Coming off a near upset of No. 9 Notre Dame last week, Navy (1-8) hopes to be full of confidence going into tomorrow's game against Connecticut (4-6). The only problem is, the Midshipmen's training room has been full of bodies.
Starting quarterback Craig Candeto, the team's leading rusher, is extremely doubtful for the game with a high-ankle sprain. Starting fullback Kyle Eckel and backup fullback Bryce McDonald have both been ruled out with knee injuries, and starting strong safety Lenter Thomas (undisclosed injury) also is unlikely to suit up.
Coach Paul Johnson said the Mids will continue to shuffle their lineup, plugging holes with a few players who have seen little or no varsity action this season.
"One man's misery is another man's opportunity," Johnson said.
Navy's most pressing concern will be at quarterback, where sophomore Aaron Polanco will likely make his first career start.
Polanco came on for Candeto and rushed for two touchdowns in Navy's 30-23 loss to Notre Dame, but he also admitted after the game he missed several key reads in Navy's triple-option offense, which requires the quarterback to make decisions at the line and on the fly.
Johnson said most of Polanco's errors were the result of inexperience and that he expects things to improve as the quarterback gets more playing time.
"We have confidence in Aaron," Johnson said. "He doesn't have as much experience as Craig, but he did some good things [against Notre Dame]. He made some good plays."
On defense, Thomas' absence leaves an equally significant hole for defensive coordinator Buddy Green to fill. Though Navy played better defensively against Notre Dame, the Mids have had problems tackling most of the season, especially against teams that line up in multiple wide-receiver sets, such as the Huskies.
Thomas, in addition to being Navy's most-experienced player, is probably also the Mids' best tackler. He ranks fourth on the team with 48 stops this season.
"We'll probably play a combination of guys in his place," Johnson said. "Probably [Wayne] Irons, [Michawnl] Yuvienco and we get Eli Sanders back [from a shoulder injury], so a combination of those guys."
Sophomore Michael Brimage, who has two career carries for 12 yards, will take over at fullback.
Johnson said this week that one of the most puzzling things for him this season has been the lack of production Navy has gotten from the fullback position.
When Johnson coached at Georgia Southern, fullback Adrian Peterson set an NCAA record by rushing for 100 or more yards in 39 straight games, and Johnson got significant production from his fullbacks as an offensive coordinator at Hawaii and Navy. Eckel's high this season is an 85-yard effort against Air Force.
"I think Kyle has run hard, and I think Bryce has run hard," Johnson said. "It's been an enigma. It's hard to put your finger on it. We've played teams that have given us that. We just haven't been able to bust one. We've been a hair off here and a hair off there."
In an attempt to try to shake things up a bit, Navy will start 6-foot-1, 255-pound sophomore August Roitsch at center instead of 6-foot-4, 305-pound junior Shane Todd, who has started every game this season.
"We need to block better, and we just need to do some other things better," Johnson said. "We don't care who gets it, but the fullback has to be productive. The offense has been more productive than I would have thought considering the fullback hasn't had 100 yards."
Navy is fourth in the country in rushing at 275 yards a game.
Next for Navy
Matchup:Navy (1-8) vs. Connecticut (4-6)
Site:Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis
When:Tomorrow, noon
Radio:WNAV (1430 AM), WJFK (1300 AM)
Line:Off the board