Dave Carey, The Examiner
2007-12-20 08:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

BALTIMORE -

Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo still remembers chatting with Utah coach Kyle Whittingham before games as coordinators on opposing teams in the Mountain West Conference more than six years ago. But tonight at 9 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, they will meet under completely different circumstances — as head coaches in the Poinsettia Bowl in front of a national television audience on ESPN.

Niumatalolo and Whittingham each replaced highly successful coaches who turned struggling teams into formidable ones.

At Utah, Whittingham replaced Urban Meyer, who led the Utes to a Bowl Championship Series berth, Fiesta Bowl victory, 22 wins and an undefeated season before taking the head coaching position at Florida in 2004.

At Navy, Niumatalolo replaced Paul Johnson earlier this month when Johnson, who led Navy to five straight bowl games, six straight wins over Army and 43 wins in the last five seasons, left for Georgia Tech.

Now, Niumatalolo — a former offensive coordinator at UNLV from 1998-2001 — and Whittingham — a former defensive coordinator at Utah — meet as head coaches.

“We’d talk before games and he was like ‘I hope we’ll be able to stop you,’ and was very cordial and very polite,” Niumatalolo said when asked to recall their conversations. “Then, we’d get into the game and have like 100 yards of total offense and our punter hurt his leg with all the punts he had.”

Whittingham replied: “[Navy’s] guys know what they are doing [by hiring Niumatalolo]. It’s very well deserving and very well-earned. I wish him all the best starting after [tonight].”

Whittingham still coaches the tough defense that Niumatalolo remembers, as the Utes (8-4) are third in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 15.6 points and 319.4 yards per game. The defense, led by standout safety Steve Tate’s 97 tackles and three interceptions, has forced 30 turnovers.

Utah also has won its past six bowl games, largely because it given up an average of just seven points per game.

Navy counters with a triple-option attack on pace to lead the nation in rushing for an NCAA-record third straight year. Led by junior quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, the Midshipmen (8-4) average 39.9 points per game, but more impressively, average 351.5 yards on the ground.

“You have to try to match their discipline and match their toughness,” Whittingham said. “Their offense has been particularly efficient and very potent.”

The game signifies the start of Niumatalolo’s coaching career, but it also concludes the careers for 26 Navy seniors. The Class of 2008 is a victory away from earning its 36th win, which would tie the Class of 1909 as winningest in school history.

“This year we have a lot of guys who have opportunities to make a lot of plays,” senior slot back Reggie Campbell said. “Hopefully, we’ll go out and just execute and come out on top.”

dcarey@baltimoreexaminer.com