Some Navy Midweek Notes

Here are a few items of note from the first half of this week.

Kevin Spacey cheers on the Mids

You never know what you are going to see at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium but this weekend's game threw up something (or someone) a little out of the ordinary, actor Kevin Spacey. The Oscar winning actor was in town filming his new T.V. show "House of Cards" and he decided to stop by the stadium to catch a little football.

Opinion: It is always cool to see a celebrity at the game and Spacey was no exception. The best part was that he was in the stands mixing with the fans and right in amongst everything. There are even rumors that he got down in did pushups with the Mids when the Navy scored. Let's hope the "American Beauty" actor passes on the word and the Academy becomes a favored destination for football loving stars.

East Carolina on tap

Navy has yet another tougher than expected opponent on tap this weekend as they travel south to take on East Carolina. After a few down years the Pirates are in the middle of a strong season and they have a powerful offense which has fueled them to a 5-3 start (and a 4-1 league record).

Opinion: It seems like every team Navy faces right now is at their offensive peak and the Pirates are no exception. The last two weeks have seen ECU score 41 and 42 points in a blowout win and a one score game respectively, the result of which is that they are within striking distance of the lead in Conference USA. The Midshipmen defense is going to have to be on top of its game once again on Saturday to slow down a heavy points scoring opponent.

Keenan Reynolds needs to make the right reads

One of the few negatives to come out of the Indiana game was that Keenan Reynolds did not play at the same level that he did in the previous victory over Central Michigan. The main problem Reynolds faces according to Ken Niumatalolo was his misreading of a number of option plays in the first half which would have sustained Navy drives.

Opinion: For a team which relies on time of possession domination as much as Navy it is essential that misreads are eliminated as much as possible. Sure, no one is going to be perfect, but if Reynolds had been able to make the right reads then the Mids may not have had to dig themselves out of the late hole against the Hoosiers. The decision making of Reynolds on the outside option plays (keep or pitch) will certainly be something worth watching against ECU. If he is able to improve this part of his game then the Navy offense will only get more potent.