KNOW YOUR FOE: Navy brings triple option threat, stout run defense into rematch with UCF

Last season's loss to Navy left a bad taste in Gus Malzahn's mouth.

Forced to start true freshman Mikey Keene due to Dillon Gabriel's season-ending collarbone injury, the Knights built a 30-17 lead after three quarters only to watch it crumble against the Midshipmen's triple-option attack.

Navy grinded out three consecutive scoring drives to overturn the deficit and prevail 34-30 last October on their home field in Annapolis, Maryland. Isaac Ruoss' 4-yard TD run with 3:09 left in regulation held up as the decisive play.

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"I looked at the film a little earlier (Monday) and, yeah, we were a pretty beat-up team. There's no doubt," Malzahn said. "We had a bunch of new faces out there, but the bottom line was we had a chance to win and couldn't get it done at the end."

UCF (8-2, 5-1 AAC) will have a chance to right those wrongs, and continue its second-half surge, when it hosts Navy (3-7, 3-4) at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Knights have won three in a row, including two victories against nationally ranked opponents, to grab the inside track on home field advantage in the AAC's championship game.

Meanwhile, Navy has lost five games this season by 10 points or fewer — including last week's 35-32 near-comeback against Notre Dame. The Midshipmen scored the game's final 19 points, though their rally came up just short.

"It's kind of like we get to the top of the mountain, and then we tumble back down," Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said Monday during his weekly press conference. "It would be awesome for our program, our seniors, our team to be able to get over the hump.

"They're the best team in our league right now. We know this is going to be a great challenge at their place. … Hopefully, though, these last couple of games will tell our guys that we can play with these people."

This week's guest for Know Your Foe is Bill Wagner, a veteran of Capital Gazette Newspapers for more than three decades and the outlet's beat writer for the Naval Academy's athletics.

Boyle: Navy shut out Notre Dame in the second half last week after allowing 35 points in the opening 30 minutes. What was the biggest change, and how can the Midshipmen build upon that against a high-powered UCF offense?

Wagner: Navy stopped the Notre Dame rushing attack the entire game. The Midshipmen repeatedly forced the Fighting Irish into third-and-long situations. In the first half, Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne had time to throw and picked apart the Navy passing defense. Defensive coordinator Brian Newberry blitzed a few times and the Mids were unable to get to the QB, so he started dropping eight into zone coverage and that proved a huge mistake. Pyne had all day and made the Mids pay. In the second half, Newberry threw caution to the wind and brought the house. Navy blitzed with zero coverage nonstop and it worked. The Mids sacked Pyne five times and hurried him into bad throws several others. Zero blitz is not a sustainable strategy. It must be used judiciously. That said, if Navy can stop the run on first and second down and get UCF into third-and-long, expect Newberry to blitz often.

Boyle: In Monday's press conference, Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo pointed out his team have been "slow starters." What can they do differently earlier in ballgames, and is there any additional concern given the 11 a.m. kickoff time in Orlando?

Wagner: One would think the Midshipmen would relish an early kickoff since the academy day begins at 6 a.m. Starting slow has been a season-long problem and has just killed Navy. The Mids have given up the game's first score in each of their seven losses. As an option team, Navy needs to play from ahead and not from behind. It is absolutely crucial for Navy to NOT give up a score on the opponent's opening possession.

Boyle: The Midshipmen lost two-year starting quarterback Tai Lavatai, a Creekside High grad, for the season to a knee injury at the end of October. How have Xavier Arline and Maasai Maynor performed in his absence, and how should UCF defend them differently?

Wagner: Arline is now the starter and he has valuable experience, having started multiple games in previous seasons. He is a completely different quarterback than Lavatai. Arline has speed, quickness and elusiveness. He is much more of a perimeter running threat than Lavatai, who pretty much did most of his damage between the tackles. Arline has brought an added — and, frankly, much needed — dimension to the offense as opposing defenses must now account for the quarterback as a dangerous running threat. That simply was not the case with Lavatai. On the down side, Arline is not nearly as good a passer as Lavatai. However, Arline completed some strong passes against Notre Dame and has clearly improved in that department. Maynor is probably the best passer on the roster and will be used if the Mids fall behind and need to throw to catch up.

Boyle: Two weeks ago, you wrote that the NCAA's rule changes in regards to cut blocking have hurt Navy's ability to run the triple option. Can you expound on that thought, and describe how the Midshipmen are trying to work around these new regulations?

Wagner: Going into this season, the NCAA eliminated cut blocking outside the tackle box and it has hurt Navy big-time because it completely changes the whole dynamic of the option pitch. For as long as the Midshipmen have been running the option, slotbacks and wide receivers cut block on the perimeter to open holes for the slotback taking the pitch. Cut blocks means defenders on the ground and basically eliminates them from the play. Now Navy must employ traditional blocks and it is just more difficult to execute, especially since the Navy slotbacks are all 5-foot-9 or less and about 175 pounds or less. Cut blocks were a great equalizer for a significant size disadvantage going against corners and safeties. What we have seen so far this season is that defenders have been able to stay on their feet and therefore string out the play whenever Navy runs the pitch.

Boyle: Navy is ranked 10th in the nation in rushing offense, but UCF is currently fifth after a 336-yard day at Tulane. How are the Midshipmen equipped to slow down the Knights' array of rushing options, and who are the key players on defense?

Wagner: Stopping the run has been the strength of the Navy defense. Never was that more evident than this past Saturday when the Mids held the Irish to 66 rushing yards. Notre Dame had been averaging almost 270 rushing yards in its five previous wins. If Navy contain the Notre Dame rushing attack, it can certainly contain Central Florida's. However, there is a difference as the Fighting Irish were a power running team looking to primarily run between the tackles. Listening to Newberry, it appears the Knights rely more on speed and stretching the field and getting the edge. Obviously, John Rhys Plumlee adds a different element with his running ability. Nose guard Donald Berniard Jr., end Jacob Busic, outside linebackers John Marshall and Nicholas Straw along with safety Rayuan Lane are the key defenders for Navy. Marshall has been a real playmaker and is used a lot in blitz situations. He has been a disruptive force and leads the Mids in both sacks and tackles for loss.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football: Know Your Foe, Navy Midshipmen