IU offense anticipates fewer chances against Navy

Indiana led Navy 30-21 in the fourth quarter of last year’s matchup between the two schools in Annapolis, Md.

The Midshipmen then went on two scoring drives that were more than 70 yards long to take a one-point lead.

Cameron Coffman’s interception in the waning minutes of the game allowed Navy to run out the clock for the victory.

IU (1-0) will host Navy at 6 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium. It will be the first time the Midshipmen have played in Bloomington since 1986.

Saturday’s game will be the fourth time the two schools have played. IU leads the all-time series 2-1.

The Hoosiers are coming off a 73-35 win in their season opener against Indiana State last Thursday.

IU Coach Kevin Wilson hopes that the extra couple of days of practice allow the Hoosiers to see more of a boost in play.

“You make strides from Week 1 to Week 2 and you get two more practice days,” he said.

IU will have an advantage against Navy in game experience because Saturday’s game is the Midshipmen’s season opener.

Navy was 8-5 in 2012 and lost to Arizona State in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

Navy is one of a handful of teams in the country who run the triple option offense, and the Midshipmen ran the ball on more than 80 percent of their offensive plays in 2012.
 
Last season, Navy ranked sixth in the FBS in rushing yards per game, fourth in rushing first downs, tied for 15th in yards per rush and 32nd in rushing
touchdowns.

The Midshipmen lost more than 44 percent of their rushing yards from last season.
Their biggest loss on offense was running back Gee Gee Greene, who rushed for 877 yards on 120 carries in 2012 and graduated in the spring.

Since Navy is a run-first offense and the Midshipmen take a lot of time off the clock with their drives, senior wide receiver Kofi Hughes said that IU won’t get as many possessions as it would against most opponents.

“We moved the ball pretty well in that game (last season), but we weren’t getting the points that we needed to and that was kind of the story of the season,” Hughes said. “All these yards but not points to match. Playing Navy, you’re not going to get that many drives, so you have to make the best of them.”

Wilson said it’s a different style of game when facing a team that runs the option. He said that IU had 18 possessions going into the fourth quarter against Indiana State, but the Hoosiers only had 10 possessions total last year against Navy.

He expects IU to have anywhere between eight and 11 possessions on
Saturday.

“If you get more than 12, either they’re scoring fast or you’re playing good D and they’ve turned it over,” Wilson said. “It’s a short game. What that does is it minimizes your opportunities so your errors are more exposed and more critical.”

Follow football reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittryIDS.