Nov. 10, 2016 At high noon on Saturday, Navy Football will welcome the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for a crucial American Athletic Conference contest and the final home game of the season.
The Midshipmen, coming off a dramatic 28-27 victory over the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, will look to cement their claim to the top of the AAC West Division and control their own destiny over the course of the final two weeks of conference play. The reason this matchup is so critical is that Tulsa is looking to do the exact same thing.
If we learned anything this week about “preseason” polling, it is that it can be inaccurate and unpredictable. At the beginning of the season, Houston was the unanimous choice to win the AAC West Division, receiving 30 out of 30 first place votes. Navy was predicted to finish second in the West and Tulsa fourth. There were few people who circled 12 November as the game that would potentially decide who represents the AAC West in the conference championship game.
Yet, here we are, prepared to welcome a dangerous Tulsa team that has looked better and better as the season has progressed. They currently rank just outside the top ten in points per game, scoring the 11th most in the country with a whopping 42 per contest. Over the last three weeks, they have scored over 51 points per game and outpaced their opponents by more than three touchdowns in critical conference victories over Tulane, Memphis, and East Carolina.
Make no mistake, this is the most important game of Navy’s season right now. As the media and fans have slowly started peeking to where this Navy Football team could end up, Coach Niumatalolo has squashed the conversation before those questions are even asked, saying on his weekly AAC teleconference that the team’s sole focus is on Tulsa.
That may sound cliché, but that’s the beauty of being in a conference as competitive as the American Athletic. Every game matters, and every game becomes the most important game if you want to achieve one of your season goals, a conference championship.
Athletic Director
Chet Gladchuk has deservedly received praise over and over again from Coach Niumatalolo for his ability to help Navy transition successfully into the American Athletic Conference. As Commissioner Mike Aresco aggressively moves forward with the branding campaign to label the AAC a member of the “Power 6”, a not so thinly veiled indicator of where he believes the conference stacks up across the college football landscape, the teams are backing up this assertion on the field.
The move to the AAC, while received with skepticism by some during the process, has done everything Niumatalolo and Gladchuk promised it would do and then some. This is seen not just in exposure for the program and recruiting, but in the quality and significance of each and every game over the course of 12 weeks in the fall. Before, the team goals were to win the first game, win the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, make a bowl game, and of course, beat Army in the process.
Now, the preseason goals include winning the first game, winning the CIC trophy, making a bowl game, winning the West Division, winning the AAC Championship Game, being the Group of 5 representative in a New Year’s Six Bowl game, and of course, beating Army in the process.
This shift, combined with the incredible success that Navy has had in their first two years in the conference, have legitimately meant that every game was the most important of the year for this team. No coach speak required, just go back and look at how this season has played out thus far.
Beat Fordham to check off the first goal, winning game one and preserving what is now the second longest home winning streak in the country at 14 games. Turn right around and play your first conference game of the season in week two against Connecticut with the ability to get out to an early lead in the AAC race. Follow that up with another conference game in your first road trip of the season at Tulane. No time to relish being 2-0 in the conference, because Air Force is coming up in the first leg of the CIC Trophy race. Lose control over your own destiny for one of your biggest goals in a crushing defeat, and there is no time to sulk about what could have been, because you have a top 10 Houston team coming to Annapolis with first place in the AAC West on the line. Win what at the time may have been the biggest game in recent program history, and there is no time to celebrate, because Memphis is coming to town seeking revenge from losing to Navy as a top 15 team last season, and they are undefeated so far in conference play. Travel to Tampa and lose a tough game to an excellent South Florida team, and you have to be resilient and bounce back quickly, because a trip to Jacksonville with a chance to knock off perennial powerhouse Notre Dame and the ability to keep your highest ranked Group of 5 champion hopes alive are on the line.
That brings us to this Saturday. The most important game of the season. For the third time this year, first place in the AAC West is on the line. Every goal at the beginning of the season except one is still on the line. The second longest home winning streak in the country and longest in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium history is still on the line. Oh, and it’s Senior Day with a chance for this year’s senior class to tie the record for most wins by a senior class in program history. It’s also the last opportunity to watch a tremendous group of young men play their hearts out in front of their home crowd.
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium needs to be electric on Saturday. The Brigade should be hoarse by the end. The parking lot should be empty after halftime. This team, and this group of seniors, deserve that. After all, it’s the most important game of the season.
Until next week.
