Eric Kettani News

Sophomore quarterback Ricky Dobbs will make his first collegiate start when Navy plays Northern Illinois, so it's probably a good thing the game will be played, rather unusually, on a Tuesday night. As a result, Dobbs will get two extra days of practice to prepare for the Huskies. But it also means waiting an extra couple of days.

'I kind of wish the game was Saturday,' Dobbs said. 'I'm so anxious to get out there.'

The teams originally were scheduled to play tomorrow, but before the season, the game was moved by the Mid-American Conference and ESPN. It originally was supposed to be televised on ESPN2, but instead will be shown on ESPN Classic.

When the Navy football team looks back on yesterday's game with Notre Dame, three missed opportunities in the first half will stand out.

Navy is going to run the football Saturday, and it will run it a lot - the Midshipmen don't try to hide that from anyone.

For more than three decades, much of the talk leading up to the annual Navy-Notre Dame game surrounded "The Streak." Navy players and coaches won't have to answer that annoying question this week.

It appears that Navy's revolving door of quarterbacks will continue. Just when you think you've got the situation figured out, it changes.

Navy won, 30-19, in Philadelphia on Aug. 31, 2007. Navy offense vs. Temple defense: The Owls will give up yards but are ranked 25th in the country in scoring defense , meaning the Midshipmen will have to finish ...

That is the only way to describe Navy's miraculous come-from-behind victory over Temple yesterday.

For as hard as Navy's football team had battled back the previous 12 minutes against Temple, things still looked very bleak for the Midshipmen yesterday afternoon. They had whittled a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit down to a single touchdown, but with less than a minute left in regulation, the Owls had the ball and Navy had no timeouts.

On third and 11 from the Temple 43, running back Kee-ayre Griffin ran the ball. Linebacker Ross Pospisil couldn't believe the Owls chose to run a play instead of taking a knee; his hit on Griffin jarred the ball loose. Linebacker Clint Sovie was stunned to see the ball on the ground; he scooped it up and ran 42 yards for his first career touchdown with 37 seconds left. And fullback Eric Kettani was shocked that all of a sudden, the score was tied and the game was heading into overtime.

Navy fullback Eric Kettani tries to remain inbounds after gaining a first down, but he is forced out by Temple cornerback Evan Cooper Jr.

FACTS & STATS: Site: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium -- Annapolis, Maryland. Television: CBSCSN.

So much of Navy's offensive identity is built on its ability to run the football, whether it's grinding out yards or exploding for big plays. So when the Midshipmen have a game like they did last Saturday against then-No. 23 Pittsburgh, when they ran for a season-low 194 yards, it's only natural to be disappointed.

"We're all frustrated," said senior fullback Eric Kettani, who had just 13 yards on eight carries, one of the least productive games of his career.

"We're definitely not happy to run for less than 200 yards. That could be okay for other teams, but we don't pass for 200, 300 yards a game," senior left guard Anthony Gaskins said. "We want to be leading the nation in rushing at the end of the year. It's something that keeps us pushing forward."

Navy shredded Pittsburgh to the tune of 497 total yards in last year's 48-45 double-overtime victory.

Navy's players don't necessarily mind playing on the road. As senior slotback Shun White put it, 'It's good because you get away from school, so everybody likes it.' But even White had to admit that what the Midshipmen went through over the first half of their season was a bit much.

Four of Navy's first six games were away from home, against teams that have a combined record of 18-5. The Midshipmen lost to No. 24 Ball State (7-0) and Duke (3-2), but beat No. 21 Wake Forest (4-1) and Air Force (4-2). Navy is one of just 13 division I-A teams that played at least four of its first six games on the road, and only three of those teams -- Navy, Stanford and Troy -- have winning records.

What went right Not much offensively after slotback Shun White's 40-yard touchdown run helped tie the score early.

Pitt had 16 days to prepare for Navy's vaunted flexbone offense, but during that time the Panthers discovered two key truths when it comes to defending the triple option -- keep it simple, and less is more.

For a brief moment, President Bush hesitated. On a glorious spring day outside the White House last April, the Navy football team was being honored for winning another Commander-in-Chief trophy.

A year ago, in one of Dave Wannstedt's worst moments as Pitt's coach, his Panthers looked as if they had never seen an offense like Navy's. Probably because they hadn't. Taking advantage of excellent field ...

In what was undeniably the low point of Pitt's 2007 season, the Panthers were helpless against a Navy triple-option offense that accounted for 331 of its 497 yards on the ground in a 48-45 double-overtime ...

You can read each press conference transcript on PittsburghPanthers.com. Oct. 13, 2008 Coach Wannstedt Press Conference Oct.

Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo felt compelled to set the record straight yesterday after his offensive coordinator was blamed for abandoning the read element of the Mids' triple option in last Saturday's game ...