Navy utilizes triple-option offense to try and contend with bigger college football foes
Triple-option offense 'equalizer' for Navy
Tuesday, September 01, 2009 Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Annapolis, Md.- In the next four years, at least one school in the Big Ten or Mid-American Conference - one with nothing to lose and willing to take a risk - should be running the triple option.
"I think it's a great equalizer," said Navy coach Ken Niumata lolo, who will bring the Mid shipmen's ver sion of the tri ple option to Ohio Stadium to open the season against Ohio State on Saturday. "But do guys want to do it? It's a selfless offense. You've got to block for each other, you can't worry about who's getting the ball, and we're in the age of the spread offense, of throwing the ball all over the place.
"But I think it would work anywhere. Maybe for a lower-tier team in the Big Ten, whatever team that may not have the same talent, I truly believe it's a great equalizer if a school would make a commitment to it."
At Navy, the commitment in this form came in 2002, when Paul Johnson arrived in Annapolis. A former offensive coordinator at Hawaii and Navy, he went 62-10 and won two Division I-AA national titles at Georgia Southern (including destroying Jim Tressel's Youngstown State team, 59-24, in the 1999 title game) before leading Navy. After six seasons, 45 wins and four bowls, he moved on to Georgia Tech, where his offense went 9-4 in his debut last season.
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