The first crisis in Ken Niumatalolo's short tenure as Navy's head coach came after the Midshipmen lost back-to-back games at Ball State and Duke to fall to 1-2 for the season.
Going into Saturday's home game against Rutgers, Niumatalolo knew that many believed Navy was headed for a 1-3 start. It would have been the worst start for the Midshipmen since they went 2-10 in Paul Johnson's first season in 2002.
"We just had to go to work. We didn't point any fingers," Niumatalolo said after his team came back to beat the Scarlet Knights, 23-21, in Annapolis.
"All of us looked at ourselves, from myself to our coaches to our players: What can we do to improve and get better? I couldn't be more proud of a group. We could have separated and splintered. We used that adversity to get closer and grow stronger."
Although the victory came against a Rutgers team that is 0-3 for the first time since 1999, there were impressive performances.
Fullback Eric Kettani, who didn't practice in pads last week because of a strained hip that knocked him out on the first possession of the Duke game, rushed for a career-high 133 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
Quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, who missed the second half of the Duke game with heat exhaustion after sitting out the first two games with a hamstring injury, was effective in throwing (five of eight for 89 yards) and running (47 yards).
The pass defense, which had surrendered 300 yards or more in each of the first three games, tightened against Rutgers. The victory was sealed when linebacker Ross Pospisil intercepted Mike Teel with 94 seconds left.
Replay
The Midshipmen went mostly through the air on the first drive of the second half, scoring on a 22-yard pass from Kaheaku-Enhada to Tyree Barnes, who also caught a key third down pass for a 41-yard gain. The second drive, a 94-yard clock-eater, was mostly on the ground, with Kettani scoring from 2 yards out. They erased a 14-6 halftime deficit.
Erase
A punt by Kyle Delahooke was blocked, setting up a touchdown for Rutgers and giving the Scarlet Knights an eight-point lead. Freshman Jon Teague made what could have been a huge blunder when his kickoff sailed out of bounds after Matt Harmon's third field goal put Navy ahead with 2:09 left, giving Rutgers the ball at its 40. Fortunately for Navy, Pospisil picked off Teel on second down and ended any chance of a Rutgers win.
Fast forward
The Midshipmen, rejuvenated by the victory, have a tough task ahead. They start a two-game trip Saturday at Wake Forest. The No. 16 Demon Deacons are 3-0 and coming off a 12-3 win at Florida State in their Atlantic Coast Conference opener.
NAVY@
WAKE FOREST
Saturday,
3:45 p.m.
TV: ESPNU
Radio: 1090 AM
Line: Wake by 16