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Aug. 16, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md.-The Navy defense recorded 16 tackles for a loss, seven sacks and picked off two passes against the offense in a 100-play scrimmage conducted Saturday morning in front of more than 3,000 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Junior linebacker Tony Haberer (Liberty Hill, Texas) and sophomore linebacker Tyler Simmons (Goldsby, Okla.) led the defense with seven tackles apiece.

"We stink on offense right now," said Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo. "That is two weeks in a row the defense has come out and whipped the offense's butt. I don't think I've ever been involved in a scrimmage here where the offense hasn't scored at least one touchdown. I've been here 11 years and this is the first time that has happened. The defense played great and the offense has a long ways to go."

Sophomore fullback Wes Holland (Pelham, Ala.) led the offense with 51 yards on nine carries, while junior fullback Kevin Campbell (Burke, Va.) carried the ball nine times for 46 yards. The majority of the first string on both sides of the ball played just two series in the contest. The Navy offense was limited somewhat in what they could run as the quarterbacks were off limits to be hit.

Sophomore defensive end Maurice Cumberland (Jacksonville, N.C.) continued to impress on Saturday with three tackles for a loss and two sacks, while sophomore outside linebacker Trey Grissom (Garner, N.C.) and junior linebacker Ross Pospisil (Temple, Texas) each had two tackles for a loss. Senior safety Kevin Snyder (Burtonsville, Md.) and sophomore cornerback John Angelo (Newport Beach, Calif.) recorded interceptions.

Navy's quarterbacks (Jarod Bryant, Joe Taylor and Greg Zingler) completed just four of 19 pass attempts for 24 yards with two interceptions.

"I don't think anybody played well on offense," said Niumatalolo. "The line didn't do a good job, Jarod didn't play particularly well and the slot backs didn't play well. There are a lot of areas we need to fix. The offense has played well during the week, but when we get to the stadium the defensive guys have learned to turn it up and play game like and the offensive guys still haven't figured it out. Hopefully in two weeks we can find some answers and get this thing fixed. Our biggest question mark right now is the offensive line. We have three guys that haven't played and the offensive line is all about chemistry. Gaskins (Anthony) and McGinn (Andrew) know what they are doing, but the other three guys are still learning. They have the tools to get the job done, but they aren't getting it done. They got their butts kicked today."

Navy will turn its attention to the season opener on August 30 when the Mids take on the Towson Tigers in a 3:30 p.m. contest. The game will be broadcast live on the Navy Radio Network and televised live nationally on CBS College Sports. Season and single game tickets are now on sale by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY or by logging on to www.navysports.com