BALTIMORE - It ended exactly as Navy Coach Ken Niumatalolo might have drawn it up - the quarterback sneaking for one final yard as the offensive line surged to help him get there.
There was just one problem as far as Niumatalolo was concerned. The quarterback with the football was Maryland's Jamarr Robinson, not Navy's Ricky Dobbs. It was the unheralded junior making his third college start, not the senior whose name has been mentioned throughout the preseason in the same sentence with the words "Heisman Trophy."
And that was exactly the right ending for this game. Maryland earned its 17-14 victory at M&T Bank Stadium Monday afternoon. Navy earned the defeat.
In a sense, this game was a perfect setup for Maryland. All the Terrapins heard throughout preseason was that their coach's job was on the line, that the bottom had dropped out on Ralph Friedgen during a disastrous 2-10 season a year ago and that incoming athletic director Kevin Anderson's first crucial decision was going to come in November when, the pundits said, he would need to fire Fridgen.
They also heard and read that Dobbs wasn't just a Heisman candidate; he would someday be a candidate for president - of the United States. They were told that Navy was talking about going undefeated and playing in a BCS bowl. Dobbs may well run for president someday but he isn't going to win the Heisman Trophy. And, as of right now, Navy's biggest goal this season is to be 1-1 after Saturday's game against Georgia Southern.
Click here for the rest of the article: Mids don't live up to hype
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4 comments:
I muted the game on TV and listened to you guys on 1500 AM. Why do you call it "the pink zone" instead of "red zone"?
While I respect your talents, isn't there some conflict of interest having you do a story (or a column) on a game when you were part of the radio broadcast team for one school? Does Navy pay or approve you as a broadcaster?
He said during the third quarter he would call it the "pink zone," because pink is his daughter's favorite color. There was no further explanation.
It was the first time I opted to listen to the radio broadcast over muted TV. If John's game commentary is this frequently so much about him, I won't be doing that many more times. It sounded just like one of his guest spots on talk radio, and not in a good way.
John,
Loved your article on the Navy-Terp game, but beleive you were too easy on Navy play calling and clock management. A quick pitch to the outside on that final play would have resulted in a walk into the end zone as everyone on the Md defense was keyed on Dobbs.
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