ANNAPOLIS | During the preseason, Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada was entrenched as Navy’s starting quarterback to the point that backup Jarod Bryant was set to start at slotback.
Now halfway through the season, the position that was supposed to be most concrete gets re-evaluated every week.
Kaheaku-Enhada injured his hamstring during the Midshipmen’s first scrimmage, causing a trickle-down effect. Bryant abandoned his slotback duties and took over the starting role, and sophomore Ricky Dobbs was thrust one hit away from playing time.
Coach Ken Niumatalolo hails Kaheaku-Enhada as the best option quarterback the Mids have. Kaheaku-Enhada ran it in high school, and his familiarity with the system allows him to make the correct reads and the right decisions with the ball.
But Bryant is a skilled runner as well. He is adept at moving in tight spaces and has good speed and agility, which is why Niumatalolo wanted to use him as a slotback this season.
So questions have arisen because the Mids’ offense has struggled at times this season. Navy’s defense was the stronger side in wins over Rutgers, Wake Forest and Air Force. Then in last week’s 42-21 loss to Pittsburgh, the Mids managed just 194 yards on the ground, well below their season average of 296.4.
“There were some plays where we had some chances, and we didn’t get it executed,” offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper said. “Football is a game where there’s [11] guys on the field, and everybody’s got to do their job. If somebody doesn’t do their job, nothing else matters. We had some of that on Saturday.”
The majority of the blame from outside the program for Navy’s inconsistent offense this year has been placed on Bryant. But Niumatalolo and Jasper have defended him all season, explaining that breakdowns from multiple offensive players have led to the shortage of big plays.
“Yes, Kaipo is the better option quarterback, but Jarod is a good football player,” Jasper said. “It’s unfair to him to take the brunt for everything. The other guys have to do their job. He played great on Saturday. He had a winning grade. But we still got the ’L.’ What does that tell you?”
Dobbs entered last week’s game with 2:45 remaining and authored a six-play, 54-yard touchdown drive. He has displayed a strong arm and burst of speed in his chances to play this season (he also put together an 11-play, 76-yard drive in Navy’s season-opening victory over Towson).
But Dobbs is still learning the offense, and he isn’t quite ready for the limelight.
“If it got to Ricky, we could scale the game plan down and he could go out there and play,” Jasper said. “His main problem is that he is inconsistent with being smart. He’s gotten a lot of reps, but it’s just little things here and there that will get you beat. The one thing I’ve always been a stickler about is telling guys, ’Don’t go out there and try to win the game, but don’t go out there and lose it either.’ ”
Meanwhile, Kaheaku-Enhada continues to rehab his injury and his availability is a week-to-week decision. He returned Sept. 13 against Duke but played only the first half. He started again two weeks later at Wake Forest, but aggravated the injury. Now he spends his Saturdays on the sidelines reading the opposing defense, trying to give Bryant any edge he can find.
Kaheaku-Enhada might get comfortable in that role because Navy is proceeding with caution with the injury this time around, and now might not get Kaheaku-Enhada back until Nov. 15 against Notre Dame.
“There definitely is hesitancy because I don’t want to push it too hard and come back too early and reinjure it for the rest of the season,” Kaheaku-Enhada said. “I want to take my time and come back and make sure I’m firing on all cylinders before I push it too hard.”
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