Niumatalolo wary of his team losing focus against Delaware

Head coach Ken Niumatalolo is concerned about Navy suffering a letdown in the wake of its stunning upset of Notre Dame, which was ranked No. 19 at the time. Niumatalolo has spent all week warning his players to refocus their attention on Delaware, which is ranked No. 23 in the latest Football Championship Subdivision poll.

Niumatalolo said the Midshipmen need to take a business-like approach and go about their normal routine despite drawing national attention for knocking off the Fighting Irish.

“Obviously our kids are very happy. A lot of us are still on cloud nine. That’s human nature,” Niumatalolo said this week. “Hopefully, we can look at the film, learn from our mistakes and move forward. It’s going to be hard because a lot of people are patting us on the back. We better get ready because we know (Delaware) is a very good team. If we don’t get out of this euphoria, they will knock it out of us real quick.”

Meanwhile, Blue Hens head coach K.C. Keeler hopes the Midshipmen’s minds are elsewhere on Saturday. Navy (7-3), which has already accepted an invitation to the Texas Bowl, travels to Honolulu the day before Thanksgiving for a game against Hawaii.

“I hope they are still thinking about that great win over Notre Dame and are looking forward to their trip to Hawaii. Maybe little old Delaware can sneak in there and come away with a nice upset,” Keeler said.

It wouldn’t be the first time. Delaware has won two of the last three meetings between the schools – knocking off bowl-bound Navy teams in 2003 and 2007. Two years ago, quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 434 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Blue Hens to a wild 59-52 shootout victory in Annapolis. The Pittsburgh transfer would wind up becoming a first round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens.

Delaware’s offense is led by another major college transfer with pro potential again this season. Pat Devlin was the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year and rated the nation’s fourth-best quarterback recruit coming out of Downingtown East High. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder picked Penn State over Miami, but left after two seasons because he was disgruntled about being the backup to Daryll Clark.

Devlin has lived up to his advanced billing so far, having completed 161 of 260 passes (62 percent) for 2063 yards and 15 touchdowns. Wide receiver Mark Duncan, a product of Suitland High in Prince George’s County, has been the top target with 32 catches for 507 yards and six touchdowns.

Linebacker Benard Makumbi (56 tackles) anchors a Delaware defense that ranks 24th in the FCS with 19.1 points allowed per game. The Blue Hens may be without one of their top tacklers as safety Anthony Bratton (49 tackles) suffered a severe ankle injury in last Saturday’s 28-24 win over Hofstra.

Delaware’s roster is always loaded with Division I-A transfers and this year is no different with players from Michigan State, Syracuse, West Virginia, Wisconsin and elsewhere.

“Delaware is a great program, which always play us tough,” Navy defensive captain and linebacker Ross Pospisil said. “Delaware always has terrific athletes. There are a lot of players on (Navy’s) team that probably wouldn’t get recruited to Delaware.”

Keeler is well-acquainted with Navy’s triple-option offense, which is producing an average of 28.8 points and 356.7 yards per game. However, the Delaware coach admitted it was eye-opening to watch the Midshipmen shred the Notre Dame defense for 348 rushing yards.

Fullback Vince Murray leads the team with 796 rushing yards while quarterback Ricky Dobbs has added 697 yards on the ground and leads the nation with 17 rushing touchdowns. Navy is hoping top slotback threat Marcus Curry (393 yards rushing) returns to the lineup after missing three games with a quadriceps injury.

“Both the quarterback and the fullback are outstanding runners and the offensive line is the best we’ve seen on tape in the years we’ve played Navy,” Keeler said.

Pospisil (team-high 72 tackles) and fellow inside linebackers Tony Haberer and Tyler Simmons (58 tackles apiece) anchor a Navy defense that ranks in the top fourth of the 120-team Football Bowl Subdivision by allowing 21.4 points per game.

“Navy’s defense is greatly improved from the one we saw in 2007,” Keeler said. “We were watching film of a Navy game and on one play we stopped the tape and counted 11 guys around the ball. They do an amazing job of pursuing and rallying to the ball.”

An upset of Navy would greatly enhance Delaware’s chances of making the FCS playoffs. Keeler said the Blue Hens (6-3) are on the bubble and beating a quality FBS opponent would loom large come selection time.

“We are really looking forward to the opportunity to test ourselves against a great Navy team. It would be neat to beat the team that just beat Notre Dame,” Devlin said.

It is Senior Day in Annapolis with Pospisil and other members of the Class of 2010 playing their final home game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

“No senior class wants to go out losing on Senior Day. So this will definitely be an emotional game for them,” Navy junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs said. “This is their last time playing in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. It puts a lot of pressure on the guys who aren’t seniors to make sure we send them out in style.”