To get an idea of what Navy senior inside linebacker Ross Pospisil is like, both as a football player and a person, just watch one four-minute snippet from the third quarter of the Midshipmen's 13-10 victory over Wake Forest last Saturday.
On one first-down play, Demon Deacons running back Josh Adams runs left, bumps into one of his teammates, then spins around and cuts back across the field. Pospisil, who was a yard away from Adams when he changed direction, pursues him and runs him down from behind, dragging him down after a 25-yard gain.
While watching the replay, announcer Craig Bolerjack noted, "He had to run 40 yards on the other side of the field to bring him down."
Moments later, the Demon Deacons' drive ended when Pospisil deflected Riley Skinner's fourth-down pass. Pospisil, who was battling two offensive linemen on the play, sprinted off the field, screaming and pumping his fists.
"The way he plays on the field is the way he is in the hall, the way he is when it comes to academics," Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. "He's one of the few guys that's actually a phenomenal football player, a great Midshipman, and a very good student. ... Everything he does, he does at a high level."
For the second straight season, Pospisil, 6 feet and 227 pounds, is leading the Midshipmen (6-2) in tackles; he has 61, including 5.5 for a loss.
"The way he studies tape and the way he studies his opponent allow him to play without any hesitation," said Buddy Green, Navy's defensive coordinator.
But it wasn't always so easy for Pospisil. His sophomore year was especially tough; his classes were getting more difficult - he had just started his major, ocean engineering - and he was overwhelmed at football practice. Not having played in a varsity game as a freshman, Pospisil found himself thrown into the starting lineup when Clint Sovie suffered a season-ending ankle injury. He struggled and soon ceded his spot to classmate Tony Haberer.
"I wasn't ready to play yet," Pospisil said. "This is somewhere I always wanted to be. It was a dream of mine to play college football. Then, when I utterly failed the first time I was given the opportunity, my whole world kind of started spinning. ... I believe God uses instances like that to refine a person. He wanted more than for me to just play. He wanted my heart at the same time."
Pospisil worked hard, studying film and picking the brains of more experienced teammates. The more he played, the better he got; against Northern Illinois in November 2007, he was credited with 20 tackles (nine solo). He has started every game since.
Pospisil's father is a pastor, and his maternal grandfather graduated from the Naval Academy in 1957; the idea of serving something larger than himself and empowering those around him has always appealed to him. Navy was the only school to which he applied.
"He's a servant leader," said senior defensive end Cameron Marshall, who spent four years in the Marine Corps before coming to the academy. "What that means for Ross is he's going to sacrifice first. He expects the most sacrifice out of himself, and he expects to hold himself to the highest standard."
TEMPLE @NAVY
Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
TV: CBS College Sports
Radio: 1090 AM, 1430 AM
Line: Navy by 6 1/2
