Opinion: Navy is ruling rivalry like Air Force used to

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy’s Midshipmen run a precise, physical option attack, tackle with ferocity and take orders from a chattering, charismatic coach who hails from the South.

It’s a little scary how much these Midshipmen resemble Air Force teams from Fisher DeBerry’s glory days.

As Navy players nonchalantly trotted off the field Saturday after dropping Air Force 31-20 it was once again obvious.

This is the home of the emperors of service-academy football. Air Force and Army are chasing the Midshipmen, and it’s not even close.

Paul Johnson, the drawling commander of the Navy sideline, has constructed a program that revives memories of DeBerry’s dominance from 1984-2002.

And he seems destined to dominate as long as he remains here in Maryland. This is no sure thing. Johnson could be snatched by a more prominent program five minutes after Navy’s season ends.

But right now, the good times are rolling. He’s 10-1 against Air Force and Army. He’s collected five straight wins over the Falcons, and there’s little reason to believe Air Force will end the streak next season.

The Falcons lose 13 starters, and the Midshipmen return quarterback/magician Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, who sprinted to the 78-yard touchdown that buried Air Force’s chances for an upset.

A few minutes after yet another Air Force defeat, athletic director Hans Mueh walked off the field, talking about Navy’s streak.

“It is frustrating, but I think it’s frustrating because we were on such a long run,” Mueh said.

He’s right. From 1982-2002, the Falcons employed the Midshipmen as a punching bag, winning 19 of 21 games while turning the rivalry into a joke.

But when Johnson arrived at Navy in 2002, all the fun times came to a crashing halt. It was an inspired hire. Johnson has harnessed the discipline and fire of his athletes, installed a muscular, deceptively diverse run offense and rampaged all over Air Force and Army.

Saturday offered a tired football script. The Falcons had a chance to push the Midshipmen but bumbled too often to even deliver drama to the final minutes. The difference in this game was simple.

When Navy had to make a play, it did. When Air Force had to make a play, it didn’t. The Falcons lacked the might and the wisdom to win.

With three minutes left in the first half, Air Force coach Troy Calhoun gambled on a fourth-and-1 from the Navy 4. A touchdown would have pushed the Falcons to a 17-14 lead.

But Navy’s line all but devoured halfback Jim Ollis, who lost a yard.

With 13 minutes left in the game, Johnson faced a fourth-and-goal at the 2. He trailed 20-17. He could have gone for a tie.

He gambled, went for it all and won the bet. Kaheaku-Enhada powered into the end zone and pushed Navy to a lead it never lost.

Air Force seemed ready to answer. The Falcons motored to the Navy 9-yard line before a bizarre — and inexcusable — series of mistakes doomed their chances.

A personal foul, an offsides and a holding penalty pushed the Falcons all the way back to the Navy 39, forcing a Ryan Harrison punt.

A few seconds later, Kaheaku-Enhada was sprinting to his epic touchdown, and the Falcons were doomed once again.

The five-game losing streak was on Mueh’s mind as he departed the field.

“We’ll end it next year,” Mueh said of the streak. “Guaranteed.”

I appreciate Mueh’s defiant confidence and his willingness to use words to inspire his fallen football players.

But his words bring to mind one of Johnson’s sayings. The quote hangs not far from the football stadium in Navy’s campus deli at Dahlgren Hall.

“Show me. Don’t tell me. Talk is cheap.”

The Falcons can talk all they want, but they face a long climb before they can hope to conquer Navy.