ran for two touchdowns, was effective throwing the ball, completing five of eight passes for 103 yards. He set up Navy's first and last touchdowns with long throws to junior Mario Washington and sophomore Gary Myers, respectively.
After Daniel Porter rushed for a 3-yard touchdown on Louisiana Tech's first drive, Tuani made plays to end the Bulldogs' next two possessions. He intercepted Jenkins, snagging the ball just before it hit the ground, and then batted away a third-down pass. After that first scoring drive, Louisiana Tech made it past midfield only once and punted seven times. The Bulldogs managed just 167 yards of total offense (11 on the ground), and Jenkins was sacked four times (twice by senior linebacker Craig Schaefer).
NAVY@PITT
* Saturday, 6 p.m.
* TV: ESPN360
* Radio: 1090 AM, 1430 AM
