Navy and Niumatalolo shut out NIU, 16-0

November 26, 12:02 AMAsian-American Sports ExaminerMichael Street

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AP/Naval Academy

One of the signatures of a great team is to be able to hold another team down and keep it down. Navy fit that description tonight by shutting out Northern Illinois, a team looking to sew up a bowl berth.

The 16-0 score represents the first blanking of a Navy opponent since handing Rutgers a clean slate on Oct. 14, 2006, and the next step in an inproving Navy program.

Quarterback Ricky Dobbs showed Navy that its future is bright indeed.

Dobbs has filled in after Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, the starting quarterback, who has been suffering form a hamstring injury since upsetting Wake Forest September 27. For Coach Niumatalolo's complex triple-option offense, having a smart, quick, and sturdy quarterback is essential to execution. So when Kaipo went down, Niumatalolo had to find a good substitute.

Since Kaipo's injury, Dobbs has been sharing time with either a gimpy Kaipo or senior Jarod Bryant, but today, Niumatalolo handed the reins of the triple option to sophomore Dobbs from the opening whistle. Dobbs responded by guiding Navy to a dominating performance against a team playing for a spot in a bowl this holiday season.

The game belonged to the Midshipmen, who controlled the game from the opening quarter, when they spent 11 minutes in a drive from one end to the field to the other. The drive stalled inside the ten, however, and Navy had to settle for a field goal.

After NIU couldn't respond, Navy once again drove the ball in impressive fashion to a TD, highlighted by a 32-yard pass to Greg Shinego, Navy's only pass on the day. Shinego would finish the game with 5 rushes for 39 yards; both his ground and air stats represented his best performances of the season.

Although they missed the extra point, Navy didn't look back. The turning point of the game came with 7:39 left in the third quarter, when NIU decided to go for it on 4th and 4 from the Navy 37. NIU quarterback Chandler Harnish threw his second pick of the day, into the arms of Emmitt Merchant.

Even though there were still more than 20 minutes in the game, it was all but over.

The momentum shifted significantly the Midshipmen's way, who went on for a second TD drive to bring the score to 16-0. NIU began pressing more at this point, and though they had the ball for over nine minutes, they couldn't punch the ball into the end zone, and turned the ball over on downs at the Navy 3.

Dobbs and Navy kept the clock ticking with the ground game, and ate up a good chunk of clock to bring it down to 4:28, but the Midshipmen defense held, and NIU turned the ball over again with 2:35 left, and the Middies finished off their opposition, 16-0.

Not only does the victory ensure Ken Niumatalolo and his Navy team a winning season, it gives them momentum moving into their rivalry weekend against Army. Not that they need such a boost; the Black Knights are 3-8 for the season. Additionally, both teams have played Rutgers, Air Force and Temple, and Navy beat all three, while Army lost to all three.

In rivalry games, you can often toss out the team's records, but it's going to be hard to pick against Navy on December 6.

Even my dad, who has the Army fight song as his ringtone, doesn't think his Black Knights stand a chance.