During a lengthy interview in his office yesterday, Niumatalolo said he made the decision to stop running the triple-option package in favor of safer plays that protected the ball, not assistant coach Ivin Jasper.

"It wasn't Ivin. I'm the one who put the clamps on. With the way the game was going, I didn't feel comfortable taking any risks with the ball," Niumatalolo said. "I decided we were going to be conservative and eat the clock. If that meant running the fullback then punting the ball, so be it."

Niumatalolo's decision was based on two factors. First, Air Force was beating Navy badly at the point of attack. Second, the Midshipmen were having trouble holding onto the ball.

Quarterback Jarod Bryant committed three fumbles, including one on an option pitch. Slot back Shun White also committed a costly fumble deep in Navy territory that led directly to an Air Force touchdown.

"I don't know if it was nerves or what, but we were having trouble handling the ball. I wasn't going to lose the game by giving the ball away," Niumatalolo said.

Equally as troubling was the performance of the Navy offensive line, which struggled to execute blocks. Defensive end Jake Paulson (seven tackles) led the way as the Falcons' defensive front dominated and disrupted the Navy offense.

"Air Force got after us pretty good up front. They were very physical and aggressive and controlled the line of scrimmage," Niumatalolo said. "It was a step backward for our offensive line. As a unit, those guys just didn't play very well."

That is why Niumatalolo ordered Jasper to scale back the offensive game-plan, going with designed plays as opposed to option reads. That resulted in a lot of two-way option involving Bryant and fullback Eric Kettani, quarterback draws and keepers and quick pitches to slot backs. The Midshipmen attempted only two passes the entire game with the lone completion being a 38-yarder to slot back Shun White.

Bryant gained 101 yards on 24 carries while Kettani gained 75 tough yards on 22 attempts. Navy slot backs touched the ball a total of seven times and contributed only 28 yards rushing. Jasper admitted yesterday there were times during the game when he thought running the option to the perimeter would produce a big gain, but understood why Niumatalolo didn't want to do that.

''Calling plays, I was kind of getting frustrated with the way (Air Force) was plugging inside so much. At the same time, we were struggling to hold blocks and Jarod was having a hard time reading," Jasper said. "The safe thing to do was to keep it inside, keep the ball off the ground and just win the game. That's what Kenny wanted to do and I agreed with him. It was all about getting a win and getting out of there."

Jasper agreed the combination of poor ball protection and shaky blocking made it difficult for Navy to execute its offense properly. He thought the early fumble on a bad pitch affected Bryant a bit.

"I think the big thing on Saturday was the turnovers. After Jarod fumbled the ball a couple times, all the confidence he had built up for that game went right down the drain. He got a little tight," Jasper said. "You've got to give credit to the Air Force defense. We kind of came out and got hit in the mouth. It was a hard-fought game, a tough game, a frustrating game for the offense. We had to do what was necessary to get out of there with a W."

Starting quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada is still nursing an injured hamstring and Niumatalolo is unsure when he will be able to play in a game. Kaheaku-Enhada will attempt to practice in full pads next week, but the coaching staff is not counting on him starting any time soon.

"We're moving forward as though Jarod is the quarterback. If Kaipo does come back, we're not sure how long he'll be able to go," said Niumatalolo, adding that Bryant will not take repetitions at slot back until Kaheaku-Enhada is completely healthy.

Meanwhile, Niumatalolo and Jasper are using the bye week to conduct a complete evaluation of the offense. The Midshipmen have fallen from first to third in the national rankings for rushing offense with their per game average dropping from 370 to 313 yards over the last three weeks.

Navy has reached the red zone 23 times this season and come away with only 10 touchdowns. Kicker Matt Harmon has carried the Mids with 11 field goals.

"We're going to take a look at every drive we've had - whether it resulted in a punt, a field goal or a touchdown - and see what happened," Jasper said. "Let's figure out what is stopping us from scoring touchdowns. Is it the play call? Is it the blocking scheme? Is it a mistake? I'm pretty sure it will be a mixture of all those things."

Navy had a magical offensive season in 2007, averaging 40 points and 444 total yards per game. The Midshipmen scored 62 offensive touchdowns in 13 games, a phenomenal average of nearly five per game.

"I knew coming into the season that if we weren't scoring a lot of points and getting into the end zone, people would ask 'What's wrong.' I expected that," Jasper said. "I'm confident we have a good plan and are doing the right things. We've had a tough time getting into a rhythm. We need to figure out what is going wrong and get this thing revved up as we go into the second half of our season."

Finally, Jasper answered the question that has been on everyone's mind: Can Navy employ its complete triple-option package with Bryant at quarterback?

"No, I'm not afraid to run the triple with Jarod," he said. "Jarod can run this offense, he has done it in the past. I just think he needs to play with more confidence, trust his instincts and just do what he's been taught."