Navy football prepares to face Air Force with unsettled quarterback situation
Heading into the first leg of the competition for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, the shorthanded Navy football team remains potentially diminished at its most important position, with starting quarterback Tai Lavatai’s sore ribs leaving his status unclear for Saturday’s home game against No. 22 Air Force.
The senior left last Saturday’s game against Charlotte after one possession, aggravating a preexisting condition and giving way to Braxton Woodson. The freshman helped the Midshipmen to a 14-0 win — their second straight victory — tossing a 69-yard touchdown pass to slotback Eli Heidenreich on the fifth snap of the second half in an otherwise mostly muted option attack.
Navy first-year coach Brian Newberry indicated Lavatai would practice this week and be in the mix to play against the Falcons (6-0) but did not specify in what capacity. If the Midshipmen (3-3) turn to Woodson as the starter, he would become the first freshman quarterback to start for Navy since record-setting Keenan Reynolds in 2012.
The muddled quarterback situation has unfolded with the Midshipmen seeking to end a three-game losing streak to Air Force, which reclaimed the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy last season for the first time since 2014. The Falcons have quarterback issues of their own. Coach Troy Calhoun said this week that starter Zac Larrier will miss Saturday’s game with a knee injury. Navy last won the trophy in 2019.
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“Obviously you want to find continuity,” Navy offensive coordinator Grant Chesnut said this week. “We’ve talked about it all season, and continuity comes from having a quarterback who plays the majority of the reps, and that has definitely been an issue that we’ve battled throughout this season. I feel confident that we can put a singular game plan together based on the quarterbacks we have available to us this week, that we can go out and execute and do some things we know we need to do to win the game.”
Circumstances at quarterback were unsettled even before Lavatai left the game against Charlotte with discomfort from an injury he initially suffered Oct. 7 in a win against North Texas. Lavatai came off the bench to direct that victory following a hand injury to sophomore Blake Horvath, who had been elevated to starter that week.
Lavatai leads Navy in touchdowns responsible for (five) and total offense (589 yards) after winning a competition for the starting job in fall camp, completing a comeback from a torn ACL he suffered last October.
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His resilience serves as inspiration within the locker room, according to teammates and coaches, and even when Lavatai was demoted briefly to third string this season, his selfless attitude showed in how he mentored Horvath, Woodson and other quarterbacks.
Horvath is listed as out this week, leaving Xavier Arline as the third quarterback for the sold-out showdown at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The senior, who moved to slotback this season, has been practicing at quarterback since Horvath’s injury. Arline was a quarterback for his first three years and made nine starts, including the final four games last season in place of Lavatai.
“It all starts with execution, and having multiple quarterbacks kind of changes the dynamics in how you do that,” Navy wide receiver Jayden Umbarger said. “All the quarterbacks we’ve had play so far — Blake, Tai, Braxton — you know, they’re all different players. They all have different tangibles and abilities, so you don’t just call one play and expect them all to run it the same way, so it’s been difficult having three different quarterbacks.”
Woodson, for instance, completed just 5 of 14 passes for 85 yards against Charlotte and carried 18 times for 58 yards in the most extensive playing time in his career. His only previous in-game snaps came in late relief during the home opener when a 24-0 win against Football Championship Subdivision opponent Wagner was no longer in doubt.
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Woodson’s dearth of experience also contributed to presnap infractions uncharacteristic of the Midshipmen, who routinely have been among the least-penalized teams in the country. Last season they finished second nationally in fewest penalty yards per game and third in fewest penalties under then-coach Ken Niumatalolo.
This year Navy is averaging five penalties per game, tied for 34th fewest, and 37 penalty yards, tied for 14th. Over the past two weeks, the Midshipmen have combined for 13 penalties covering 81 yards.
“There are a couple things that are causing it,” Newberry said. “One thing in particular is we’ve played three different quarterbacks, and that certainly hasn’t helped. There’s slight variations in the way that they present their cadence, things like that, so we’ve got to get that cleaned up. We’ve addressed it. We’re going to do some things this week to help those guys, and I think part of it, too, is a little nervousness we’ve got to get calmed down somehow or another.”
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