Five things to know about Kansas State’s Liberty Bowl opponent, the Navy Midshipmen
The Kansas State football team will get a unique opportunity to scout its bowl opponent when Navy plays Army in a nationally televised CBS game at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Philadelphia.
But there is already plenty for the Wildcats to study about the Midshipmen before then.
Here are five things to know about Navy before K-State lines up against it on Dec. 31 at the Liberty Bowl:
1. Power team from the AAC
Navy is one of the nation’s best football teams that doesn’t play in a power conference. The Midshipmen are currently 9-2 and ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press poll. They finished American Athletic Conference play with a 7-1 record and narrowly missed out on a spot in the the league championship game because of a head-to-head loss to AAC winner Memphis.
Ken Niumatalolo’s team owns nice victories over Air Force, Tulane, SMU and Houston. Its only losses came on the road against Memphis and Notre Dame. Both games were decided by double digits, but Navy has still had a strong season. The Midshipmen have been tested and won’t blink in the face of a Big 12 opponent.
2. Run the dang ball
You won’t hear many Navy fans pleading with Niumatalolo for the Midshipmen to run the ball more than they already do. Navy leads the nation in rushing yards (3,969), ranks third in rushing attempts (664) and ranks fifth in yards per rush (six). And it has only played 11 games.
Like other service-academy teams, Navy uses a triple-option offense that puts a great deal of pressure on defenders to stay disciplined as they try to decipher which potential ball-carrier to target.
K-State has not faced the triple-option this season, and defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton said “oh crap” when he realized the Wildcats were going to play Navy. But he does have experience coaching against Air Force, going back to his time at Wyoming. And Chris Klieman coached against it during his time with North Dakota State.
The Wildcats have struggled at times against the run this season, allowing a Big 12 worst 4.9 yards per attempt. So they might have their hands full with Navy.
“It’s a challenging offense to face,” Klieman said. “We just have to have great discipline in defending the option and have to tackle exceptionally well. We’ll start diving into video and film in another few days once it settles down on the recruiting trail.”
3. Player to watch
Quarterback Malcolm Perry is the engine that makes Navy’s offense go.
The 5-foot-9 senior has rushed for 1,500 yards and nine touchdowns this season while also throwing for 1,027 yards and six touchdowns.
“Obviously he is a tremendous football player,” Klieman said. “I’ve seen Navy play maybe one time this year, I can’t remember who it was against, but I remember watching, and he was an electric player.”
4. Turnaround season
Navy has engineered one of the biggest turnarounds in college football this season. The Midshipmen have a shot at 11 victories one year after going 3-10.
They only beat Memphis, Lehigh and Tulsa a year ago as its offense sputtered and failed to score more than 10 points in three different games. But they turned things around this season and have scored 34 or more points in all nine of their victories.
5. Hometown connection
K-State fans will want to keep an eye on junior Navy defender Jacob Springer. The Midshipmen list his position as “striker.” It’s a role he has taken to, as Springer leads the team with seven sacks this season. He has also made 6 1/2 other tackles for loss.
Springer shares a connection to Kansas City. He graduated from Park Hill South in 2017.