At practice on Monday, Navy junior Vince Murray felt a little more tired and sore than usual. But he expected that, after nearly exceeding his career rushing output during the Midshipmen's 16-13 overtime victory against Air Force on Saturday.
Murray filled in for starting fullback Alexander Teich for the entire second half and extra period against the Falcons, after Teich hopped off the field with a sprained left ankle. Teich was wearing a protective boot at practice on Monday, and coach Ken Niumatalolo said it's doubtful that the sophomore will be able to play at Rice (0-5) on Saturday.
That means Murray will likely make his first start and again shoulder the workload at fullback. Senior Jordan Eddington, who has rushed for 7 yards on three carries in his career, would move into the backup role.
"He's made some strong runs," offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper said of Murray. "He's probably not the most talented of the two [Teich and Murray], but he's the most physical. And right now that's what we need, a physical fullback."
After Teich left the game late in the second quarter, the Midshipmen (3-2) relied heavily on Murray, who came into the game with career totals of 19 carries and 78 yards. Murray had a hand in 17 of Navy's final 31 plays, running the ball 16 times and making one catch. He finished with 67 yards on 22 carries.
Overall, the Midshipmen struggled offensively against the Falcons, gaining a season-low 209 total yards. Air Force was effective in taking away the outside, but the Midshipmen couldn't take advantage by exploiting the middle. Falcons nose guard Ben Garland was especially disruptive, making seven tackles and forcing a fumble.
"That's what it came down to: They let us hand the football off and they tackled the fullback," Jasper said.
By this point in the season, Navy usually has had at least one 100-yard performance from a fullback. Teich has come closest, rushing for 80 yards on 12 carries against Pittsburgh on Sept. 20. As a team, the Midshipmen are averaging 230.2 yards on the ground, eighth in the country but well below last year's average of 292.4 yards.
"Usually at this time, we have not played Ohio State, Pitt and a team like Air Force, which, coming into the game, was pretty good on defense," Niumatalolo said. "I'm not worried about it. We'll be all right."
