http://www.capitalgazette.com/sports/nav...a77a3.html

Well,that article pretty much tells me that Navy will play their best game Saturday. We better be ready for a dog fight.

Quote:This Navy football team has a problem.
It doesn’t know how to handle success. It doesn’t bring the same effort and intensity every Saturday. It tends to play up or down to the competition. It has been wildly inconsistent, not just from week to week, but sometimes within a given game.

What..that isn't normal?

They got blown out vs. Duke and I watched the first half...the good half they played. Toledo by 17+, although it may be low scoring to Toledo standards.

The series has been one with good Rocket teams playing bad Navy squads with 2 out of 3 games being decided by 4 points or less.
I expect a close one.

We should have beat them in 1990...I think we lost 14-10 ? and should have won the game easily. As you would expect with a military academy...they were very disciplined and played hard. For whatever reason, we could never get it going that night. That was our 2nd loss as we finished 9-2 on the year. I remember Saban telling us that reps from the Peach Bowl were coming to watch the Navy game....what might have been if we won that game and finished 10-1....

Quote:we could never get it going that night

Tampa, as a prior player curious as to why that just seems to happen in some games (e.g., the Ball State game this year cxomes to mind).

What, in your opinion, are the factors that contribute to a team having a bad week (school, exams, over-confident, tired, etc.).

I was on the front row of the student section with my fraternity that day (as every game). I still can see the Navy wideout beating our DB for a game winning touchdown right in front of me. The Rockets were more talented, but never got going.

(10-15-2013 09:47 AM)RangerRocket Wrote:  

Quote:we could never get it going that night

Tampa, as a prior player curious as to why that just seems to happen in some games (e.g., the Ball State game this year cxomes to mind).

What, in your opinion, are the factors that contribute to a team having a bad week (school, exams, over-confident, tired, etc.).

Good question....some games you can feel the energy in the locker room and know the team is ready. In others, it's just not there. It's tough to explain or pinpoint why, but it's really hard as a collective unit to get things going if you don't come out of the gates fired up. We lost to Kent in a similar fashion. We played at Kent, it was cold and gray with about 500 people in the stands. You could feel that everyone was going through the motions. We got down early and didn't get things going until late 4Q...too little too late. I still have no idea as to what happened with Navy. We knew what was on the line...bowl game...and had a great week of practice. When things aren't working, players tend to press and then start pointing fingers in the huddle. You then have to battle through that and get refocused...some teams can do it, others can't. It really boils down to leadership...players and coaches.

(10-15-2013 10:21 AM)TampaRocket Wrote:  

(10-15-2013 09:47 AM)RangerRocket Wrote:  

Quote:we could never get it going that night

Tampa, as a prior player curious as to why that just seems to happen in some games (e.g., the Ball State game this year cxomes to mind).

What, in your opinion, are the factors that contribute to a team having a bad week (school, exams, over-confident, tired, etc.).

Good question....some games you can feel the energy in the locker room and know the team is ready. In others, it's just not there. It's tough to explain or pinpoint why, but it's really hard as a collective unit to get things going if you don't come out of the gates fired up. We lost to Kent in a similar fashion. We played at Kent, it was cold and gray with about 500 people in the stands. You could feel that everyone was going through the motions. We got down early and didn't get things going until late 4Q...too little too late. I still have no idea as to what happened with Navy. We knew what was on the line...bowl game...and had a great week of practice. When things aren't working, players tend to press and then start pointing fingers in the huddle. You then have to battle through that and get refocused...some teams can do it, others can't. It really boils down to leadership...players and coaches.

Thanks Tampa. Always interesting to try and figure out why some games are just "flat".

(10-15-2013 09:49 AM)Terry Wrote:  I was on the front row of the student section with my fraternity that day (as every game). I still can see the Navy wideout beating our DB for a game winning touchdown right in front of me. The Rockets were more talented, but never got going.

I had a bird's eye view because the company I worked for at that time has a suite. That game was such a letdown because it really was within our grasp, but we let it slip away. The main thing I remember was our TE's making some plays. Other than that, not much else besides disappointment.

This is an important game, I think. I hope every player who comes out of the locker room feels the same and is ready to prove something.

SIDEBAR: A salesman I became friends with would give me his tix when he didn't have a customer coming into town because he knew I loved the Rockets. But, that was the last time I actually went up to the suite because up there you are kind of removed from the action. It's about like watching the game on a big screen TV. I would still take his tix, but I would sit down in the bleachers where all the excitement was goin' on! The suites are good for schmoozin' (inter and intra) but other than that...

My wife and I drove over from Virginia for that 1990 Navy game and could not believe now offensively flat the Rockets played. We just kept waiting for the O to put points up but they never came. A real head scratcher.

The 1990 Navy game was my first Rocket Game. I was on campus for a college visit and my parents and I got tickets. I also went down to Annapolis 10-15 years ago when we played them (we won) and that was an amazing experience. Neat college football experience.

(10-14-2013 10:51 PM)tolfbfan Wrote:  Well,that article pretty much tells me that Navy will play their best game Saturday. We better be ready for a dog fight.

I also think UT will get their A+ game----hopefully the Rockets respond in kind.